New York State Public Transit Authority
Sustainability and Innovation Spring Conference
Can Smart Car Driving Can
Lead to Fuller Buses?
OR:
Changing Transportation Consumer
Choices Through Community-
Based Social Marking

An integrated information hub:
 Helps people compare and combine
transportation strategies.
 Can also serve businesses, employers, and
transportation providers/planners.
 Facilitates greater collaboration among
transportation providers and advocates.

Car  Bus
Walk
Bicycle
Rideshare
Carshare
Car rental
Taxi

Transportation alternatives to the ‘car
culture’ are mutually interdependent.

Way2Go is here to help bring about
transportation
systems, services
and citizen
choices
that foster
equity,
sustainability
and a high
quality of life
for people that live and/or work in Tompkins County.

Way2Go
 Information hub: 1-stop shopping of what, how
& why of transportation.
 Feedback loop: among transportation providers,
users and advocates.
 Social marketing: Help people choose more
active and sustainable transportation.

Designing our plane by flying it:
 Workshops on ‘getting around’.
 Reaching information gatekeepers.
 Getting around for le$$.
 Visibility and bite-size info.
 Join the ‘Whole Community.’
 “If only...”

Community-Based Social Marketing
A practical approach that
focuses on identifying and
removing barriers to change,
while encouraging desired
behaviors through direct
contact among community
members.

A growing body of research shows that community-
based social marketing (CBSM) is highly effective…
and has been successfully used to encourage people to
adopt active and sustainable transportation habits.
- Article by Transport Canada

CBSM in practice:
1) Specify desired behavior change.
2) Identify barriers.
3) Gather community input.
4) Run small, diverse experiments.
5) Make continuous adjustments.

Making it stick:
 ‘I will’ and getting reminders.
 Peer influence.
 It’s making a difference.

“Community-based social marketing has
been shown to be much more effective in
promoting active and sustainable
transportation than mass marketing.”
Mass Marketing  CBSM
1 type of exposure  Many exposures
1 size fits all  Place- and group-specific info
1 source of info  Foster in-group experts
1 way flow of info  Ongoing dialog

Schools Project ~ collaborating towards equity.

Employer/employee pilots.

Joining with Community Centers and Events.

Can smarter car driving lead to
fuller buses?

YES.