STARTING THE TRANSIT INDUSTRY ON A SEARCH FOR AFFLUENT MARKETS

This paper describes the logic behind the design of a state- level government program to assist the transit industry in the adoption of marketing practices. Marketing is seen as essential, given the awkward standing of transit in the travel market and the tentative nature of its political support. In marketing, the diffusion of innovation model postulates that the industry will accept marketing practices in a series of stages. Each stage, while growing less experimental, will draw new adhents who need increasing experimental, will draw new adherents who need increasing earlier stage. The opportunity for government is to manage this process by creating the material and environment that stimulate the maximum participation of those in transportation who are able to move in each stage. The emerging California Department of Transportation program, tailored to the existing stage of early adopter behavior, is to highlight the concept of market segmentation and its corollary strategy of offering specialized services at different fares to distinct affluent groups indentified by market research. /Author/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/590/590-003.pdf
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=STARTING+THE+TRANSIT+INDUSTRY+ON+A+SEARCH+FOR+AFFLUENT+MARKETS&author=R.+Reed&author=K.+Ingram&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Reed, Richard R
  • Ingram, Kenneth R
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 9-13
• Monograph Title: Transit marketing
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 590
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fares; Industries; Market value; Marketing; State government; Urban transportation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00142359
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 30 1981 12:00AM