Project

LADOT Transit – Los Angeles, CA

For the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation, comprehensive marketing and customer support services have been provided for over three decades, encompassing all aspects of LADOT Transit’s service portfolio, including DASH, Commuter Express, Cityride, and LAnow. The work has ranged from market research and marketing planning to advertising and promotion, from the development and implementation of completely new vehicle graphics and signage systems to the management of customer information and support. Public relations, community outreach, and public participation tasks have been integral parts of the ongoing services. The relationship has included managing some of the most challenging periods in the agency’s history, including emergency response during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Northridge earthquake, September 11, 2001, multiple Metro work stoppages, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major accomplishments have included establishing and operating the LADOT Transit Customer Service Center (formerly the LADOT Transit Store), conducting regular biennial customer satisfaction surveys that consistently show 90% or more of riders rating services as excellent or very good, and pioneering numerous technology initiatives. These innovations included managing the first demonstration of smart card technology in transit on LADOT Transit’s Commuter Express, designing the transit industry’s first responsive website, launching the region’s first branded TAP cards, and managing LAMobile, the first demonstration of mobile payments in transit in California. The complete redesign of the bus stop sign system, development of all current LADOT Transit service brands, and the introduction of the mobile sales van have all contributed to building strong brand equity that has made DASH and Commuter Express synonymous with quality neighborhood transit service in Los Angeles.

Services Provided

• arketing strategy and planning
• Customer satisfaction surveys and market research
• Branding and identity development (DASH, Commuter Express, Cityride, LAnow)
• Vehicle graphics design and specifications
• Complete bus stop signage system design and database management
• Sign fabrication coordination and maintenance oversight
• Transit industry’s first responsive website design and hosting
• Social media strategy and management (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat)
• Customer Service Center establishment and management
• Fare policy analysis and recommendations
• Title VI reporting and compliance
• Fare and Service Equity Analyses
• Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plans
• Community outreach and engagement programs
• Public hearing planning and facilitation
• Press events and media relations support
• Transit Service Analysis marketing support
• TAP card design and branded card program development
• Smart card and mobile payment implementation
• Interactive kiosk development
• Mobile sales van program development and operation
• Google Transit feed maintenance
• Real-time information system coordination
• Marketing collateral design (schedules, maps, brochures, posters)
• Interior and exterior transit advertising
• Promotional campaigns and special events
• Advertisng and social media messaging
• Employee training (TAP, customer service, driver instruction)
• Emergency communications and crisis management
• Grant writing assistance
• Service expansion marketing campaigns
• Multilingual materials and translation coordination
• Retail partnership development
• Direct sales programs
• E-commerce website development and management