The OC Fair Express bus service returned for the 2013 fair season. The Orange County Fair is a 120 year old tradition and is considered one of the largest fairs in the nation with over 1.3 million visitors. The popularity of the fair results in high weekend traffic congestion that exceeds the current capacity of the roadways and intersections in close proximity to the fairgrounds. The level of service is especially impacted at the intersection of Del Mar Avenue and South Newport Boulevard, as well as the on-ramps and off- ramps of the Costa Mesa (State Route 55) Freeway for the fair exits. The traffic congestion not only results in harmful emissions from idling autos, but also poses safety concerns resulting from autos cueing onto the freeway mainline.
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The Orange County Fair Express deployed two (2) additional transit buses this year for a total of 23 buses deployed, including ten (10) 2001 model NABI Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) buses, seven (7) 2008 model New Flyer Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, and six (6) 2007 model New Flyer CNG buses. The 2001 model NABI LNG buses are powered with 2007 Cummins ISLG engines with 0.2 grams-per-brake-horsepower/hour of nitrogen oxide (NOx). The 2008 model New Flyer CNG buses are powered with 2008 Cummins ISLG engines with 0.2 grams-per- brake-horsepower/hour of nitrogen oxide (NOx). The 2007 model New Flyer CNG buses are powered by 2007 Cummins ISCG engines with 2.2 grams-per-brake-horsepower/hour of combined nitrogen oxide (NOx) plus non- methane hydrocarbons (NMHC). Each vehicle can accommodate a total of 36 seated passengers and 25 standees, and are fully accessible with two wheelchair positions available. All vehicles are equipped with an exterior two-position bicycle rack as well.
To maximize ridership potential, OCTA undertook a joint messaging campaign in partnership with the Orange County Fair and Event Center. The cooperative effort positioned the bus service as the "Official Transportation Provider for the Orange County Fair," and provided riders with a $8.00 discount off the $11.00 fair admission price. The marketing campaign targeted both current OCTA customers as well as those who were not current or frequent transit users.
The comprehensive marketing program included community outreach, radio, print and bus advertising, a door-hanger program, and a proactive media relations campaign.
The buses were made available for boarding on an hourly basis from 3:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays, and were offered an additional hour this year on Saturdays and Sundays, starting at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. In keeping with OCTA's current fare structure, the service required a $2.00 fare with all applicable fare discounts and passes accepted to further facilitate transit transfers.
This outreach effort resulted in over 19 million impressions with additional highlights of the OC Fair Express marketing campaign are presented below:
* Bus advertising included the installation of 11 exterior ads and over 1,300 interior bus cards provided in both English and Spanish.
* Station banners including 40 light pole banners at bus stops and stations, as well as fence banners placed at 16 Metrolink rail stations.
* Newspaper advertising included online banner ads on OCRegister.com, along with print ads on the OC Register, Excelsior, and 14 local city newspapers.
* Printed material also included the distribution of over 60,000 bilingual brochure route schedules.
In addition, digital communications such as social media and e-mail communications were also provided to bolster awareness. OCTA's OC Fair Express web page alone received over 155,000 hits, with more than half of the hits coming from referring sources such as OCFair.com, OCRegister.com, Facebook.com, and Yelp.com. A total of 34 posts posted on OCTA's Facebook page generated more than 62,000 impressions.
To lessen traffic congestion and automobile emissions associated with the annual Orange County Fair, OCTA partnered with the Orange County Fair and Event Center, and with support from the City of Costa Mesa, provided direct, hourly bus service to the Orange County Fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from July 12, 2013 through August 11, 2013, for a total of 15 days of operation. The service provided a convenient and attractive alternative to automobile travel by offering transit service directly to the Orange County Fair.
To satisfy the anticipated demand and in response to customer feedback received, the service was expanded from seven to nine routes serving nine transit facilities. The new added routes serve the Village at Orange (Line 642) and the Newport Transportation Center (Line 657).
The year-over-year success of the 2013 OC Fair Express service can be attributed to outstanding and responsive service with convenient pick-up and drop-off locations, value pricing, and a multi-channel promotional mix.
Taken together, the service provided record high of nearly 59,000 boardings over the 5-week fair season, which is an 26.6 percent improvement over last year's total ridership of 46,000. Ridership along the 7 routes operated last year also increased by 9 percent to 50,537 boardings, which is a more direct comparison between the services provided in 2012.
To obtain feedback from customers, surveys and comment cards were provided onboard OC Fair Express buses throughout the duration of the service. Over 3,446 were completed and returned, which provided the following information about the performance of the service:
* 46 percent of OC Fair Express riders were first time bus riders.
* 87 percent arrived at their departure location by car, 13 percent by train, and 6 percent by bus.
* 95 percent of OC Fair Express customers were satisfied or very satisfied with the service.