Main Idea

• Encourage young people to use public transit.  How can we do this?
• NC State students can ride CAT buses free of charge, but they don't do this much.  Why not?  They use WolfLine like crazy.  Wolfline apps show the CAT buses.
• People don't ride the bus because it's inconvenient--two hours on the bus to work, versus 10 minutes by car.
• Chicken and egg problem--more routes/buses requires more ridership, but ridership may increase if there are more routes/buses
• You take the bus because there's a pain; difficult to park, you don't know your way around, it's expensive to use a car, whatever.  Big events in Raleigh make this criteria.

Brainstorming

• Socialization of CAT bus riders.  Show other people who are riding them, a la Google Latitude.
• 90+% of young people have mobile phones.  Can we appeal to their desire to be on Facebook while they commute?
• Young people aren't even familiar with the idea that a bus will come by and take them places
• R-Line is pretty well used, with good branding.  It has problems, though, with homelessness (free rides)
• Social networks are very influential.  If young folks see that their friends are doing it, they'll be more likely to do it themselves.
• Everyone thinks the bus is for someone else.
• Promo: if you check in on a bus more than 10 times, you get entered into a drawing?
• WiFi isn't on all of the buses.  If it is, people can work while they commute.
• Reduce the fare?  It's $1 now.  Free fare in Chapel Hill.  Current fares cover about 1/3 of the operating cost (but that's an important third!)
• GoPass that also serves as a discount card
• Target to middle school or high school students, so they can ride the bus to school.  Partner with Wake County; they could save money on school buses
• How do we even get young people to the damn meetings?  They can support the transit plans and a referendum.
• Give away t-shirts that say "I ride CAT"
• Repaint the buses to be more appealing?  Paint job/logo sort of looks like it's from the 1970s.
• Tell people *why* they should ride the bus.  Environmental benefits.
• Show that driving isn't quite as easy an option; you have to find a parking space
• New student orientation: make sure they feel they are welcomed.  City councillors come to new student orientation?  Reach out to Housing and Residence Life departments for the students that live on campus, to promote the resources within the community.
• We don't have a "face of transit"
• What is it that makes the R-Line cool?  It's free, it has the tracker, it goes where people want to go.
• Current bus locations already available via raleighrides.org.
• CAT/RTA sponsors a "university rides" day.  Buses are all free for a day to welcome students?
• Sell coffee on the buses in the morning, cocktails in the evening?
• Park and rides where people can park away from downtown, and then ride a bus downtown?  Maybe some with TTA?
• Introduce people to the bus system via big events; e.g. CAT system is running for the downtown fireworks on 7/4, and the bus is the way to get to the state fair.  Advertising on the buses for the greater CAT system during the state fair.
• Companies sponsoring bus stops.  Disallowed by statute?
• It's easy to get downtown.  Marketing: "Need to get downtown?  Take the bus!"
• Calculator:  determine how much it costs to get from point A to point B, in terms of time, the cost of your time, carbon emissions, wear and tear on your automobile.
• Carbon footprint is very important to young people--environmental issues really appeal to them.
• Freshmen who live on campus aren't allowed to have cars.  That's a year to sell them on the virtues of the bus system!
• There are tax credits if you ride the bus.  Kids have low-paying jobs; this may appeal to them.  Tax credits aren't just for "old people".
• There's a barrier to *starting* to use the bus system.  Where do I stand, how do I pay, where can I buy the ticket?  YouTube videos that show how easy it is.
• GIS focused app that shows the bus routes that pass you, where they can take you.
• Raleigh has a new "teen center".  They are always doing projects, e.g. where the kids teach grandparents how to use computers.  Kids could teach people how to use the bus, could give away free day passes, have them bring other kids on the bus to show them how to use it.
• Chapel Hill has the highest ridership in the state.  They had scaling problems when they went fare-free.  Not lots of parking options on campus.  Creative services like point-to-point, beer run late at night.
• Restrict parking spots, increase costs of parking downtown to encourage mass transit.  Lots of parking structures downtown now, though.
• Free bus route like the R-line between NC State and Glenwood South/downtown on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights?
• Share the results of the GoTriangle calculator on social media, add factors that they didn't consider.

Resources

• GoTriangle has a calculator, "stop and go" program for sharing pictures of when you're stuck in traffic
• Google Maps, GoTriangle plan routes