Metrolink’s customer experience (CX) team attended the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) annual Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience Workshop in Long Beach from February 23-26. This interactive and intensive workshop covered various aspects of public transportation CX, including media relations, social media, ridership initiatives, advertising, planning, research, service development and customer service.
During the event, Metrolink was honored with the APTA AdWheel First Place Award for excellence in a social media educational initiative. Marketing Manager Sheri Candler, who spearheaded the creation of our LA28 Olympics social media video, accepted the recognition on the agency’s behalf. The video is under further consideration for the AdWheel Grand Award, which will be announced at APTA’s TRANSform Conference in Boston this September.
Sheri also participated as a panelist during a session titled “Social Media: Maximizing Local Creators for Influence and Awareness.” The discussion highlighted how recruiting external content creators can effectively boost ridership for transit agencies of all sizes. As the architect of Metrolink’s transit creator program, Sheri provided insights on building an effective creator pool, balancing entertainment value with business goals and overcoming common challenges. She was joined by representatives from AC Transit in Oakland, Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia and Community Transit of Snohomish County in Washington.
Metrolink Director of Communications Scott Johnson was also a featured panelist, contributing to the conversation around “Tapping Rideshare to Help Mitigate Canceled Services and Help Riders Get to Their Destination.” Scott spoke about Metrolink’s Quality Service Pledge (QSP) and our innovative partnership with Uber, which empowers us to provide rideshare vouchers to assist passengers during service interruptions. Metrolink is among the few transit agencies nationwide to provide alternate transportation during service interruptions, reinforcing our commitment to our customers. Joining Scott on the panel were representatives from Transit CX, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and Uber Technologies, Inc.