Morris – MARKETING THROUGH SYSTEM MAPS and MARKETING THROUGH TIME TABLES 1980

Description

The chapter argues system maps and timetables are vital marketing tools to boost ridership, improve image, aid disadvantaged riders, and encourage tourism. Maps should be simple, portable, and locally expressive while following national guidelines for consistency; many riders use the same route daily, so route-specific pocket maps plus full system maps and timetables should be available at information centers. Effective maps highlight terminals, transfer points, landmarks, service incentives (express routes, fare zones, park-and-ride), and sometimes base street detail; accessibility (braille) and ease of updating are important. Design trade-offs are illustrated by New York’s 1979 map decisions on scale, legibility, and color-coding. Use of advertising on maps is debated. Timetables should be user-centered with clear graphics, fewer routes per sheet, detailed formats, and multilingual highlights; they must be widely distributed. Emerging electronic real-time information systems offer advanced dissemination but may be premature for many cities.