CHAPTER 1

Background

This research will assist public transit agencies to enhance public engagement by more effectively using virtual public involvement (VPI). Virtual tools and techniques facilitate two-way communication with the community, potential passengers, and current riders. This report presents practical information to support transit agencies of any size or level of experience with VPI, providing best practice information and offering methods for effective, inclusive public involvement.

Early research on virtual public engagement (pre-2020) focused on transit agencies’ use of online platforms to inform riders and others (one-way communication) rather than to collect public feedback and engage key constituencies (two-way communication). By the end of 2022, after 3 years of COVID-19 safety precautions limiting in-person engagement, online public hearings, asynchronous outreach events, hybrid meetings, and online surveys evolved from necessary to customary. Members of the public, advisory groups, boards of directors, policymakers, and passengers have now come to expect online engagement, virtual convenings, and the routine use of social media for promotion and information sharing. Despite the adoption, development, and expansion of virtual platforms and strategies, the concern remains that virtual engagement efforts may not be fully effective, inclusive, or equitable.

This report addresses key VPI questions transit agencies face today:

• What works and what does not?
• How can we make VPI more engaging and impactful?
• What can transit agencies learn from other VPI practitioners outside the transit realm, particularly those that effectively engage virtually with underserved populations, many of whom are transit-dependent?
• What methods and strategies can transit agencies incorporate or adapt for their VPI efforts?

Key Terms

The terminology in this report conforms to definitions used by the U.S. DOT, the FTA, the FHWA, and VPI practitioners both in the public transit environment and elsewhere.

In this report, the terms “equity” and “underserved communities” are consistent with guidance from the FTA/FHWA joint memorandum issued on December 30, 2021 (see www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2022-01/Planning-Emphasis-Areas-12-30-2021.pdf). The memo defines “equity” as

The term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, which have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. Thus, the term “vulnerable” population has been replaced with the term “underserved” as defined in the joint memorandum.

This study also considered websites, webinars, and other projects examining nontraditional, online, digital, and virtual public participation (see www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_6/virtual_public_involvement.cfm and www.transit.dot.gov/Public-Involvement).

Research Tasks

This project had five key research tasks.

1. Literature review. The research team conducted an initial scan of the literature, industry guidance, and peer-exchange materials on VPI, particularly those that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging related work conducted through a parallel project, NCHRP Web-Only Document 349: Virtual Public Involvement: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
2. Survey of transit agencies and transportation providers. The research team designed, administered, and analyzed results from a national survey of transit agency representatives. Questions centered on the transit agencies’ experiences with VPI before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire identified persistent knowledge gaps about successful outreach methods with underserved populations.
3. Focus groups with transit agencies regarding use of VPI. Based on the results of the online survey and information gathered during the literature review and scan of public engagement strategies, the research team invited transit agency staff to participate in small group discussions to delve deeper into their experiences with VPI for public transportation. Respondents to the online survey were invited to participate, along with agencies representing small, medium, and large transit systems and diverse geographies. Varied experience levels with VPI were pursued to understand successes, lessons learned, and barriers to using virtual engagement. Group discussions were held using a virtual meeting platform and led by a professional facilitator. Each group discussion was recorded and summarized, and findings were synthesized to inform this report.
4. Targeted group discussions with VPI practitioners for underserved communities. The research team conducted structured small group interview sessions and one individual interview with community-based organizations, social service agencies, and other stakeholders who have successfully undertaken promising practices related to effective, equitable, and inclusive VPI. These discussions aimed to understand the successes and the planning and implementation challenges of various public outreach models, with the intent of exploring how these models could be applied broadly.
5. Evaluation of research results. The team synthesized and integrated the research findings and identified challenges, benefits, opportunities, themes, and trends related to VPI. The evaluation effort addressed transit agencies’ use of VPI since 2020 and considered potential use going forward, incorporating strategies to make VPI more inclusive, equitable, and effective.

State of Practice at Public Transit Agencies

Beginning in March 2020, transit agencies across the United States dramatically modified their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. New health and safety guidelines, coupled with severe staffing challenges, required significant changes to service. The pandemic

also changed public involvement practices as transit agencies pivoted to online platforms to communicate with their riders, the public, and other stakeholders.

Now 3 years later, VPI has become an expected form of outreach and engagement by both transit providers and the public. In the survey conducted for this study, 92% of responding transit agencies said they plan to continue using VPI tools and 95% said they think the public will expect VPI options.

As an industry, public transit has made large steps quickly over the past 3 years, paralleling every other part of public and commercial life. Digital literacy is expected among transit professionals in outreach-oriented and public-facing roles, with tools like Zoom, Teams, Webex, and Google Meet in their arsenal. Intergovernmental collaborations have brought expanded digital tools and skills training to agencies, and some agencies have shared their VPI skills with partners outside the transit sphere by collaborating with community-based organizations.

While in-person public engagement can provide meaningful input, the convenience, flexibility, lower cost, and accessibility of VPI create opportunities for transit agencies to connect with more people. But barriers can prevent VPI from being effective, inclusive, and equitable. This report presents findings transit agencies can use to mitigate some of those challenges based on best practices, a national survey of transit and transportation providers, focus groups with VPI users in the transit industry, and insights from VPI practitioners at nonprofit and community-based organizations focused on meeting the needs of underserved populations.