use of twitter in the netherlands - amtu - amtu · 2021. 3. 23. · amtu, martorell, 14 march 2012...

Sanderijn Baanders

Ambrosius Baanders

AMTU, Martorell, 14 March 2012

Impact of social media in public transport Use of Twitter in The Netherlands

Content

• New media, social media, Twitter

• Use of Twitter

• Twitter in public transport

– use by passengers

– use by operators

– private Twitter-initiatives

• Conclusions

Introduction

• Fast growth of use of smartphone: 5,5 mln in NL end 2011

• Twitter especially suitable for smartphone

• Very popular in public transport; easier use than while driving car or bicycle

• Expectation of twitterers that public transport companies act on their tweets

New media and social media

• conventional

• social media

• image banks

• apps for smartphones


• conventional

– website

– newsletter

– e-mail- and sms-service

• social media

• image banks



• conventional

• social media

– Facebook

– Linked In

– Twitter

• image banks



• conventional

• social media

• image banks

– You Tube



• conventional

• social media

• image banks


– 9292, NS, …

– QR-codes

• tweets

• at signs and hashtags

• following

• followers

• trending topics

• retweeting

Use and terminology of Twitter

• tweets – maximum of 140 characters

– public to everyone

– in general or addressed to someone


• following

• followers

• trending topics

• retweeting


• tweets

• at signs and hashtags – how to find what interests you among millions of

tweets per day?

– @ tweets to someone

– # tweets about something

• following

• followers

• trending topics

• retweeting


• tweets


• following

– who you are following, who would you like to read

updates from?

• followers

• trending topics

• retweeting


• tweets


• following

• followers

– who is following you, who would like to read updates

from you?

• trending topics

• retweeting


• tweets


• following

• followers

• trending topics

– popular subjects, hashtags, list publised by

Twitter

• retweeting


• tweets


• following

• followers

• trending topics

• retweeting – repeating the tweet of someone else more people

view the message



Example of a profile


Example of a retweet: by Qbuzz, tweet from RET

Different benefits for different users

examples:

• NGO’s, lobbyists

• commercial companies

• services

• associations

• politicians

• public figures

• journalism (as source and as publication)

• individual users

Who tweets about public transport?

• passengers

• operators (and public transport authorities)

• private initiatives

How is Twitter used in public transport?

Communication in various directions:

• operator (authority) passenger

• passenger operator (authority)

• between passengers

– easier than with other media


Types of information:

• travel information, delays, disruptions

• Q & A: information, complaints

• exchange of information about

ticket inspection

• compliments, sympathy,

encouragement



• travel information, delays, disruptions – through other media as well, but Twitter often faster

– often between passengers, often faster than operator (but possibly less reliable and less complete)


• exchange of information about ticket inspection

• compliments, sympathy, encouragement




• Q & A: information, complaints – through other media as well, but Twitter often faster

– difference with service desk or telephone service: answer is read by many pros and cons








– much more effective than through other media








– wider spread than through other media

Passengers, what are they tweeting?

• tweets in general

• tweets addressed to operators

• discussions between passengers



– observations

– frustration (sometimes abusive language)

– sightings of ticket inspection teams

– absence of ticket inspection (National Railways)






(remain unanswered by a decreasing number of

operators)

– complaints

– questions

– reporting aggression and vandalism

– encouragement, critique






– various subjects


Operators that do not respond:

• complaints and accusations remain uncontested

• tweets remain visible (though in time less prominent)

• tone of voice of passengers appears more aggressive

than to operators who do respond


Answered complaint

Operators, what are they offering through

Twitter?

• information about delays, disruptions, news

• RET Rotterdam: separate account about inspections and safety

• increasing numbers: answering questions and complaints from passengers, but others: not – requests for information, especially during disruptions

– questions about press statements

– remarks about time table

– remarks about littering, vandalism, aggression

– remarks about staff behaviour

– sometimes tweets from company president

• next to information through other media

• next to information from 9292 (= national travel information centre) – also on Twitter

Twitter accounts of the important public

transport operators

for 16 weeks: 14 November 2011 – 5 March 2012

number of followers as

of

growth in

followers

number of tweets

per week

14-11-11 5-3-12 highest lowest

NS (national railways) 27.348 39.107 +43,0% 1.035 468

HTM (The Hague) 5.994 8.836

+47,4% 99 25

GVB (Amsterdam) (1) 3.129 6.615

+114,4% 411 2

RET (Rotterdam) (1) 4.749 6.201 +30,6% 124 36

Arriva (regional bus, train) 4.127 5.813 +40,9% 69 10

Connexxion (regional bus, train) 2.227 2.841 +27,6% 164 2

Veolia (regional bus, train) 4.009 5.556

+38,5% 54 1

total 51.583 74.969

TotalOVNL (ticket inspections) 4.898 8.742 +78,5 1.219 246

Source: www.twitter.com, accessed every Monday during this period.

(1) Several accounts and therefore some double counting in the number of followers.

http://www.twitter.com/


Twitter?

• growth of followers 45% in 16 weeks

• large differences between operators, National Railways clearly largest scale

• some inconsistent in their effort (depending on single employee?)

• are questions and remarks answered by the operator? interactive or not


Twitter?

Operators that do reply to tweets:

• sometimes operators solve problems, sometimes they

can’t solve them

– it helps to reply to complaints about filthiness, vandalism, or

nuissance (passenger feels he is being taken seriously)

– it can help to show sympathy to complaints about disruptions

– complaints about staff behaviour are not always answered

• if the passenger feels he has been taken seriously: it

helps to create a positive image

• a bad answer contributes to a bad image

• not answering always contributes to a bad image

The operators: NS (national railways)

• one account: @NS_online

• interactive: usually fast answer, good quality

• language and tone of voice match that of the public

• all subjects

• separate account of CEO

• largest scale of all operators

– 39.000 followers = 6,5% of the 600.000 passengers who daily

use the trains

– 500 – 1.000 tweets per week, strong fluctuation

• “twitterfeeds” on larger stations


@NS_online started 29 March 2010, straight away interactive

– on 10 Augustus 2010 1.000 followers were reached

• at this moment they operate with a team of 3 staff members, they

aim for a team of 10

• used for investigation into market and publicity

• “tweet-ups”: inviting Tweeters and followers in Utrecht

– 1st time with 20 most critical Tweeters

– 2nd time with 20 supportive Tweeters, about ideas for improving Twitter

possibilities on trains


Benefit of being active on Twitter:

• providing the right answer in discussions can take the

edge off

– room for improvement

• it is a source of information for what motivates

passengers and the situation in publicity

• damage control in case of bad publicity


Use of social media by NS, for various goals:

• Twitter: for dialogue with passengers

• Facebook: for campaigns, events, projects

• Linked in: for discussion and recruitment

• YouTube: image bank

The operators: HTM (The Hague)

@HTM_Reisinfo started on 10 January 2011 – ending the private initiative @htminfo

• started answering on 8 January 2012, quality needs improving

• number of followers: 8.800; of 180.000 passengers per day = 5,0% is follower; 74 tweets last week (incl. answers)

• larger number of disruptions mentioned than with GVB or RET: depends on decision when to report a disruption or not

The operators: HTM (The Hague)

Foto’s HTM

The operators: RET (Rotterdam)

Three accounts, now all three interactive:

• @RETRotterdam – for disruptions

• @RET_controle – for news from the security department

– anounces ticket inspections, without too much detail

• @RETnieuws – for other news

– in total: 6.201 followers, growth in 16 weeks = 30,6%, highest number of tweets in any week: 124, lowest: 36 tweets

• CEO also Twitters along

And the public transport authorities?

Authorities granting consessions:

• many politicians are active on Twitter, including the officials responsible for public transport – does the public address them?

– no examples found for public transport, but some for road traffic

• use of Twitter for communication with passengers?

• use of passenger Tweets for evaluation of performance of operators?

- very few cases found yet

Authorities responsible for roads, streets and other infrastructure:

• munincipalities also start to use Twitter, including inter alia public transport subjects


• An interactive Twitter account (and other social media)

might be included in the conditions of public transport

consessions. But this is not yet the case. It appears

these authorities still have too little knowledge about

Twitter.

• The (unanswered) complaints are interesting material for

public transport authorities. Useful next to the existing

customer satisfaction surveys (which offer limited

insigts).

• Example of joint initiative of local governments

and operator:

• ‘MerwedeLinge Line’: seven involved

munincipalities along this regional railway line,

using a common Twitter account

– they use passenger feedback to put pressure on the

operator Arriva, the rail infrastructure company

ProRail and the public transport authority the province

of Zuid-Holland


Private initiatives

• Are they filling a need in the market?

• Or are they filling the initiator’s need to

send out information?

Private initiatives

different types of accounts:

• about disruptions and delays

• about the presence of ticket inspection

• about news and facts about public transport

• by public transport staff as a private initiative

Private initiatives



– @htminfo, due to lack of presence of HTM

– actions out of dissatisfaction

– other accounts, incl. commercial




Private initiatives: @htminfo

• set up in January 2010 by an 18 year old because HTM was not

active on Twitter

• became popular in December 2010, during massive disruptions due

to snow and simultaneous failure of HTM website

• activity mainly the retweeting of messages from various sources,

incl. observations from travellers

• ended in January 2011 in agreement with HTM, at the start of the

official HTM Twitter-account

Private initiatives




– @ZwartrijdenOV, @TotalOVNL

– @OVcontrole and others



Private initiatives: ticket inspection

@TotalOVNL, formerly @ZwartrijdenOV

• 250 to 1.200 tweets / week about sightings of ticket inspection teams, in 12+ cities – distinguishing between: inspection in uniform, under cover, with

police escort

• 8.700 followers, growth in 16 weeks: 78,5% – claim: 80.000 users

• hardly any travel information or delays

• “use is at own risk”

• daily statistics about chance of meeting inspectors

• mission: “free public transport” ( website)

• unclear how information is obtained or statistics calculated

Private initiatives: ticket inspection

exemple abroad: France

• Twitter-accounts about ticket inspection in

existence for some time

• resulted in the initiative in Paris for funds that

pay the fines for subscribing fare dodgers

also in France:

• accounts with whereabouts of parking

inspectors

• flash mob rally against the unreliability of

certain SNCF-lines on a platform

Particuliere initiatieven






– drivers of trains, trams and buses

– en route?

• Twitter usage among public transport travellers grows rapidly. It is becoming indispensible because of the poor quality of other communications during disruptions.

• Passengers expect operators to actively participate in Twitter: they have no choice, it just happens to them:

– some take up Twitter succesfully (lead by NS)

– others don’t or are unable to and abandon efforts

• Staff often takes initiative instead of management. Different way of communicating with passengers, consequences for company organisation?

• What is the cost of not answering (or contesting) of publicly visible complaints? damage of image

• Is Twitter a threat to working with roving ticket inspections?

• Authorities responsible for concessions do not at the moment stimulate operators.

• Authorities responsible for concesions do not seem to use available material from Tweets.

• Possible role of Tweets in evaluation of the performance of the operator?

Conclusions, food for thought, questions

Conclusies, food for thought, questions

• Use of Twitter in The Netherlands substantial since 2009

• How long will Twitter be fashionable and what form of

new media will succeed it?

• Hard to imagine that the fast dialogue between

passengers and operators through new media will

disappear

use of twitter in the netherlands - amtu - amtu · 2021. 3. 23. · amtu, martorell, 14 march 2012...

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