If you attended the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) TRANSform Conference this past October in Seattle or have read recent communication from APTA, you are aware of the focus and encouragement from the association to tell transit’s story.
APTA noted the historic investment included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act coupled with high expectations of the industry will require sharing transit’s positive impact on communities and will be critical to the industry’s future success.
The 2022 midterm election in early November is another reminder of why sharing transit’s impact within communities is important.
The 2022 election was another success for transit ballot initiatives across the United States. In a round of up of results, the APTA reports voters approved 14 of the 19 transit measures put before them.
The measures passed are in addition to the 15 that have already been passed by voters in 2022, bringing the total to 29 out of 36 wins for transit, which APTA says is an 80.56 percent win rate and represents billions in transit investment.
Among the measures approved in November are a tax on high income earners in Massachusetts, with a portion of the revenues supporting transit investments, a more than $52-million bond in Arlington County, Va., where transit will benefit from the funds and various millage renewals in Michigan.
These measures could not have been successful without an effective storytelling strategy, and with final results of key U.S. House of Representatives races still being tallied as of this writing, there is yet another reminder of why it’s important to share the industry’s successes.
Congress currently has 69 freshman members in the House and nine in the Senate. The 118th Congress, set to commence in January 2023, is expected to have an equivalent number of new members. These elected officials will shape policies impacting transit, as well as influence how much the federal government will invest in this industry.
I’m reminded of an event when I worked in the rail industry where a freshman U.S. Representative toured a facility of a manufacturer in Iowa. The U.S. Representative was touting the business diversity within his district and noted he learned about a new business nearly every day, pointing to the manufacturer’s product and exclaiming, “I didn’t even know this was here!”
Now is the time to let them know you are here.
It’s time to showcase what and how agencies deliver services, and why they deliver these services. When it comes to communication basics of who, what, where, when and why, I would argue answering “why” is the most important to creating a meaningful connection to a message. It gives a target a chance to understand what you’re doing, as well as the motivation and drive behind an action.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
