Transit Travels to Cyberspace to Reach Riders

This article explains how some transit agencies are using social networking tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, to get their messages to riders more quickly and cheaply while promoting a closer relationship with their customers. In August 2008, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) started a Twitter feed and now has nearly 3,000 "followers" who receive and share updates about what's happening on the system. The agency also redesigned its web page to allow riders to report their own observations. Proponents believe these social networking efforts help "humanize" a transit agency's brand. The article next describes the Everett, Washington-based Community Transit's first steps into social media. Failure to update their MySpace page, however, led to a premature demise. Steps were taken, however, to resurrect the page, and a staff member was appointed to keep the site current. Additionally, Facebook and YouTube pages have also been successfully launched. The article also describes the experiences of Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based CamTran and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) with using Facebook and Twitter.

Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/32522860
Authors:
- Schlosser, Nicole
Publication Date: 2009-5

Language

English

Media Info

Media Type: Print
Features: Illustrations; Photos;
Pagination: pp 42, 44, 46-49
Serial:
- Metro
- Volume: 106
- Issue Number: 4
- Publisher: Bobit Publishing Company
- ISSN: 1098-0083
- Serial URL: http://www.metro-magazine.com

Subject/Index Terms

TRT Terms: Communications; Information technology; Marketing; Social media; Telecommunications; Transit authorities; Transit operating agencies
Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

Accession Number: 01131553
Record Type: Publication
Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
Files: BTRIS, TRIS
Created Date: Jun 30 2009 8:32AM