The Hidden Potential of Transit Loyalty Programs for Marketers

How Public Transportation Is Finally Catching Up to the Loyalty Game — and Why Marketers Should Care

Public transit is entering a new era of loyalty.

For years, loyalty innovation has been dominated by airlines, hotels, and retail brands.

Now, transit agencies are realising they face the same challenge: retaining customers is far more cost-effective than constantly trying to win back lost riders.

Public transportation is no longer just a utility.

It is becoming a competitive mobility brand — and marketers should pay close attention.

The Post-Pandemic Wake-Up Call

COVID permanently disrupted commuter behaviour.

Ridership patterns that once felt predictable have become fragmented and inconsistent.

Many former daily riders have shifted to remote work, rideshare services, or flexible travel habits.

For transit agencies, this is not just a volume issue.

It is a retention problem.

“The most common loyalty challenges brands face today are driving long-term engagement and proving incremental value beyond discounts.”
— Chris Galloway, EVP Strategy & Design, Brandmovers

Public transit systems are now being forced to compete in the same customer environment as consumer brands.

And that requires a new playbook.

Why Traditional Transit Marketing Falls Short

Historically, transit success has been measured through total ridership.

But that approach misses the deeper question: are riders coming back consistently?

Transit is now competing with an entire ecosystem of mobility alternatives.

Rideshare, scooters, bikes, and personal vehicles offer frictionless convenience.

Meanwhile, many transit experiences still include:

• Delays without real-time updates
• Poor station comfort and cleanliness
• Limited shelter or safety perception
• Payment complexity across systems

These issues erode trust.

And without trust, loyalty cannot grow.

Complexity Is a Loyalty Killer

Transit riders often face unnecessary friction.

Multi-system trips frequently require:

• Different fare products
• Separate payment apps
• Confusing rules between bus and rail
• Limited digital integration

That complexity makes public transportation feel outdated compared to app-driven competitors.

“Loyalty only works when the experience is simple, consistent, and designed around the customer — not the organisation’s internal structure.”
— Chris Galloway, EVP Strategy & Design, Brandmovers

In loyalty terms, transit has been creating barriers at the exact moment it needs stickiness.

The Loyalty Revolution Arrives in Transit

Leading agencies are now applying proven loyalty mechanics.

Instead of treating riders as anonymous passengers, they are building repeat engagement through rewards, incentives, and behavioural nudges.

Key early program outcomes include:

• Increased trip frequency
• Expanded use beyond commuting
• Stronger word-of-mouth advocacy
• Greater emotional connection to the system

This is loyalty marketing in motion — applied to everyday mobility.

Personalisation Comes to Public Transportation

Transit agencies are beginning to use rider data the same way retail and hospitality brands do.

Apps and smart-card systems allow agencies to:

• Recognise rider habits
• Reward new behaviours
• Offer location-based incentives
• Encourage off-peak and leisure travel

This transforms transit from a commodity into a personalised service relationship.

“The brands that win with loyalty are the ones that make customers feel recognised, not just rewarded.”
— Chris Galloway, EVP Strategy & Design, Brandmovers

The emotional layer matters as much as the discount.

Partnerships Are Redefining Transit Loyalty

The most advanced programs go beyond free rides.

They integrate with broader mobility ecosystems.

Rewards can now apply across:

• Bike-share services
• Scooter platforms
• Local merchants
• Last-mile mobility options

This increases redemption opportunities and keeps loyalty value high.

It also positions transit as the hub of modern urban movement — not a standalone mode.

Case Study: Building Customer Relationships and Growth with a B2B Loyalty Program

A key lesson from transit loyalty is that engagement depends on the design of long-term relationships, not short-term incentives.

Brandmovers has seen this play out in complex, multi-stakeholder environments where customer behaviour is not automatic and must be actively earned.

In the audiology manufacturing sector, Brandmovers partnered with a client to develop a loyalty program aimed at strengthening relationships and driving sustainable growth.

The business challenge centred on increasing repeat engagement across a specialised distributor network.

The solution required more than transactional rewards.

Brandmovers built a structured program experience that reinforced ongoing participation, encouraged desired behaviours, and delivered measurable value to both the brand and its partners.

Key solution elements included:

• A clear earn-and-redeem framework tied to business actions
• Personalised engagement journeys for different audience segments
• Incentives aligned with long-term retention, not one-time lift
• A loyalty platform designed to reduce friction and increase stickiness

The impact was a stronger relationship ecosystem, with improved engagement and clearer performance visibility.

For transit agencies, the parallel is direct: loyalty succeeds when it reduces complexity, builds habit, and creates a relationship riders want to stay part of.

Case Study: Metrolink Consumer Transit Loyalty Program Increased Rider Engagement

Public transportation loyalty programs work best when they move beyond transactional ticketing and create an ongoing relationship with riders. That was the challenge Metrolink faced as it looked to encourage repeat ridership, strengthen rider engagement, and modernise the customer experience in a category not traditionally associated with loyalty mechanics.

Metrolink needed to drive participation outside of routine commuter habits. Repeat engagement was limited, rider-level insight was minimal, and few incentives encouraged loyalty behaviours over time. Like many transit agencies, Metrolink recognised that retaining riders requires more than service availability — it requires motivation, recognition, and a stronger value exchange.

Brandmovers implemented a consumer-facing loyalty program designed to reward ridership and engagement behaviours while giving Metrolink actionable first-party rider data through the BLOYL™ Enterprise Loyalty Platform. The program introduced a points-based structure that allowed riders to earn and redeem rewards, supported by segmentation and engagement tracking to better understand rider needs and patterns.

Key elements included a rewards catalogue, rider dashboards, and analytics reporting that enabled Metrolink to measure participation and loyalty behaviours over time. The program demonstrated sustained engagement in a non-traditional loyalty category, proving that public-sector transportation systems can successfully apply proven loyalty frameworks when the experience is designed around rider motivation.

For marketers, the Metrolink example reinforces a broader lesson: loyalty mechanics are effective well beyond retail, especially when they reduce friction, build habit, and create meaningful engagement in everyday services.

What This Means for Marketers

Public transportation’s loyalty evolution reinforces a universal truth.

Loyalty is not industry-specific.

It is a strategic response to competition, fragmentation, and changing customer expectations.

Transit agencies are learning what the best brands already know:

• Retention beats acquisition
• Friction kills engagement
• Rewards must reinforce behaviour, not replace value
• Partnerships expand relevance
• Emotional connection drives advocacy

Marketers should view transit as a real-time loyalty laboratory.

About Brandmovers

Brandmovers helps organisations design and run loyalty strategies that increase retention, deepen engagement, and create measurable behavioural change.

From complex partner ecosystems to customer-facing reward programs, Brandmovers builds loyalty experiences that reduce friction and strengthen long-term relationships.

Request a demo to see how Brandmovers can help your organisation apply these strategies in practice.