2016 ECAT Marketing Plan2015 Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is a robust bus system providing service to residents in Escambia County, Florida. Established in 1950, ECAT currently has over 1.5 million annual passenger trips with more than 1,000 stops covering over 1.5 million miles of routes annually. ECAT is a safe, convenient, and affordable mode of transportation throughout the Pensacola area. ECAT provides service through the fixed-route bus, seasonal Pensacola Beach trolley, UWF on-campus trolley, and ADA paratransit transportation. The fixed-route system has 22 routes that offer weekday and/or weekend service. Executive Summary This Marketing Strategic Report for Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) system is intended to be a guide for all marketing and growth-related decisions for the next three years. It is also intended to be a “living” document, meaning that as conditions change, ECAT should adjust the strategies and tactics outlined in the Plan accordingly and documenting the needs for those adjustments. The Strategic Marketing Process is a model which incorporates the total marketing “mix.” It provides framework within which we can determine what we want to accomplish and how to go about accomplishing it. The model includes four basic steps: • Conduct a Situational Analysis • Identify Target Markets • Determine Marketing Objectives • Develop Strategies and Tactic Situational Analysis: The first step in developing ECAT’s marketing program is to examine the current situation. To be effective; marketing strategies must be based on a realistic assessment of the four “Ps” of Marketing: potential target markets, product, pricing, and past promotional efforts. During the situational analysis, ECAT’s objectives are reviewed based on based on the current vision and mission statements identified in the ECAT Transportation Development Plan (TDP). Public Transit Vision* “Escambia County Area Transit will be the preferred transportation resource for citizens and visitors in Escambia and surrounding counties. The system will provide a cost-effective and exceptional transit choice that enhances mobility, provides community accessibility, encourages economic expansion, and embraces environmental sensitivity.” Mission Statement* “Escambia County shall operate a safe, reliable public transportation system that effectively and efficiently accommodates existing / future mobility needs, stimulates economic development and strengthens communities as identified through on-going outreach to Escambia County’s residents, visitors and businesses.” *From Escambia County Transit Development Plan page 6-2 2011 2 2016 ECAT Marketing Plan2015 Targeting Transit Groups Our Target markets not only include our current customers, but are also indicative of the traditional transit ridership groups. ECAT is in the process of completing the Escambia County Transit Development Plan (TDP) by September 2016. The following data received from the Final Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) Plan January 2015. Low-Income Population Income status is a strong indicator of a higher- than average propensity to use transit. People with lower incomes are less likely to be able to reliably afford a private vehicle and thus are more likely to use transit. This analysis used the Census classification of poverty status to define and identify low-income individuals. Nearly 16% residents in Escambia County have income levels below the poverty threshold. Clearly, transit offers families, workers and job seekers in this group an important and affordable mobility option. See Figure 1. Figure 1 – Low Income Households Disabled Population As seen in the current ridership chart – Figure 2, residents with disabilities is another group with a high propensity for transit use. In many cases, these individuals are eligible for paratransit services, but there has been a strong national trend toward “mainstreaming” in recent years. Mainstreaming encourages riders to use fixed- route transit service instead of paratransit service whenever possible. For the user, this offers more flexibility due to no reservations required, and shifting from costly paratransit services to more economical fixed-route service can make economic sense. In Figure 3, the disabled category includes disabled, wheelchair users, and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) ID card users. Figure 2 – People with Disabilities 3 2016 ECAT Marketing Plan2015 Senior Population Adults 65 years and older are more likely to ride transit for a variety of reasons, which include increased inability to operate a private vehicle. Older adults are an important focus market because this demographic group is increasing dramatically. Nationally, the number of older adults (over 65) is expected to increase to approximately 70 million people by 2030, representing 20% of the total population. In Escambia County, older adults increased from 13.3% of the population in the 2000 census to 14.5% in 2010. Overall, seniors make up more than 15% of the residents living in Pensacola. Youth population Ages 10-17 are more likely to ride transit than the general population because they either cannot drive or do not own a vehicle. Understanding the distribution of this market segment is important for identifying areas of transit-dependent riders. In the current ridership chart indicates that 4% of our ridership are students. In general, no areas of Escambia County have a youth population over 20%. In general this population is targeted by ECAT using the ‘Summer Wheels Pass’ program to assist in transportation during the more idle, summer months. We also provide Classroom on Wheels programs targeted at schools and other education centers to educate students one ECAT Services. Student/University Population In communities with large universities, the distribution of university students, regardless of their other demographic characteristics, tends to be a strong predictor of transit ridership. More specifically, transit routes that connect areas with high concentrations of students to the university campus tend to be relatively heavily used. There are 6 colleges in Pensacola ranging from a major University (UWF), a private college (Pensacola Christian), community colleges (PSC, George Stone, and Virginia), technical institutes (ITT and Fortis), as well as a few that offer selective admissions (such as the Institute of Ultrasound). These schools represent over 21,500 combined full and part-time students. Figure 4 gives a visual of the resident zip codes of UWF’s approximately 12, 500 students. Figure 3 – UWF Student Home Zip Codes 4 2016 ECAT Marketing Plan2015 Bicyclists With many bike trails in Pensacola, the above mentioned college population, and a growing health-conscious community, bicyclists are increasing. Bicycles were loaded onto ECAT buses over 37,000 times in 2014. Bicyclists are natural advocates and users of public transportation. ECAT would like to seek out affiliation with bike advocacy groups to garner positive public relations. Recreational Travelers ECAT services parks and coastal communities attractive to both Escambia County and Santa Rosa County (Pensacola Beach) area recreational travelers. Santa Rosa Island Authority markets the beach trolley, however ECAT is interested in reaching out to the various organizations that promote tourism. Major Employers (Non-Government) In addition to understanding employment generally, the market analysis also considers the service area’s largest employers. Discrete sites of significant employment can generate additional demand for transit beyond the underlying demand of the surrounding area. • There are multiple medical institutions on the list of large employers, including the largest and second-largest employers; Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Systems. • Gulf Power Company, CHCS Service/iGate, and L-3 Communications are large employers located in downtown Pensacola. • Many major employment sites are directly served by at least one ECAT fixed-route service. Exceptions include Navy Federal Credit Union, Ascend Performance Materials, International Paper, and the Mundy Companies, all of which are located beyond ECAT’s service area; in the northern part of the County. • West Corporation, Cox Communications, Armstrong World Industries, Hitachi Cable, GE Wind Energy, and Pall Corporation are located near ECAT routes but not directly served by transit. EMPLOYER EMPLOYEES EMPLOYER EMPLOYEES Baptist Health Care 4,133 CHCS Service/iGate 380 Sacred Heart Health Systems 3,483 Armstrong World Industries 300 Navy Federal Credit Union 3,133 American Water 298 Gulf Power Company 1,522 Hitachi Cable Florida, Inc. 284 West Florida Healthcare 1,300 Regions Telemarketing 272 Ascend Performance Materials 830 GE Wind Energy 257 West Corporation 800 L-3 Communications 240 Medical Center Clinic 500 The Mundy Companies 225 International Paper 475 Pall Corporation 196 Cox Communications 400 Synergy Solutions 185 Figure 4 – Major Non-Government Employers 5 2016 ECAT Marketing Plan2015 Many of the strategies detailed in the next section of this plan are broad communication efforts which address all or many of these target groups. Others are highly customized efforts to address specific audiences with appeals and information particularly relevant to their needs. Marketing Objectives: The primary goal is to better serve the transit dependent population, while also attracting new riders that choose public transportation over their own private transportation. In pursuit of that goal, the Marketing Plan will