Performing outreach for LAVTA's SmartTrips individualized marketing program

Steer has worked with Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) in the Tri-Valley area since 2016 on their SmartTrips individualized marketing program. Following the reconfiguration of service to improve frequency, buses, and transit waiting areas along two key corridors that connect to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station, LAVTA brought on Steer to perform outreach to households within walking distance from the improved routes in an effort to increase ridership.

How we helped

Our team recruited and trained a team of local Travel Advisors (TA) to hold motivational conversations with residents of the target area, speaking with them on their current travel choices and transportation options. The TA team worked with participants to identify alternative transportation options to driving alone and delivered to their door personalized information and support to help them try new ways of getting around, including riding the bus, carpooling, biking, and walking.

All residents who opted into the program participated in a baseline survey to collect information on how they travel now and their barriers to using alternate modes. A follow up survey is conducted in the months following the program to evaluate how residents changed their travel behavior post-outreach.

Successes and outcomes

Over a 10-week outreach period in 2017, the SmartTrips team in Pleasanton had over 400 conversations at events and spoke with 1,503 households, which resulted in 395 program participants at residences. The first round of outreach in 2017 achieved the project goal of a 15% bus ridership increase in the outreach corridor.

In 2018, over a 4-week outreach period, the SmartTrips team in Dublin and Livermore spoke with 1,168 households and got 545 program participants at residences. They had 1,338 impressions at events.