On Board With… Program & Conference Committee Chair Nicole Ramos (Omnitrans)
Nicole Ramos is Chair of the Program & Conference Committee for the California Transit Association and Director of Marketing and Communications at Omnitrans. She has 25 years of experience in marketing communications in the public transit industry, including more than 20 years at Omnitrans. Nicole oversees outreach, internal and external communications, and customer service for the agency and has spearheaded agency initiatives including Free Fares for School and the award-winning Travel Training Bus program. Ramos is a member of the APTA Marketing & Communications Committee and co-founder of the Transit Community Outreach Group. She is a California native and graduate of the University of La Verne, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Transit California: 
You chair the Program & Conference Committee for the Association. What are you especially excited about for this year’s 57th Annual Fall Conference & Expo, hosted by Omnitrans?
Nicole Ramos:
This year’s event will mark the first time that Association members can experience an in-person Fall Conference with a full Expo, tour, and evening networking events since 2019. At such a pivotal time for transit, the networking and idea-sharing opportunities the Fall Conference provides are unmatched. I can’t wait to see everyone in Ontario!
Transit California:
This year’s conference theme is “Adaptable. Sustainable. Equitable.” Why did the Program & Conference Committee select this theme for this year’s conference and how is it being incorporated into the planning for the event?
Nicole Ramos:
As our industry continues to move past the pandemic, we are both facing new challenges, such as employee retention, and placing sharper focus and priority on traditional concerns, such as building ridership. After much discussion, our Committee decided that three of the most critical qualities agencies need to move forward in today’s world are equitability, sustainability, and adaptability. In planning this year’s Conference breakout sessions and keynotes, Committee members viewed all ideas through the lens of our theme to ensure that the Conference will provide actionable ideas and interactive content to allow agencies and partners to be well prepared for the pursuit of future success.
Transit California:
While the Program & Conference Committee is finalizing the program for this year’s event, are there particular takeaways you hope attendees will leave with?
Nicole Ramos:
The ridership and retention struggles many agencies are experiencing have led to some tough questions: “Is there a future for the industry today? Can we adapt to the changing needs of our community and the regulatory demands of our state?” The answer is a resounding “Yes,” and I hope attendees leave with a renewed enthusiasm and sense of purpose after learning about some of the exciting transit initiatives taking place now in our state — from unprecedented funding opportunities to creative partnerships, and new technologies to customized microtransit and rapid transit offerings.
Transit California:
You became Director of Marketing and Communications at Omnitrans in 2020 after almost 20 years at the agency. What have your biggest focus areas been in the past two years?
Nicole Ramos:
Seems like a long journey, doesn’t it? Director of Marketing and Communications is actually the fourth position I have held at Omnitrans after starting my career at a neighboring agency (Foothill Transit). I’m grateful that Omnitrans values the experience of its veteran employees while allowing them opportunities to grow, personally and professionally, with the agency. Like most agencies, communication has been critical in the past two years as we worked to keep customers and employees informed of seemingly continuous changes, prioritizing safety while working to maintain service for those who needed us. Over the past year, our team has been able to shift to safety assurance messaging and service promotion while utilizing lessons learned to enhance internal communications.
Transit California:
What are your biggest focus areas looking ahead?
Nicole Ramos:
Key to the future of our industry and my role in it is partnerships. These include: transit agencies and regional partners coordinating on joint promotions to maximize resources and spotlight connectivity; partnerships with stakeholders such as schools, colleges, and employers to establish corporate, free fare, and university pass programs to increase ridership and revenue; public/private partnerships to further regional development; and strategic partnerships, including Customer and Youth Councils, to garner targeted feedback and establish service advocates. At Omnitrans, a number of these are already in place and we’re focusing on a number of others to further our agency vision to provide mobility solutions to connect our region and strengthen the economy.
Beyond that, the Marketing & Communications team looks forward to supporting the promotion of Omnitrans’ sustainability and service innovation initiatives, including zero-emission bus (ZEB) development and apprenticeship, agency Climate Action Plan implementation, microtransit service, and first- and last-mile shuttles.
Transit California:
As you know, the focus on fare free transit, particularly for students and youth, is a hot topic in the State Capitol and across the state. You spearheaded Omnitrans’s Free Fares for School program. Tell us about that experience and what you learned that would be valuable for other transit professionals looking to establish such a program at their agencies.
Nicole Ramos:
By its very nature, transit enhances equity and inclusion in our communities on a daily basis. However, that’s not enough — I believe that we have an obligation to actively seek out and implement initiatives that directly benefit all community members in measurable ways. At Omnitrans, more than half of K-12 students in our service area come from neighborhoods with high poverty rates. More than 75 percent are students of color. School bus programs have been drastically reduced over the past decade, and we know there is a link between transportation access and student absenteeism and performance. American Rescue Plan Act funding gave us the opportunity to create a pilot program to directly impact this inequity and build the next generation of ridership. Nearly one million rides and one year later, the Free Fares for School program is an unqualified success, and we are working with school districts on annual-fee partnerships to make the program permanent.
One of my favorite things about public transit is the collaboration among agencies. The wonderful Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) team was a great resource for me when I began my program, and I’m pleased to provide information to anyone interested in starting a program at their own agency. My three tips are:
- Start with a short-term pilot program to minimize potential revenue loss and gather data, but have a plan for a permanent program and how you’ll fund it from the beginning to avoid having to remove a student benefit.
- Communicate early, late, often, and in multiple languages — and not just to the public! Employee buy-in is crucial.
- When you are working with kids of varying ages, multiple schools/districts, administrators, and families, there will be hiccups in the process. We decided to provide decals for school IDs for our program, only to learn that several private schools didn’t issue IDs! Keep moving forward and don’t be afraid to ask for advice; the effort is worth it.
Transit California:
You served as Community Outreach Specialist at Omnitrans for more than 10 years. What are you most proud of accomplishing during this time?
Nicole Ramos:
I’m proud that during my tenure I was able to increase community outreach by 75 percent and help develop a team that could seamlessly support all facets of outreach. My proudest accomplishment, however, was the development of the mobile Travel Training program from the ground up. Designed to overcome one of the largest barriers to transit use — unfamiliarity/fear — in its first year, the program was presented to more than 3,500 community members and generated nearly 1,000 independent trips. I’m pleased to say it also served as the model for similar programs at other agencies.
Transit California:
What advice would you give to young marketing and communications professionals in the public transit or similar fields?
Nicole Ramos:
I think there’s a misconception that public transit or public service isn’t exciting, cool, or current. I’m biased, of course, but I think it’s a great opportunity to make a positive impact in your community, region, or state while using your creativity and expanding your skill set. No two days are the same, which is what I love about it. Be open to opportunities outside your area of expertise, and encourage the same in others. Learning about grant writing (which I never thought I’d need) later allowed me to get the Travel Training Program started. When I joined the industry, it was a struggle to get administrators to agree to an ad that had a person in it instead of just a bus — now we have TikTok! Not every industry offers you the ability to actively drive its evolution. Public transit does, so it’s a great industry to make a career in.