Public Transport Promotion to School Children (Rome, Italy)

Target Audience

The target group for the Rome case study are pupils of the third and fourth grade, primary school students and the students in year one and two of junior high-school (aged 9-12). Each class used in the study will be selected by ATAC S.p.A. according to the area and age group covered.

Campaign Details

Rome campaign will make use of the following marketing techniques.

1. The visit

To bring young students in touch with the world of public transport, a number of classes will be invited to visit a public transport depot and its maintenance workshops.

A total of 30 schools (primary and secondary) were involved in the project. The schools are equally distributed in the city of Rome. As shown in the next picture 4 company depots were selected to host about 8 institutes each.

During the visit (after a training period with teachers) ATAC arranged some buses to bring pupils from the schools to the depots. Once arrived in the depots, the students were welcomed by ATAC personnel and accompanied during the visit.

Pupils were very interested in understanding how a public transport company works and they were also informed about the difference about the difference among different operator (bus, metro, train).

The main items faced during the visit referred to pollution, traffic and vandalism. Pupils were also informed about pollution effect and tools for measuring the level of pollution in their town with very practical examples. As direct proof of the offences committed against public transport it has been shown a broken glass of a bus and it has been explained how much the repair procedures request both in term of timing and cost.

Tapestry Folder

2. The game

Students will be given a CD-ROM with the title of "TRAMMY". A brief presentation by ad hoc personnel will provide an introduction to the content of the CD-ROM.

During the game, children are asked to play 3 different roles connected to public transport:

The agent responsible for the service
The driver
The passenger

the game Trammy

For each right answer there is 1 point while for the wrong one there is the penalty of 1 score less. At the end of the game, the bus come back to the depots.

3. The contest

Children will be invited to take part in the contest for the best drawing for the students and the best picture for teachers. The aim of the contest is to stimulate in the various classes a constructive discussion on the issues presented during their visit.

The official award ceremony will take place in Rome the 30th of May at ATAC main premises. All students, teachers and parents will be invited jointly with local authorities representatives from the Municipality of Rome and from ATAC spa.

During the ceremony both paints and pictures made by the children will be illustrated on a maxi screen. Then 3 better pictures and 3 better paints will be awarded with a PC.

Students were followed by ATAC S.pA representatives in their visit to the TRAMBUS depots. Appointed staff explained to the pupils the goals of the visit and provided them with all information and promotional material. The different competencies and skills within the Roman public transport company were explained to the pupils.

visit to the Trambus depot

The following material was distributed:

1) TAPESTRY MATERIAL - brochure + CD-ROM titled TRAMMY + helmet for bicycle with European certification to protect pupils during the visit to the depots.

Trammy brochure

2) ATAC S.p.A. institutional material: map + timetable + brochure and leaflets.

Different campaign measures will not only be aimed at different target groups but it is also hoped they will influence individuals in many different ways. It is expected the activities will influence people in the following issues: