Octa's transportation blog

Two Holiday Campaigns Promote Ridership on Bravo! Route 543

Two campaigns with the goal of increasing bus ridership are designed to entice both new and current users this December to spend more time on Bravo! Route 543, OCTA’s newest route. Launched last June, Route 543 zips down Harbor Boulevard and stops at major transfer points and destinations between MacArthur Boulevard in Costa Mesa and the Fullerton Transportation Center. Riders on the distinctively colored blue and orange buses can save about 15 minutes compared to Route 43, which travels the same route but makes more stops.



To attract new riders, OCTA is offering coupons good for a free one-day pass on Route 543. Brightly colored seasonal door hangers were distributed to approximately 38,000 households within a half mile of the Route 543 alignment. Flyers were provided to larger employers along the route. Both feature coupons that may be used anytime from Dec. 2, 2013 to Jan. 3, 2014. The coupon must be given to the driver to receive the day pass. The day pass must be validated on board a Route 543 bus. Once validated, the pass can be used like any other regular day pass.

To encourage current riders to take more trips on Route 543, the Bravo! Holiday Photo Contest rewards participants with special Bravo! gift baskets for posting pictures of their favorite Bravo! destinations on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Awarded weekly, the gift basket includes a reusable shopping bag, Bravo! t-shirt, Bravo! commemorative pin, 5 Rides Bus Pass and OCTA mini bus.

Route 543 travels to such favorites as Downtown Disney, Harbor Boulevard and Downtown Fullerton. For more photo inspiration, riders can visit OCTA’s interactive map for things to do around all 15 Route 543 stops. Learn more at www.octa.net/bravo.