JeffTran promotions yielding more pass sales

People ride a JeffTran bus on a route to Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. JeffTran held a day of free rides to thank current patrons and encourage new riders to try the bus transit system.
People ride a JeffTran bus on a route to Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. JeffTran held a day of free rides to thank current patrons and encourage new riders to try the bus transit system.

Two promotions recently launched by the JeffTran bus system are stimulating pass sales and hopefully attracting new ridership, the Public Transit Advisory Committee learned Tuesday afternoon.

Transit Director Mark Mehmert informed the committee the single-ride bus pass and $3 all-day marketing campaigns were showing positive results after their first few weeks.

Committee member Royal Speidel is leading the push to promote sales among the community's clergy and others with access to low-income residents, Mehmert said. The new single-ride campaign is directed at public service organizations that provide transportation options to clients.

The passes are available in books of 20 for $20, and purchasers frequently distribute the passes one at a time, Speidel said.

"Single-ride passes are useful to organizations which want to provide a specific number of rides to a client in order to accomplish a task, such as a job interview, a trip to the doctor or a trip home from the hospital," JeffTran's ads said.

Speidel, Mehmert, JeffTran Operations Supervisor Gerry Stegeman, and committee members Wayne Lee and Angela Hirsch all spoke in positive terms about the success of the single-ride passes, which are now being offered by numerous churches, social service agencies and other providers to Jefferson City's low-income community.

Likewise, the $3 all-day passes, which have been offered since mid-January, are enjoying strong sales among JeffTran riders, Stegeman said. Those passes provide riders with the opportunity to save significant dollars if they can schedule their bus errands on a daily basis.

Both promotions are available by visiting the JeffTran office at 820 E. Miller St., or by calling 573-634-6599, ext. 4. JeffTran accepts credit and debit cards for purchases.

Mehmert advised the committee JeffTran was rebidding its new electronic rider monitoring equipment - the Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) and Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA) - because of a contract glitch.

The City Council has approved a system-wide assessment for JeffTran, its first since 2006, but a kickoff date for the project has yet to be established, Mehmert said. He said the city was anxious for the study "so we can get an idea of what our system is expected to look like in the next decade."