March 20, 1 p.m.: Share-A-Fare In Phase A
How-To-Ride Videos Pass 10,000 Views Milestone
KCATA “How-To-Ride” Videos Pass 10,000 Views Milestone; Series Now Enhanced With Closed Captioning
(Kansas City, Mo. – January 26, 2010) In May 2009, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority launched its online “How-To-Ride” videos. Since then the video series that features instructions on riding The Metro has reached a milestone. It surpassed 10,000 views this month, and the series has now been upgraded to include subtitles.
The YouTube.com videos cover topics from finding your route to using the on-bus bike racks to paying your fare. The Metro’s YouTube channel is online at http://www.youtube.com/RideTheMetro. The how-to’s are also online in the Rider Guide section.
“This milestone tells us more people are turning to the web to learn how to ride The Metro,” said Director of Marketing Cindy Baker. “New customers can take their time and see how easy it is.”
From the YouTube.com website, viewers can share the videos on social networking sites such as Facebook.com or via email.
To make the videos even more accessible, The Metro has recently added closed captioning to the video series.
The benefits go beyond being accessible for people who are hearing impaired. Now people can watch the subtitled videos when they are in an environment where noise may disturb others, such as a library or office. The captions are also helpful for people who may have challenges with understanding spoken language or understanding accents.
To turn on closed captioning on The Metro’s YouTube.com videos, look for the “CC” symbol that appears in the lower right hand corner of the video screen when the video starts. Click on the symbol, and the captions will appear at the bottom of the video.
New Audio Ads Generate New Revenue For KCATA
As most customers know, in 2009 KCATA reduced service in Kansas City, Mo., due to declining transit sales tax revenue. KCATA continues to look for new sources of revenue to help offset declining sales tax revenue.
One of these new strategies is the sale of audio ads on Metro buses. We have been testing the audio ads for a couple of months and are now airing the first paid advertisement. The ads are linked to the GPS system, and are broadcast inside buses based on the location of the bus and/or the time of day. In addition to broadcasting paid advertisements, The Metro will also use audio ads to publicize route announcements, programs and other Metro news.
So far, the ads have received mixed reviews from customers. Some people have expressed their appreciation for the effort to increase revenue, while others have found the ads intrusive to their ride time. It is our goal to generate revenue with the audio ads, but to do it in a balanced manner. Below are a few guidelines for the audio ads:
- Stop announcements will ALWAYS take priority over paid ads
- Ad frequency will be limited to approximately 10% of bus stops
- Ad volume will be calibrated so that it is consistent with the stop announcements
- Audio ads will be professionally recorded.
Since these messages can be customized based on the location and time of day, we hope that they will be relevant to customers. For example, advertisers can create special offers for bus riders who show their transfer or pass. Additionally, the audio ads are affordable for small businesses that could not otherwise advertise in more traditional media.
If you have any questions about the new audio advertising program, please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Stay Informed During Inclement Weather
New Ways KCATA Keeps Transit Customers Informed During Inclement Weather
(Kansas City, Mo. – January 6, 2010) When winter weather hits metropolitan Kansas City, Metro customers now has more ways to easily find bus delays and reroute information.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (ATA) strives to keep buses on route and on schedule, but sometimes road conditions cause changes in normal service.
From a computer or mobile device, transit customers can check for announcements of reroutes or extended delays at http://www.kcata.org, as well as on The Metro’s Twitter account and Facebook fan page.
KCATA’s tweets are found at http://twitter.com/KCATAMetro.
The Metro Fan Page is available at at http://www.facebook.com/KCATAMetro.
Another new online resource is WebWatch, where Metro customers can track their buses live with The Metro’s GIS technology. Riders can simply log on to http://www.kcata.org/maps_schedules/webwatch/ for the map that actually shows their bus’ location. Customers can also get the predicted arrival times of their bus.
In addition to the online resources, The Metro makes available a printed brochure that identifies routes where road conditions are most likely to require a reroute. The Moving Right Along brochure details The Metro snow plan which lists predetermined reroutes and details on clearing major park-and-rides.
Customers can pick up brochures at Metro schedule racks located at libraries, hospitals and social service agencies. Information is also available at http://www.kcata.org/rider_guide/snow_plan/.
Customers can find out if The Metro is using the snow plan reroutes by tuning in to local television stations or official Metro snow radio stations; visiting http://www.kcata.org, Twitter or Facebook; or calling the Regional Call Center at (816) 221-0660.
Metro road crews are out on heavy snow days to treat heavily trafficked bus stops and Metro Park-and-Rides:
- Boardwalk Square MetroCenter
- I-70 & Blue Ridge, Bannister & Drury
- Red Bridge & 71 Highway
- Antioch Shopping Center
- Gregory & Wornall
- 74th & Wornall
- First United Methodist Church
- Second Mission Baptist Church in Grandview
Other park-and rides will be cleared by property owners as quickly as possible.
To plan a trip, visit http://www.kcata.org or http://www.google.com/transit, or call the Regional Call Center at (816)221-0660 between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.
