So you want to reward riders as a way to enhance your customers' experiences and build ridership? What's the best way to do that? There are many options to choose from and pitfalls to avoid. Let's start with three general tips: First of all, as with all new products or services, get clarity on objectives before you begin. Do you want to acquire new customers, strengthen relationships with existing customers, build off-peak ridership, improve brand perception? What's the top p

Original image by Exp691 via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Art by Christopher Cheung. Much has been made about the costs and benefits of free transit. Just a sampling of recent articles include: Zero-fare public transit movement gains momentum (cnbc.com) The Case for Making Public Transit Free Everywhere | WIRED Buses Shouldn't Be Free - The Atlantic When Buses Go Free, Public Transit Service Can Suffer - Bloomberg Free transit: Is it a public good, like libraries or schools? - CS