The City of Inglewood, CA selected Alta to form and manage a new commuter transit option designed around the needs of essential airport employees. The microtransit program developed is part of a collaborative effort between Inglewood and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to reduce vehicle miles traveled and congestion in the airport adjacent communities. The goal of the program, named Iride Inglewood, is for Inglewood residents to have access to a safe, affordable, and on-time performing commute alternative to driving alone.
Alta has engaged innovative marketing tactics to gain riders and scale the promotion of the service during the extremely complicated COVID-19 pandemic. To start, this included implementing and marketing improvements to the actual vehicle experience such as “no-touch” automatic door openers, onboard policies surrounding CDC guidance, vehicle ventilation enhancements, and other pandemic related efforts. To quickly scale ridership, Alta developed an automated process that supports critical steps in Iride’s service delivery—from downloading the Iride mobile app and account authentication to booking the first few trips.
To build demand for the service among 3,000 potential riders, Alta designed a marketing and outreach plan tailored to the demographics, workforce attributes, and values of the target audience. The success of the program is attributed to the attention to detail and inclusivity. As a primarily app-based program, Alta made large efforts to meet potential riders where they are and provide more than just resources for booking trips. Alta staff dedicated time to providing one-on-one sessions focused on learning to use the app. The program effectively established a reputation where riders had a history of contact with staff and therefore, helped support the growth of the program with honest feedback and become one of the program’s best marketing solutions through real personal referrals.