The Late Night Transportation Working Group was created in 2014 to assess San Francisco’s late night and early morning transportation needs. Over a period of nine months, the group examined the current state of late night transportation; surveyed workers, residents, and nightlife patrons; and developed a set of recommendations that were narrowed to five major directives to be implemented over a one-year period. These major steps include, among other efforts, an information campaign that targets different segments of the late night and early morning rider and potential rider community.
One of the major challenges facing late night and early morning transportation is that awareness of bus service is low. Over half of people surveyed either did not know there were all-night buses running or were not familiar with their routes. Also, information about late night transportation is generally hard to find and digest.
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) worked closely with Circlepoint to develop a cohesive multilingual campaign that uses traditional and social media, partnerships (e.g., community groups, Central Business Districts, and transit agencies), and other strategies to raise awareness about late night and early morning transportation options among workers primarily. The effort also included a clear strategy for measuring campaign impact using timely, attainable, and relevant metrics.