17% of total ridership
is commuters.
WORLD LEADING PROVIDER
Future Systems solutions include: Bus transit stops • Bus transit shelters
BRT shelters • Wayfinding systems • Digital RTI displays • CCTV Security
Canopies & walkways • Solar energy systems
Call 845 570 2745 visit www.futuresystems-inc.com
or email us at sales@futuresystems-inc.com
JUNE 2017 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 43
ANTA CLARITA TRANSIT PROVIDES
transit services for the city of Santa
Clarita, the third largest city in Los Angeles
County, with a community of nearly
250,000 residents. Each day approximately
10,000 unlinked passenger trips are completed
throughout the city as well as into
neighboring areas, such as North Hollywood,
downtown Los Angeles, Warner
Center and Century City. Santa Clarita
Transit employees are committed to keeping
passengers informed about transit
operations. With commuters accounting
for roughly 17 percent of our total ridership,
and given the unpredictability of
Los Angeles traffi c, our passengers rely on
timely service announcements. Because
the social media platform Twitter is free,
simple and, most importantly, convenient
for users, Twitter has become the primary
resource used by Santa Clarita Transit
staff to communicate to passengers.
Th e @SCTBus Twitter account currently
has over 1,700 followers and the
number increases monthly. Th e Twitter
account has become a reliable “one-stop
shop” for transit service information.
In the event that 140 characters are not
enough, posts include links to the Santa
Clarita Transit website at SantaClarita-
Transit.com for more details under the
“Rider Alerts” section. For trip-specifi c
information, staff has a real-time arrival
app, and has worked with developers of
apps, such as Moovit and Transit App,
to provide access to our real-time GPS
feeds. Such partnerships allow patrons
to plan multi-seat trips and view arrival
times specifi c to their needs. In addition
to smartphone technology, staff has installed
a number of electronic marquees
at our most popular stops which display
bus arrival times but can also be updated
wirelessly to display pertinent service
information as necessary.
In addition to daily riders, Santa
Clarita Transit must also communicate
with residents who may not frequently
use their services. Transit staff works
closely with the city of Santa Clarita’s
award-winning communications
team to partner on outreach eff orts for
this audience. Th is partnership allows
transit staff to inform community members
(who may not follow the @SCTBus
twitter account) of transit service to local
events, real-time updates for special
services, such as at our annual Holiday
Light Tour or Summer Beach Bus, and
even communicate transportation options
during times of emergency.
Th e city’s communications staff assists
in pushing out announcements through
the use of social media platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, as
well as e-notify emails, texts and email
messaging through the emergency notifi
cation system Nixle. Utilizing an array
of platforms allows staff to target specifi c
community groups or reach out to the
entire city.
Th e 2016 Sand Fire is a perfect example
of real-time information dispersal,
as it required carefully coordinated and
timely notifi cations.
Transit staff notifi ed riders of service
changes daily as a result of road closures,
while communications assisted in notifying
the greater community of transportation
options as rail lines were closed and
evacuations were ordered.
By maximizing available social media
resources, Santa Clarita Transit is able
to provide quality transit service and real
time information to its residents.
Santa Clarita, Calif.
Alex Porlier
Administrative
Analyst
City of Santa
Clarita
S
For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/12316525