Event Recap: Keolis and Transit App at APTA

Last month, Keolis and Transit App hosted an event during APTA’s TRANSform conference in Seattle. The happy hour, at Optimism Brewing, was an opportunity for the public transit operator and public transit app developer to both socialize with transit industry veterans. More than 60 professionals from various transit systems attended for food and fun. They represented transit networks large and small, cities and states, and private businesses like suppliers and engineering firms.

Meetings like these provide an important networking opportunity to help agencies and operators continue to build transit back better in the wake of the pandemic. New tools, technologies, apps (like Transit!), and federal funding will help make public transit even more competitive with driving. We just need our smart and talented colleagues to be in the room and share their best thinking. At Keolis, we are thankful to the American Public Transportation Association for providing the forum to do so.

Keolis is known for its expertise in maintaining and operating transportation systems that are shared, multimodal, and sustainable. A relentless focus on the passenger experience is at the core of how Keolis operates. This includes things like wayfinding and information. And so, it is only natural for Keolis to work with Transit App – whose team of developers, designers, and data analysts have crafted a mobile app that connects agencies and riders. Keolis is working with Transit to improve the rider experience for its customers and together they will deliver better rider outreach and more.

Most recently, Transit and Keolis worked closely together on a marketing campaign with MBTA Commuter Rail in Greater Boston. When the Orange Line had an emergency shutdown which enabled crews to complete critical safety repairs, the MBTA increased Commuter Rail service along parallel routes and needed to get the word out to the riders fast. Working in close collaboration with the MBTA, Keolis and Transit launched geo-targeted banners and push notifications to users in the impacted areas. Tens of thousands of riders tapped on these targeted communications, discovered new ways of getting around, and helped ensure that mitigation efforts went smoothly.

Details like a banner on an app may seem small – but they require detailed local knowledge as well as big thinking learned from experiences across the U.S. and the globe. That is how, together with Transit, Keolis helps make the passenger experience better.