印度印第安纳州（Indore）被称为“迷你孟买”（Mini Bombay），是一个蓬勃发展的城市，有200万人。该市迅速增长的人口造成了严重的问题，包括增加道路拥堵，旅行延误，交通事故和环境退化。

Enter the“ ibus。”印多尔的新Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line—the iBus—recently completed 100 days of passenger operations. The new system carries more than 23,000 passengers per day, easing congestion, reducing travel times, and creating a safe, convenient mode of public transport.

Many factors contributed to iBus’s success in Indore. One, however, stands out as a lesson for all transit stakeholders: the importance of public outreach.

Creating the iBus

The iBus has seen impressive results in its first few months in operation, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. When construction of the iBus first began in 2007, the general public reaction ranged from strong opposition to enthusiastic support. A host of factors affected public and press opinion: construction delays, little public engagement, and lack of faith in the political and administrative leadership of the city.

IBU是公众推广和参与力量的一个很好的例子。开发人员知道，使IBU取得成功意味着改善其不同的声誉。为此，他们依靠四个关键的品牌和公共外展活动来引起该项目的“嗡嗡声”：众包，教育运动，社交媒体和审判。

众包创建所有权

为了让Indore人民，Atal Indore City Transport Services（AICTSL）于2012年8月举行了一场比赛，名称为新的BRT。从收到的许多条目中，选择了“ ibus”的名称。“我”表示“聪明”和“印多”，创造了一种归属感。这个名字很容易记住和发音。它创造的所有权感在新的BRT服务中引起了本地自豪感。

AICTSL和EMBARQ India, part ofWRI’s EMBARQ Center for Sustainable Transport然后，合作创建了一个品牌徽标，该徽标将传达IBU的速度和可靠性价值。选择设计的整个练习还反映在AICTSL上，将其描绘成一个像IBU这样的现代，高效，安全的BRT的公司。

Outreach Sessions to Address Participant Misconceptions

Even as construction was underway, local media reacted negatively and sometimes with skepticism towards the BRT project. To ensure that media had access to the most accurate information about the iBus and its vision, Dario Hidalgo, EMBARQ’s director of research and practice, led a Focus Group Seminar with senior journalists from Indore. Citing examples from across the world, this seminar was able to address a number of myths and misperceptions related to BRT systems and the iBus.

Ambarq印度的工作人员还支持AICTSL与学生和年轻专业人员举行公共焦点小组会议。在这些会议中，听众被告知了IBUS是什么，它将如何运行以及如何使他们受益。在记者和其他观察家的陪同下，小组参加了走廊之旅。例如，2013年4月，大约30名记者参加了艾哈迈达巴德·贾玛格BRT的研究之旅，这是印度BRT的公认成功。体验和学习一个成熟的系统，每天都有超过140,000名骑手（与印多尔的背景下），使参与者可以更好地可视化IBU的计划。

Outreach sessions eventually reached more than 1,200 people, helping to dispel myths around the project and build a sense of comfort with the upcoming service.

社交媒体：当局与公众之间的对话

认识到Indore需要进行公开的公开对话来创建IBU的透明图像，Ambarq帮助AICTSL创建了an iBus Facebook page2013年3月。由于BRT走廊毗邻许多学校和大学，因此Facebook页面被视为吸引青年并吸引潜在乘客的机会。Facebook页面提供了有关施工的最新信息，回答了有关服务的疑问，并很快成为一个反馈和建议的非正式论坛。在公共焦点小组会议期间，参与者开始将自己“标记”到Facebook页面上的照片。随着页面“喜欢”的数量的增加，媒体开始关注，通常是指页面以获取项目信息和照片。

Theuse of social mediahas been tremendously rewarding in the case of Indore.

Trial Runs with an Informed, Accepting Public

SANS乘客始于2013年4月，以确保整个走廊的顺利运行，同时在操作开始之前为系统创建图像。看到沿着走廊奔跑的公共汽车让公众放心，并帮助营造了一种接受和期待的氛围。

2013年5月10日，IBU的免费乘客审判开始。不收取票价是一个战略决定，旨在在帮助所有人理解系统的同时实现更大的乘客量。在为期五周的免费乘客跑步的过程中，每周乘车量大幅上升。

踏入未来

With the launch of iBus, there are now seven BRT systems in India—and soon to be more. Bhopal, Surat, and Pimpri-Chinchwad are expected to launch their own advanced bus systems later this year, and five more cities have BRT lines under construction. An additional five have announced future plans to build such a system. In less than a decade, thenumber of BRT systemsand bus corridors in India will have gone from zero to twenty.

As these cities move forward with their own BRT systems, it’s important that they keep the lessons from the iBus in mind: Designing a BRT system is only half the battle. Communicating about the project is imperative to its success.