The Voice of Public Transportation in Virginia
Virginia Transit Systems Transit Awards
2008 Transit Awards
Each year, VTA recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions by individuals who are working to advance public transportation in their community; VTA also recognizes innovative, effective programs by our public transportation providers.
The Virginia Transit Association presented the following awards at its 2008 Awards Luncheon on May 20 in Arlington, Virginia to recognize outstanding service by individuals and exceptional transit programs, and to advance and expand public transportation in the Commonwealth.
Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Award
Innovative Program Awards
Outstanding Public Transportation Marketing Awards
Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Award
The Honorable W. Randy Wright has been in the forefront of public transportation his entire career at the local level, at the regional level and at the national level.
He has been a dedicated transit advocate and has been the champion for the now-federally approved light rail system, The Tide, in Norfolk. He has worked diligently during the ups and downs on behalf of the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads and the City of Norfolk to help move the project through the FTAs New Starts process.
He lobbied local, state and federal officials. As a result, The Tide,Virginias first light rail system and the smallest city to receive federal approval for light rail is under construction and will open to the public in 2010. He brought the APTA Transit Board Conference to Norfolk to showcase HRT bus, ferry and trolley to national officials and he led a full day transit oriented development seminar, bringing national and regional officials and developers together to benefit from TOD best practices.
He is the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Planning Leadership Award presented by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association for his instrumental role in the ongoing revitalization of East Ocean View and the creation of the area's first Traditional Neighborhood Design, the national award-winning East Beach community.
Innovative Program Awards
Virginia Railway Express, Courtesy CampaignVRE commuter trains are filled to capacity every week day delivering people to and from their place of employment. Because of the close proximity of seats, it becomes essential for VRE riders to be considerate of their fellow passengers. The Courtesy Campaign was designed to address certain behavioral issues that riders found annoying. Issues included: talking too loudly on their cell phones, taking up more than one seat, placing shoes on the seats and leaving trash on the trains. The campaign was comprised of a series of posters placed at all the
VRE stations coordinated with automated voice announcements aired on the trains during commuting hors in the fall and winter of 2007/2008. Both of these elements are designed to point out the unpleasant behavior without being offensive to the riders.
Valley Metro, Students Ride Free CampaignValley Metro instituted the Students Ride Free program, wherein all students age 18 and under in the City of Roanoke are eligible for free bus fare on Valley Metro Transit buses when they present a school-issued student identification card upon boarding.
With the inception of this program, Valley Metro is experiencing a huge increase in the number of school-age children taking advantage of public transportation, with December 2007 ridership totaling over 26,000, or more than 1,000 per day. This program is championed by the City of Roanoke youth initiative, V.O.Y.C.E., Valuing our Youth through Community Engagement, as well as the Greater
Roanoke Transit Company and the Roanoke City Council.
With the Students Ride Free Program, Valley Metro is playing a valuable part in allowing children greater access to their city and their community, while helping to expand their social, employment and education opportunities.
Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Public Transit Travel Training Program for Seniors, Honorable MentionThis honorable mention is due to NVTCs own success and the potential of its program to improve fixed-route public transit use by seniors throughout Virginia.
NVTC released a detailed report on the results of this two-year effort to devise and demonstrate an effective travel training program for persons 75 years of age and older. The primary objective was to boost the confidence of trainees so they would increase their use of fixed-route public transit.
NVTCs program doubled public transit use up to six months after training and diversified seniors transit trip purposes, reflecting increased confidence. Further, seniors completing training increased overall trip- making, which helps reduce depression and social isolation.
Outstanding Public Transportation Marketing Awards
GRTC Transit System, Team RideFinders CampaignIn 2007, RideFinders, a Division of GRTC Transit System, created marketing campaign that encompassed all of the services that they provide, and present them in a cohesive concept that was both fresh and exciting. The campaign, entitled Team RideFinders utilized seven unique individual heroes to put a face to each of the services that RideFinders provides and promotes within the Greater Richmond region. Through the development of a specially designed outreach vehicle and the utilization of stylish television, radio, website, and print advertisements, RideFinders was able to successfully promote their services to the Greater Richmond region and beyond.
Loudoun County Office of Transportation Services, Bus Services and Schedules BookletLoudoun County Office of Transportation Services (OTS) in partnership with Virginia Regional Transit released a new and updated Bus Services and Schedules Guide in November 2007 that focuses on transportation alternatives for citizens, including local fixed route bus service, commuter bus service, demand response, carpooling, vanpooling and employer services. The booklet contains new maps, transfer points, bus top locations and a description of each transfer route that intersects each existing route.
For slightly over $46,000, 100,000 copies of the booklet were produced. Ridership on all the local routes grew 41 percent from February 2007 to February 2008. Average daily ridership (ADR) increased from 969 to 1,367. During the same time period, the commuter bus (LC Transit) increased ridership 18 percent with an average daily ridership of 3,033.
Virginia Railway Express, Car Bad, Train Good Campaign, Honorable MentionDuring the first quarter of 2008, VRE implemented an ad campaign consisting of a series of print ads depicting young professionals frustrated with their commute. The print ads were coordinated with two drive-time radio spots that carried the same message: Riding the train was much less stressful and much more enjoyable than driving. The campaign ran for eight consecutive weeks on six targeted radio stations and in two college newspapers from January through March 2008.
The reason for producing the ad campaign was to increase ridership and attract new young riders to replace those Baby Boomers who were retiring. A sustained increase in ridership of over 4.4 percent and a 24 percent increase in VRE web site hits on the New Riders page occurred during the ad campaign.