Some innovative transit marketing in San Francisco

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_h/157635650/
Originally uploaded by Dan_H

BART station @ SFO (San Francisco International Airport) Flickr photo by Dan_H.)

The article "Ridership skyrockets for BART airport line," from the San Francisco Business Times discusses some of the tactics that BART has been using to market the availability of the BART service, which initally did not reach expectations. I mention it not because WMATA is short on passengers--it isn't as it keeps achieving record ridership numbers for the same reasons that transit ridership is rising across the country--but because the BART efforts show some verve, and verve tends to be in short supply when it comes to the marketing of public services by government agencies.

From the article:

To boost ridership to the airport, BART pursued a multipoint strategy. About a year ago, the public transit agency began selling BART tickets through online travel sites like Orbitz.com, Travelocity and Expedia. After people booked flights to SFO, those sites allowed travellers to purchase round-trip BART rides from the airport to San Francisco. BART would not reveal how many tickets it sells this way, but said it has become an effective way to reach tourists.

BART is also starting to work through an airline to get the word out. BART recently taped an instructional video about the SFO station that will be playing on all Virgin America Inc. flights that land at SFO. BART said it is also reaching out to travel writers, promoting the SFO station in stories about the airport. "We look for innovative ways to reach people," said BART spokesman Linton Johnson.