More than a Ride: What Transit Taught Us About Listening, Equity and Creative Power

We don’t work in transit because it’s trendy.

We work in transit because it’s true — true to who we are, how we show up and what we believe about people and progress.

At Hunter, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with some of the most forward-thinking public transit agencies in the country — from COTA in Columbus to Butler County RTA, Licking County Transit, Delaware County Transit, CCAT in Oregon and Ben Franklin Transit in Washington.

We’ve created campaigns to promote service, shift perception and support long-term system growth — but more than that, we’ve learned what it means to communicate with clarity, urgency and deep respect.

Because when you do this work right, you’re not just promoting a system.You’re moving lives forward.

Everything changed for us in the early days of the pandemic.COTA handed us the keys to their social media — a bold move at a time when the public needed real-time answers more than polished branding. What used to be three service changes per year suddenly became daily updates. And for the first time, we had a direct line to the people riding the system.

That experience sharpened our mission:Make sure no one is left behind. Period.

We heard from riders every day — families, frontline workers, retirees, students. We saw the gaps. We anticipated the questions. And we realized that good transit communication isn’t about flash — it’s about trust.

Even for those of us with multiple mobility options — cars, bikes, rideshares — there are moments when public transit is essential. And for many, it’s not optional. It’s everything. That responsibility is not lost on us.

Transit riders don’t want fluff. They want honesty, clarity and to feel seen. They want to know that their agency is thinking through every detail — from bus stop visibility to payment options — so they can get where they need to go safely and reliably.

That’s the real work. And it demands more than creativity. It demands a data-informed, customer-first strategy.

So we leaned in.

Today, we collaborate with research partners, media teams and community stakeholders to craft messaging that meets people where they are — on their devices, in their neighborhoods, in their languages. Every creative decision is rooted in insight.

Because for transit to work, it has to reach.

And for it to reach, it has to resonate.

Our work doesn’t stop at paid media. We show up wherever transit lives — from school partnerships and nonprofit outreach to sports sponsorships and civic collaboration.

Yes, most agencies have fixed-route buses, paratransit or microtransit options like COTA//Plus or BCRTA’s BGo. But the people they serve are different. Their challenges are different. And their communities deserve campaigns that reflect that.

We don’t copy and paste. We sit beside our clients like we would their riders — listening deeply, asking better questions and co-creating a vision of what extraordinary service means in their city.

This Isn’t About Awards (Even Though We’ve Won 13)

Transit agencies come to us with big challenges:Grow ridership. Support equity. Align with regional development. Build trust.

We bring our creative brains, research muscle and full hearts to the table. Because they didn’t hire us to win awards — they hired us because we love this work, and we love their riders.

We are honored — and yes, fired up — to use our superpowers to help people choose transit, understand it and trust it.

What We’ve Learned

• The more you listen, the more you learn.

• The more you learn, the clearer you can communicate.

• And the clearer you communicate, the more confident someone feels stepping onto that bus.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about metrics. It’s about belief — belief that public transit belongs to everyone, and that great creative can help people see it that way.