The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) recently honored reThink Your Commute, a program of the FDOT Passenger Operations Office in District 5, with two awards: the Marketing Excellence Award for the reThink Your Commute CraneRIDES Marketing Campaign and the Florida Partner of the Year Award. reThink Your Commute is supported by VHB and demonstrates our commitment to innovative transportation demand management solutions. The awards were presented at the 2024 FDOT Commuter Assistance Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
CraneRIDES, funded by FDOT and the City of Altamonte Springs, launched in July 2023. The new mobility initiative introduced a fully electric, autonomous shuttle service in the uptown business district and Cranes Roost Park to address parking and traffic congestion with a clean, efficient, and safe transit alternative. Future plans will connect CraneRIDES with the Altamonte Springs SunRail station, enhancing accessibility.
In partnership with the City of Altamonte Springs, the reThink Your Commute team created a marketing campaign to introduce the technology to Central Florida residents. The campaign featured a professional video on the reThink Your Commute YouTube channel, demonstrating CraneRIDES’ ease of use, safety, and reliability. This video helped potential riders overcome apprehensions about new technology by offering a clear view of CraneRIDES in operation.
The multi-platform campaign also included photos and shorter video reels on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X. The YouTube video garnered nearly 4,000 impressions and hundreds of views, while social media posts amassed more than 2,000 impressions and more than 600 views. CraneRIDES was highlighted in the reThink Your Commute newsletter, reaching 13,500 subscribers in August 2023. This outreach effectively engaged the community and generated excitement about the new transportation option in Altamonte Springs. The campaign promotes alternative transportation solutions by showcasing the transformative potential of autonomous vehicle technology, and illustrates how innovation can effectively address contemporary transportation issues.
Additionally, reThink Your Commute was named Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) Florida Partner of the Year by the CUTR for recruiting and supporting the most BWC members on the 2024 list. VHB is proud to be a member of BWC, which shows our commitment to giving transportation options to our team members.
“We are honored to partner with the Florida Department of Transportation and share in this award for our work on the CraneRIDES campaign and supporting BWC members,” said Brendan Guess, VHB Program Manager. “This recognition underscores the Department’s and our commitment to innovative and community-focused transportation solutions and showcases how technology can transform urban mobility.”
As the FDOT Commuter Assistance Program for District 5, reThink Your Commute highlighted the tangible benefits of new technologies for urban transit. The CraneRIDES campaign's success emphasizes our strategies' effectiveness and sets a precedent for future initiatives to enhance commuter transportation.
The FDOT District 5 Passenger Operations Unit's dedication to the reThink Your Commute program is further demonstrated by Jo Santiago-Mercer, Transit Intermodal Supervisor, being selected as the winner of the Travel Choices Leadership Award. This award honors a Florida individual who has made outstanding contributions to the public transportation industry.
VHB will continue to work with FDOT and reThink Your Commute to provide innovative transportation solutions for the Central Florida Community.
Contact Brendan to learn more about how new mobility can enhance your community.