Final-CS-FY16-Annual-Report-MH

Program participants reported 14,674,383 vehicle miles reduced this fiscal year.. The miles are divided between 4,455,721 vehicle miles reduced through vanpooling and 10,218,662 vehicle

BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)

CommuteSmart Annual Report

October 2015 – September 2016

Date Reported: JANUARY 31, 2017

For further information, please contact Mrs Ricki Hall, CommuteSmart Program Manager Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham,

Birmingham, AlabamaEmail: rhall@rpcgb.org

This report was prepared as a cooperative effort of the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 3 3/31/17 2:10 PM

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CommuteSmart is an initiative of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham that is supported by funds from the Alabama Department of Transportation and Surface Transportation Program (STP) The program’s mission is to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion by encouraging alternative modes of commuting CommuteSmart uses financial incentives, support services, outreach activities and corporate partnerships to achieve its mission For the fourth year, CommuteSmart sustained 14 million vehicle miles reduced

Marketing through company partnerships and media continues as the main sources of engaging commuters and increasing the awareness of the benefits of alternative commuting From October 2015 to September 2016, the database rose to 23,683 after 2,022 new registrants were added Program participants reported 14,674,383 vehicle miles reduced this fiscal year The miles are divided between 4,455,721 vehicle miles reduced through vanpooling and 10,218,662 vehicle miles reduced through alternative commutes including carpooling, transit, bicycling, walking, and working from home (Figure 1) Rideshare by Enterprise maintains the management of CommuteSmart’s vanpool program this fiscal year

Vehicle emissions and traffic are reduced the more people take an alternative commute to work, but commuter savings continue to increase CommuteSmart participants who actively logged their commutes in fiscal year 2016 saved an estimated $6,116,048 including commute costs such as lower maintenance and insurance Included in that amount is $1,451,818 in fuel cost saved by reducing 407,816 gallons of fuel (Figure 2).

CommuteSmart’s annual report gives an outline of the incentive programs and outreach that took place in fiscal year 2016

Figure 2

Commuter Savings

CommuteSmart uses incentives to promote program participation When a commuter is new

to the CommuteSmart program they start out in GetGreen In the GetGreen program new participants earn $1 per day in the first 90 days, up to $70 Any commuter living or working in the CommuteSmart region, which includes Jefferson, Shelby, South Blount and West St Clair County, is eligible for GetGreen incentives

In FY 2016, CommuteSmart obtained 836 GetGreen enrollees through outreach events, social media, advertising and employer engagement (Figure 3) Participants in GetGreen logged approximately 720,189 vehicle miles reduced last year, or an average of 861 miles reduced per participant The program cost for GetGreen was $32,736 or just under 4.5 cents per vehicle mile reduced.

Figure 3

New GetGreen Members

INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 4 3/31/17 2:10 PM

Figure 4

New CommuterClub Members

Once commuters complete their first 90-days, they are moved to the CommuterClub progam

to encourage the continued use of alternative commutes Commuters who continue to log at least 20 alternative commutes will receive a $25 gift card quarterly CommuterClub participants can choose from one of 7 gift card options including Chevron/Texaco, Publix, BJCTA Transit Pass, Cahaba Cycles, CVS, The Summit, and Express Oil Change.

There were 856 new commuters registered in CommuterClub (Figure 4) this fiscal year CommuterClub program costs were $201,335 and resulted in the elimination of 9,498,473 vehicle miles from the region’s roadways, breaking down the program cost to approximately

2 cents per vehicle mile reduced.

COMMUTERCLUB

Figure 5

Emergency Ride Home Totals

One of the biggest concerns that commuters have when transitioning from driving alone to taking an alternative commute is, “What happens if I have an emergency?” CommuteSmart helps to relieve the stress of the unknown by providing the Emergency Ride Home (ERH) incentive Program participants that are actively logging their commutes are eligible for up

to 5 emergency rides home yearly for qualified events such as illness, family emergency or unscheduled overtime When a commuter contacts CommuteSmart with a valid ERH reason, transportation is provided to them back to the origin of their commute at no cost to them

Though commuters are often worried about needing an ERH, the program costs are still on par with previous years In FY 2016, CommuteSmart participants received 55 ERHs at a total cost of $3,111.48 (Figure 5) The average cost per ERH was $56.57

EMERGENCY RIDE HOME

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 6 3/31/17 2:10 PM

Commuting by vanpool has a multitude of

benefits, especially for those dealing with a

longer commute Less stressful commutes,

increased morale, lower levels of tardiness/

absenteeism, reduced parking demand

and increased commuter cost savings The

Regional Planning Commission of Greater

Birmingham provides a $400 subsidy for 7 to

9 passenger vans and a $450 subsidy for 12

and 15 passenger vans

Rideshare by Enterprise manages the CommuteSmart vanpool program Enterprise’s staff continued to collaborate with CommuteSmart’s outreach team at special events and on marketing campaigns throughout the area Through all of the outreach efforts and subsidy, vanpool participants:

Figure 6

Vanpool Totals

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 8 3/31/17 2:10 PM

Figure 7

Carbon Dioxide Reduction (tons)

Figure 8

Vanpool Fuel Savings

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 10 3/31/17 2:10 PM

For CommuteSmart, outreach is the main source of

promoting the program and creating awareness of

the benefits of taking a clean commute Outreach

activities include fostering partner relationships,

promotional products, informational materials, social

media presence, appealing to customers in person,

and traditional advertising/public relations campaigns

Using these activities, CommuteSmart works with

employer and community partners to grow the number

of people participating in the program

CommuteSmart’s outreach team partners with

community and employers around the region to

promote the benefits of the program The marketing

tools offered by CommuteSmart, including

presentations, special events, giveaways, monthly

email blasts and transportation demand management

planning, aid in strengthening these relationships

CommuteSmart’s annual Bike to Work Day celebration

continues to be a huge success in the community

Partnering with local coffee houses around the city to

host “energizer stations” increases local awareness of

CommuteSmart through social and traditional media

campaigns

OUTREACH COORDINATORS

CommuteSmart welcomed Zyp Bikeshare, Corporate Realty, University Place Apartments, Positive Maturity, City Wholeshare, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce and HealthSouth as new partners this year These partners connect CommuteSmart to an audience of

3,025 employees, students, and residents

125 9,122 7 53 811 128 35 4 3 497

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 12 3/31/17 2:10 PM

SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE

Constantly looking for ways to interact with both existing customers as well as potential customers, CommuteSmart uses an internet presence through social media and its website to accomplish these goals As more people utilize the internet and social media channels for information, CommuteSmart continues to communicate and engage with audiences Each one offers a great opportunity to improve brand awareness, customer service, and website traffic New business breaks have been offered through the exposure from the website and social media channels

CommuteSmart’s social media focus is on Facebook and Twitter Facebook page likes increased to

988 and reached nearly 190,122 people On Twitter, CommuteSmart has 758 followers and garnered more than 21,922 impressions

Interactive content including testimonials, videos and program material are amongst the informative content that CommuteSmart uses on the website Various sources helped generate traffic to the website Over 44% of the website traffic came from individuals typing in www.commutesmart.org (Figure 9) In FY2016 the website received 49,915 visitors with 21,076 visiting for the first time (Figure 10)

Figure 9

Website Statisticswww.commutesmart.org

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 14 3/31/17 2:10 PM

Figure 10

Traffic Sources Overviewwww.commutesmart.org

ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

An ongoing marketing/outreach campaign was developed and implemented to help CommuteSmart motivate people throughout the region to make changes that will help improve air quality and reduce the number of vehicles on the road Strategies for the outreach campaign included advertising on radio, print, television and digital media targeting commuters

CommuteSmart partnered with Zyp BikeShare to produce and air a series of Bike Safety messages on WBRC-TV In addition to the messages about bike safety, CommuteSmart was featured on multiple live news segments that aired during Good Day Alabama to promote Bike to Work Day CommuteSmart also partnered with WIAT-TV CBS42 in a combined promotional spot for CommuteSmart and the WIAT Early Morning News A :30 second promotional message was produced that highlighted 5 commuters getting into a CommuteSmart van to drive to work The audio told viewers to be smart commuters

by carpooling and vanpooling This promotional message aired in a heavy rotation throughout the campaign and continued to air throughout the year

Various informative promotional

items were used by CommuteSmart

to inform the general public about

the program There was also a

focus on alerting the public of air

quality alert days, and this was done

with media notification and ALDOT

message boards

The media outreach campaign

combined several media sources

including digital, mobile, print,

television and radio This combination

of media helped build the brand

and drive consumers to the website

The logo used for CommuteSmart

includes simple icons to demonstrate the various options to participate in the program including walking, riding a bike, taking transit, carpooling, vanpooling and telecommuting

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 16 3/31/17 2:10 PM

ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS A 7-week radio campaign that aired on local radio stations mid-February through early April kicked off

the media outreach campaign The strategy was to reach listeners in the early part of the year when they are making resolutions and positive changes The radio campaign ran on 9 radio stations in the market IHeartMedia delivered a strong campaign, and provided additional exposure with added value spots as well as a website presence CommuteSmart sponsored the Total Traffic Report on 8 radio stations that reached people while they were sitting in traffic All of the radio and television messages were designed to push consumers to the CommuteSmart website This offered a measurable way

to determine the effectiveness of the messages A major increase in website traffic coincided with the media campaigns The programming selections exemplify the diversity of the target audiences intended to be reached There was a deliberate focus to run the advertisements in the morning and afternoon when individuals are dealing with commuting issues HOT107.7 and Hallelujah were included

in the media mix to target the African American population HOT107.7 ran a series of “Commuter Tips” during drive time programming HOT107.7 also provided a booth at the 107 Days to Better Health event to engage people who take a clean commute to work

Starnes Publishing was included as part of the campaign to reach specific communities throughout Jefferson and Shelby Counties with a targeted print campaign

A comprehensive digital media campaign focused on reaching people who are concerned about the environment and would be more likely to consider an alternate commute to work Components included managed networks, retargeting and Facebook outreach In addition, a video pre-roll campaign ran on WBMA-TV’s website to reach consumers through another digital media platform

The television campaign traditionally airs in first quarter; however, with a political year that included a primary in March the television rates were higher than normal Adding to the expensive rates, stations were not allowed to offer bonus spots during that political window The television campaign instead aired in July and August This resulted in a longer campaign that spread over a 7 month window

Public Relations efforts also included a series of radio and television interviews with the CommuteSmart outreach staff, which aired 11 times across 2 television stations and 5 radio stations This added value alone provided approximately 264,300 impressions for the CommuteSmart program

The television flight aired from June 27, 2016 to August 28, 2016 A total of 6 television stations were purchased in the market A breakdown of the television campaign and the total amount of added value that the television stations provided, $88,395, are shown in Figure 11 Cable was included to add frequency and to include prime time programming.

TELEVISION

Figure 11

Television CampaignCost and Added Value Comparison

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 18 3/31/17 2:10 PM

CommuteSmart’s radio campaign ran from February 15, 2016 to April 3, 2016, on 9 stations

Included with the buy was $39,935 in added value from the stations The breakdown of the radio campaign, including the purchase and the added value, are illustrated in Figure 12 The total value of the campaign was $84,635

RADIO

Figure 12

Radio CampaignCost and Added Value Comparison

Summit Media Group focused on the Birmingham metro area The campaign ran August 1 – September

30, 2016 Campaign Strategy: Reach the target market of people who are concerned about their environment; primarily female

Starnes Publishing was included as part of the campaign to target specific communities through a targeted print campaign A print ad ran in 6 local publications across Jefferson and Shelby Counties These publications include: Cahaba Sun, 280 Living, Hoover Sun, The Homewood Star, Vestavia Voice and Village Living Ads ran in April, May and June 2016 Combining the purchased and added value (Figure 13), the total print and internet campaign was valued at $22,003

PRINT / INTERNET

Figure 13

Internet Campaign

CS_annualreport17_sized copy.indd 20 3/31/17 2:10 PM