GATEWAY to receive facelift for buses
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on February 5, 2015 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro Wayne Transportation Authority is undergoing significant changes, from the way GATEWAY's system looks and interacts with the public to how it is operated.
GATEWAY brought in Quest Corp. of America to give its brand a significant overhaul in terms of appeal and functionality. QCA will be in charge of updating GATEWAY's logo, route maps, operating schedules, creating a route guide and developing a new website that will be aesthetically pleasing and mobile friendly.
The overhaul is more than just updating how the system looks, GATEWAY Director Fred Fontana said.
"You can put all the maps and signs up that you want, but it is more of a cultural change that we're reaching for," Fontana said. "We're trying to change the community's perceptions of us for the better."
QCA has conducted multiple rebranding projects throughout the years. In one project done on a bus system in the Concord-Kannapolis area, QCA increased website traffic for the bus system by 250 percent in a year. The town also saw public participation in meetings regarding the bus system increase by 500 percent, said Traci Missildine of QCA.
Total ridership increased by almost 10 percent. Ms. Missildine credits the results to the company's approach.
"We genuinely care about the happiness of our clients but, more importantly, we care about the happiness of the communities we serve," Ms. Missildine said. "What we do isn't about us. It's about the community."
QCA has already organized the new website and is ready to begin building it within the next month, she said. During the coming months leading up to the opening of the new bus transfer center on Carolina Street, the company will work to complete updated schedules and route maps, and will roll out a social media campaign to raise awareness about the rebranding so it coincides with the opening of the transfer center.
"I've been nothing but impressed by what I've seen from QCA so far," Fontana said.
Ms. Missildine said the company has been sitting down with bus system riders, actively seeking out negative comments they have about the system so the company can ensure those complaints are corrected by the overhaul.
As part of the system update, new tablets are being installed in the buses, allowing automatic ridership logging and driver tracking. By tracking drivers, the dispatcher will be able to dispatch the closest driver to the area from which a call originates.
"There are two boxes of tablets sitting in my office that are waiting to be installed," Fontana said.
The tablets will be installed within the next month, and CTS, the company responsible for the software on the tablets, will be training drivers during the third week of February, Fontana said.
At GATEWAY's board meeting last week, Fontana raised a proposal to implement a point system policy for drivers that would operate on an 18-month rolling schedule. Drivers would log points, from one to six, when an accident occurs. Points would be assigned based on the severity of the offense. If a driver gets six points, he or she would be terminated. After 18 months, the driver's slate is wiped clean.
The proposal was immediately made into a motion by board member Wayne County Commissioner Joe Daughtery, and the motion was approved unanimously.
"With this system, nobody will be able to claim we are playing favorites if we have to fire them," Fontana said. "It's right there in the open with how many points a driver has."