Auckland Transport Ambassadors

Auckland Transport Ambassadors were first used during the Britomart opening in July 2003 to communicate the relocation of 18 central city bus stops. A creative solution was needed to ensure that individual commuters understood and were happy with the changes. The only effective way to do this was to communicate the changes person to person.

Since then Auckland Transport Ambassadors have been at the front of many communication campaigns and have also greatly broadened the types of communication solutions they provide.

Essentially, the key role of Auckland Transport Ambassadors is customer service, and specifically to:

• Provide a face at the ground level
• Help passengers wherever possible, especially disabled passengers
• Communicate a specific message

Auckland Transport Ambassadors have provided these services in a variety of ways, including:

• Communicating a public transport change to passengers at a bus stop or train platform
• Directing passengers through a specific access point (usually for safety reasons). This has included acting as a human crossing light – telling people when they can cross a track.
• Guiding passengers on to replacement services
• Encouraging work places to use public transport
• Promoting public transport in tertiary institutes
• Promoting a new service in an area
• Passenger and pedestrian counting
• Surveys – including face-to-face and via telephone
• Visiting local businesses to explain a forthcoming disruption
• Delivering flyers to letterboxes in effected areas
• Data entry

What makes Auckland Transport Ambassadors valuable is their adaptability. On the frontline they have been able to come up with systems to assist passengers, usually through enhanced communication between Ambassadors at different locations. This has often made the Auckland Transport Ambassadors the most up-to-date source of information available. These same communication systems allow immediate brief changes and updates.

The ability to turn the supply of Auckland Transport Ambassadors on and off as required has made them an invaluable resource in customer service.