Public Transportation: A Smart Choice

Although public transportation use is growing, with ridership up “37.2 percent, almost double the amount of the population growth at 20.3 percent” from 1995 to 2013, it is still an underused resource (Public Transportation, np). Although “55% of Americans have access to public transportation,” only about 5.01% use public transit in their daily commute (Transportation, np), (Chase, np). This is largely due to the stigma surrounding public transportation — people view using public transportation as an undesirable necessity, not a gratuitous choice. This view is summed up nicely in Jacqueline Carr’s statement, “if you take the bus, you take it because you don’t have money. There’s a social standard” (Hess, np).

The underuse of public transportation is a failure to capitalize on the benefits associated with having fewer automobiles on the road, which include decreased pollution and traffic. Because “public transportation produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than private vehicles,” and “transportation accounts for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” an increase in public transportation ridership could significantly contribute to reducing pollution (Transit’s, np). By decreasing the number of automobiles operated, public transportation contributes to a decrease in roadway congestion in the same way it contributes to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions (Transit’s, np). Finally, a thriving public transportation system contributes to a thriving economy, as “every $1 invested in public transportation generates $4 in economic returns” (Public Transportation, np). In this way, people who live and work in urban areas stand to gain immediately and tangibly, while suburban and rural citizens would enjoy less obvious, but clearly important, benefits associated with decreased pollution.

The time is ripe for the aggressive promotion of public transportation, as millennials, who are pragmatically multimodal in terms of transportation and care about the environment, are living in urban areas and commuting to work (Transportation, np). Efforts aimed at promoting sustainability and environmentalism are increasingly well received, as people are becoming more aware and sympathetic to the effects of global warming.

I am proposing implementation of a public service announcement (PSA) campaign to encourage the broader use of public transportation among urban commuters, specifically millennials, who are interested in saving money and promoting environmentalism (Transportation, np). The goal of the PSA will be to decrease the stigma associated with public transportation while highlighting the benefits of this method of travel in order to increase ridership. The campaign spots will include a signage series, billboards, and trendy merchandise.

The first campaign spot, a collection of signs or posters, is designed to be seen by nearly everyone congregating in areas accessible by public transportation. Each sign should direct people to the nearest bus stop or train station and present a compelling reason for why a person should use public transportation. There should be upwards of ten versions of this sign or poster, each with a different reason. For example, one sign might say, “reduce your chance of being in an accident by more than 90% by taking public transit instead of a personal car,” while another could say, “the average household can save $10,000 by living with one less car,” and a third can say, “public transportation saves 4.2 billion gallons of gas each year in the United States” (Public Transportation, np). This campaign spot will provide people with practical information related to topics they care about, which may motivate them to try using public transportation.

The next campaign spot will be a billboard with the message, “Stuck in traffic? You are traffic.” Like the posters, the billboard will provide the location of a nearby bus stop or train station and will only be installed in areas with access to public transportation. Additionally, the billboards will be displayed along roadways that are frequently congested, so the message of using public transit to avoid traffic will resonate with the viewer. Because billboards are mostly seen by people driving or riding in private vehicles, this campaign spot will target people who are currently choosing a different way to travel and attempt to occasion a switch to public transportation.

The third campaign spot will be the distribution of trendy merchandise, including pins, stickers, and keychains. The focus of this spot is the de-stigmatization of public transportation. The merchandise, with slogans like “bus rider” or “train rider,” will be designed to be worn or displayed by patrons of public transportation, as it will be distributed upon boarding busses or trains. Millennials are known for their appreciation of stickers and willingness to display “cool” stickers that promote a company or idea (Babur, np). This “cool” merchandise displayed by young people will promote the perception of public transportation as a desirable, modern method of transit, feasibly causing the general public to abandon their preconceived notions that stigmatize public transportation.

The underuse of public transportation is a hindrance to the general progress urban America is making towards becoming more environmentally friendly, and is contributing to the inability of communities to solve problems associated with congestion. The campaign I proposed will highlight the benefits to be gained from increased ridership, alert potential patrons of the availability of public transportation, and decrease the stigma surrounding public transportation. By targeting urban millennials, the campaign will capitalize on the contemporary concern for environmentalism and frugality associated with this age group.

Sources

Babur, Oset. “Why Do so Many Millennial Brands Think Adults Want Stickers?” Vox, Vox, 24 Sept. 2018, www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/24/17869864/sticker-sheets-glossier-outdoor-voices-milk-makeup-ouai-dripkit.

Chase. “What Percentage of Americans Use Public Transit to Get to Work?” Overflow Data, 10 Sept. 2015, overflow.solutions/demographic-data/what-percentage-of-americans-use-public-transit-to-get-to-work/.

Downs, Anthony. “Traffic: Why It’s Getting Worse, What Government Can Do.” Brookings, Brookings, 3 July 2018, www.brookings.edu/research/traffic-why-its-getting-worse-what-government-can-do/.

Hess, Amanda. “Race, Class, and the Stigma of Riding the Bus in America.” CityLab, 15 May 2014, www.citylab.com/solutions/2012/07/race-class-and-stigma-riding-bus-america/2510/.

“Public Transportation.” Facts, www.apta.com/mediacenter/ptbenefits/Pages/FactSheet.aspx.

“Public Transportation.” Public Transportation Use Is Growing — Here Are the Facts, www.apta.com/mediacenter/ptbenefits/Pages/Public-Transportation-Use-is-Growing-.aspx.

“Transit’s Role in Environmental Sustainability.” Federal Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation, 14 Dec. 2015, www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/environmental-programs/transit-environmental-sustainability/transit-role.

“Transportation And Money: Millennials And Their Transit Needs.” Reynolds Center, 21 Mar. 2016, businessjournalism.org/2015/05/transportation-and-money-millennials-and-their-transit-needs/.