GO Transit has launched a cheeky campaign to remind customers to show a little respect when they’re riding the trains and buses.
The regional public transit service asked 1,000 customers via an online survey to share which etiquette violations bother them the most. The survey found 96% of GO riders are impacted by discourteous behaviours, with 67% saying feet on seats is their number-one issue. This was followed by loud talking (60%), littering (56%), door blocking (52%) and hogging priority seating (11%).
Through GO’s various customer feedback channels, including its regular online panel, call centre and social media, “customers have made it clear that etiquette issues on board the trains and buses are impacting customer satisfaction overall,” said Sheena Malhotra, manager retail marketing and brand, GO Transit.
“Customers have also said they want GO to address that rude behaviour. In true Canadian fashion, they steer away from being the one to call out that person. They want GO to stand up and speak on behalf of customers.”
To address riders’ annoying behaviours, a light-hearted social media campaign by DDB Canada uses the look and feel of airline inflight safety cards, as well as passenger announcements, to highlight and exaggerate public transit no-nos. For example, “feet on seats” is depicted with a man in workout gear doing lunges across two seats, and an old man putting his smelly bare feet on the rider across from him.
“Generally, people aren’t responsive to finger pointing: ‘don’t do this, don’t do that,’ so we thought humour was really the way to go with this campaign,” said Malhotra.
The four-week campaign includes a 90-second video running on Facebook and Twitter, static social posts and GIFs, as well as print ads appearing in GO Transit trains, buses and stations. Riders can weigh in on social media using #EtiquetteFail.
