Research Triangle Park, NC (June 14, 2017) Why should you love transit? Let us count the ways. And the beat. 2, 3, 4:
It’s good for the planet. Good for your stress. Let us put your commute to the test. It’s good for your budget. Good for your mind. You’ll want to ride the bus all the time.
If those rhymes stick in your head, GoTriangle social media specialist Samantha Allen will believe she succeeded with the rap song she wrote to show Triangle residents how simple using transit can be. The song “Ride the Bus,” made into a fleek music video by GoTriangle videographer Stefan Walz, debuted this week in conjunction with national Dump the Pump Day. Find the video at bit.ly/ridethebusvideo.
“I feel like this video is a really easy gateway for someone who hasn’t ridden the bus,” Allen says. “It’s not comprehensive. It doesn’t have every detail, but I think it has an easy step-by-step on what it might be like for your first transit ride.”
With Durham, Orange and, most recently, Wake county voters saying yes to transit investments, GoTriangle simply wants to encourage more people to take advantage of all of the new and coming improvements in routes, frequency and facilities.
“We wanted to come up with an entertaining way to make sure more people know how easy it is to ride and know about all the benefits of transit,” says Mike Charbonneau, GoTriangle’s director of communications and marketing. “We also wanted them to know it can be fun.”
The video is the latest in a series for GoTriangle’s GoTogether campaign, which seeks to get Triangle residents to stop driving alone and to use transit to get to work, school, doctor's appointments or other important places. Find more information at gotogethernc.com.
“We find that more people will try transit and stick with it when they see how easy it is and also see their peers doing it,” Charbonneau says. “Our GoTogether video series highlights all of the types of smart commutes, but first people have to try it, and we hope this video will get people thinking about it.”
Information on how to plan a transit trip is available at gotriangle.org, where there are links to maps, routes, times and fare details. But, as Walz notes, for some people, visuals are better than text.
“Not everyone absorbs information the same way,” he says. “Video in this tech-fast world we live in today has the potential to gain more views while conveying the same information to broad audiences. It allows us to have a little something for everyone.”
Videos also are easily digestible, Allen says, especially for young people who have grown up getting most of their information from social media.
“We want to be seen as an accessible and friendly resource for transit information,” Allen says. “On our social media channels, I try to remind the public that we’re people, too, people who care about transit and who want the best experience for everyone.”
Nearly everyone in the “Ride the Bus” video is a GoTriangle employee.
“There are no actors, in case that isn’t obvious,” Allen says. “I love the fact that the rappers and extras included drivers and mechanics and other people behind the agency who make it what it is.”
GoTriangle is the Triangle’s regional transit operator, working closely with partners GoRaleigh, GoCary, GoDurham and Chapel Hill Transit to connect commuters by bus across three counties. GoTriangle also supports and provides resources for people interested in joining a carpool or vanpool or in biking or walking.
“I want to be known as an agency not afraid to make fun of itself in the name of transit,” Allen says. “I don’t care if people laugh at us as long as they ride the bus.”
Need help planning a trip? Call GoTriangle at 919-485-7433.