TRANSIT PASS REFUNDS RECOMMENDED FOR LOCKOUT INCONVENIENCE
We’re pleased we now have a detailed plan to offer valid Transit pass customers a full month extension or refund for the month of September.
“Right from the start of the lockout we have been talking about offering compensation for our customers whose daily routines have been greatly disrupted without Transit service,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance.
There are approximately 8,600 active one-month or longer-duration pass holders, 17,500 UPass holders and 1,000 EcoPass holders who were not able to fully utilize their pass for the month of September.
The refunds will be offered to Transit customers who hold a valid pass; they would receive a full one-month extension or a refund on a cash-card or cheque.
“We thought it made sense to offer pass extensions as a convenient option for transit customers,” Gryba says. “This would minimize the need for an additional trip to a refund centre and waiting in a customer service line.”
Refunds or a credit on a utility bill account would also be offered through a mail-in option that would reimburse customers for postage fees.
Customers would be able to pick up their refunds at a variety of locations, including City Hall, the Downtown Transit Customer Service Centre, one of six Leisure Centres, and at a mobile transit refund location. These options ensure the broadest access for as many customers as possible.
A key component to this plan is a comprehensive communications strategy. In fact, the annual Civic Services Survey consistently shows that citizens prefer using a wide range of traditional communication methods to receive civic information (see Attachment – 2014 Civic Services Survey – Preferred Information Sources). This includes the news media, radio and print advertising.
“Given our broad and diverse population, it would not be reasonable for the City to rely on journalists alone to deliver City messages to the community,” Gryba says.
There will also be further communication costs incurred to inform transit pass holders on how they can receive their extension or reimbursement. These costs are anticipated to be approximately $20,000. A variety of communication tools will be used including paid radio and print advertising, posters, website updates, and social media.
The latest projected costs are part of the ongoing communication plan which began in mid-September.
The estimated costs were for keeping customers well informed about the service disruption and why the City made a difficult decision to proceed with a notice of lockout that would affect so many people.
Crucial information on wages and pensions was, and continues to be, a very complicated issue for transit Customers, citizens, taxpayers and all City employees.
“In order to give customers, citizens and taxpayers clear, concise and broadly communicated information, we achieve this by purchasing paid advertising spots on radio and in the daily print newspaper,” Gryba says.
The estimated costs below include design and production, placement fees for radio and StarPhoenix print advertising and flyers/posters:
Paid advertising - Transit Customers: $ 39,000
Paid advertising – Broad Community: $ 62,000
Total $101,000
Ongoing communication costs will continue to be monitored throughout the course of the current service disruption and when transit is back to normal operations.
The cost per person based on a rough Saskatoon population of 250,000 people is 41 cents.
Additionally customer service continues to be an important communications element. As a result, a third party call centre was contracted to provide this service during the lockout. The estimated costs between September 21 and September 30 are approximately $11,000.
“We anticipate increased call volumes around the refund plan. So we will continue to use the third party call centre to assist our customers,” Gryba says. “Balancing costs are always top of mind and they will monitored carefully throughout the course of the current service disruption,” Gryba says.