Ridership Enhancement Quick Study

Many agencies, in efforts to increase transit ridership have adopted and implemented various innovations that collectively may be termed “ridership enhancement techniques.” The techniques of present interest include:

• Employer passes, universal passes, and “ECO” passes
• Guaranteed ride home programs
• Day passes
• On-line fare media sales programs.

Past research (Taylor and Haas, et al, 2002; Brown, Hess, and Shoup, 2003; White, Levine, and Zellner, 2002) suggests that such programs may indeed be a part of an effective ridership increase campaign.  However, not every transit agency has adopted each of these techniques.  This report identifies factors and characteristics that may lead individual agencies to adopt, or not adopt, each technique, and makes recommendations regarding agencies that may most readily move toward their use.