Public Outreach Efforts since November
2004:
* Local Transit
MARCH MAG STRIPE CAMPAIGN
Car cards on buses
Press releases
Website announcement with
downloadable brochure
Brochures on buses, at
kiosks, schedule locations
Brochures handed out with
pass sales
APRIL SERVICE CHANGES
(Originally set for January but postponed due to PTC
opening)
AVTA made the following
efforts to communicate with the public regarding proposed route changes and
extended service hours:
Legal notice regarding the Public Comment Period and Public Hearing on
A press release was submitted
to all local media on
The Antelope Valley Press,
Daily News, and Antelope Valley Journal featured the news and publicized the
community meetings.
Press Conference (November 17)
All media was invited to
attend. Media packets containing maps, service change descriptions, fact
sheets, contact names and numbers, were distributed. Presentation was made by
Randy Floyd and followed by questions from the media.
A full blown article
describing all proposed service changes, service additions, and new technology
was published in the Antelope Valley Press and Daily News on
Local media published follow
up articles related to the delayed opening of the PTC.
Posters
11x17 posters promoting the
service changes and extended hours were placed in businesses along route
extensions, or who would be better served by the later service hours.
Tri-fold brochures with a written description of the service changes,
along with a map, were updated regularly and all buses were stocked with
copies.
Car Cards
Posters announcing the Public Comment period, Public Hearing date, and
list of community meetings were posted on all local transit buses. Signage was
updated three times.
Service start dates were updated
three times: January 29, March 5, March 25, and April 16
Letters
A letter inviting
communication with school administrators, including
Community Meetings
AVTA staff members attended
12 community meetings between October 26 and
An Open House was held at AVTA on
*Because numerous
Special posters were made for
the
PSA’s
An announcement that AVTA was
attending various community meetings to discuss proposed service changes was
sent to all local radio stations to be broadcast as Public Service
Announcements. The message encouraged people to call AVTA or refer to AVTA’s
website for more information.
A list of all community meetings were featured along with information
and maps regarding the service changes as they developed.
AUGUST SERVICE CHANGES
(Originally set for September but started sooner to
accommodate the earlier start of school this year)
AVTA made the following
efforts to communicate with the public regarding proposed route changes and
extended service hours:
Print Media
Public Hearing advertised in
newspaper, posted on website and on buses.
Press releases
were submitted to all local media and posted on website. Articles were featured
in the AV Press, Daily News, and an assortment of smaller community
publications.
Flyers
Flyers with a written
description of the service changes, fare increases, and a map, were updated
regularly and all buses were stocked with copies. These flyers were also passed
out at the community meetings and available in the AVTA lobby.
Car Cards
Posters announcing the Public
Comment period and Public Hearing date were posted on all local transit buses.
Community Meetings
AVTA staff members attended
the following community meetings between June 28 and July 28, 2005: Lake L.A.
Town Council, Easter Seals staff meeting, AVTA Transit Task Force meeting,
Senior Advisory Board at Lancaster Senior Center, Palmdale Senior Center Food
Bank, Palmdale Senior Advisory Board, Lake Los Angeles Seniors, AV Interagency
Coalition, Littlerock Town Council, AVTA Senior Advisory Committee, A.V.
College, Mayflower Gardens.
AVTA also held an Open House in the Board Room.
All meetings were promoted on
our website.
Website
A list of all community
meetings were featured along with information and maps regarding the service
changes as they developed.
AUGUST FARE CHANGES
Press Releases/Publicity
A press release was sent to
all local media.
Posters on fare boxes
Large print posters in
Spanish and English were posted on the fareboxes.
A customer service representative
was at LCP and PTC the day new fares began.
Flyers
All transit buses were
stocked with flyers explaining the new fare categories.
Flyers were distributed at
all community meetings attended.
Website
Fare changes were announced
on the home page with a link to detailed information.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNITY MEETINGS
AVTA staff members met 4 times with
Randy Floyd met with residents from Antelope Acres on two occasions; another
is being planned for January.
An information open house was held at AVTA for residents from Neenach.
* Commuter
FARE INCREASE
Open House
On
Press Releases
A press release was sent to
all local media.
Print Media
Legal notice regarding the
Public Comment Period and Public Hearing on
Surveys
AVTA distributes an annual
commuter survey. Survey summaries are provided to all passengers.
Seat Drops
AVTA communicates regularly
with commuter passengers through Commuter Updates and email. Each “Update” provides a form for passengers
to offer comments. Staff contact numbers are made readily available.
AVTA representatives visited
the LCP and PTC during morning boarding times on 8 separate occasions.
*
THREE DAY / ONE DAY RESERVATIONS
Advertising
Display ads were placed in
Focus on Seniors, AV Magazine, and AV Press Lifestyle magazine.
Press Releases/Publicity
A press release was sent to
all local media and to senior center contacts.
Letters to Patrons
A letter was distributed to
all patrons, providing them with a direct line and inviting anyone who had
concerns about the service to contact Randy Floyd.
PSA’s
Public Service Announcements
were run continuously on radio stations with large senior listening audiences.
Posters
Enlarged copies of the ad
were posted on all
Dispatch
Dispatchers were instructed
to inform patrons of the new policy when they called to book rides for the next
day.
ASI DISCONTINUANCE
Letters to Patrons
Letters were sent to more
than 4,000 DAR/ASI patrons regarding the discontinuance of ASI service, new
customer ID numbers, and the new DAR Rider’s Guide.
DAR Rider’s Guide
New brochure have been
printed which explain all policies and procedures regarding the use of DAR
service. Brochures have been placed on all
* Medical Shuttle
WEEKDAY SERVICE GOES TO FIVE DAYS
Transit Task Force
AVTA created the Transit Task
Force which met regularly to discuss the transportation needs of service
agencies. A total of 97 representatives
from medical, social, mental health, school, senior, hospice, homeless,
children’s, and Veterans agencies were involved.
Advertising
Full color display ads were
run monthly in the Valley Press Lifestyle magazine, AV Magazine. Full page ad
monthly in Focus on Seniors. Flyer insert included in 1500 copies of the
Staff Presentations
Staff members attended
various meetings to present information on the Medical Shuttle. These meetings
included High Desert Health Systems staff meeting, senior citizen meetings, and
senior housing presentations.
Press Releases/Publicity
Kaiser Permanente published
article in their summer 2005 Partners in
Health customer newsletter (dist. 200,000 So Cal members).
Service highlights were
featured in community papers and in AV Magazine.
Brochures and posters
Brochures were kept stocked
on all AVTA vehicles (commuter, transit,
Brochures and AVTA pocket
magnifiers were presented to all participants of the Meals on Wheels program.
Brochures and posters were
mailed to all senior housing facilities in Lancaster and Palmdale.
Customized brochures were
made for the Cancer Foundation. These were duplicated and distributed to all of
their clients.
Letters
AVTA contacted each of the
destination facilities to discuss promotion of the service.
* Other
Senior Advisory Committee
As part of the duties of the
AVTA Senior Advisory Committee, members visit the Lancaster and Palmdale Senior
Citizens centers (alternating monthly) to take photo id’s and to answer
questions, etc.
Facility
AVTA provides pre-arranged
tours of the facility to school classes and community organizations.
AVTA Pride
As part of the AVTA Pride
program, drivers are required to post their photos with their name displayed.
All buses display car cards encouraging passengers to contact customer service
with comments regarding their bus ride.
Community Events
AVTA participates in
community events like the A.V. Fair, the Palmdale Fall Festival, Home and
Garden Show, Poppy Festival, JetHawks games, etc.
Our bus booth is set up and
information about AVTA services is available. Customer comments forms are also
available for anyone who has a suggestion or complaint they would like to
submit.
Community Committee
AVTA invited a mixture of
people to sit in on a committee to discuss information to be put in the Bus
Book. Members of the committee included transit riders (one of them with
disabilities), manager from the Easter Seals organization, a senior citizen,
AVTA dispatcher, and customer service rep.
Meeting Attendance
AVTA regularly attends the monthly
Antelope Valley Interagency Coalition meeting, and the Palmdale Senior Advisory
Commission meeting.