Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

Woodbridge_Heights said:
If they connect via the airport wifi there is an opportunity to push people to UPX via their splash page login.
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Met with three different groups last week (1 each from Calgary, Winnipeg, NY) each one confirmed something I have long suspected......if they had known before they left their home towns that UP existed that is how they would have got to downtown for their meetings. Each one had already figured out how they were going to get downtown and no level of signage/wifi/info on landing would change that. They had mapped out their dash to the cab line and that was it. Each one wondered why there was no attempt to market them before, or as, they planned their trips (either online, as they booked or at their departure airport gate).
 
How do they figure out how get to the cab line, without scrolling past the big "Train to City" option on the Pearson website?
 
nfitz said:
How do they figure out how get to the cab line, without scrolling past the big "Train to City" option on the Pearson website?
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Neither one of them was making their first trip to the city.....been there done that sort of thing ...."you get downtown by walking to the cabs"....kinda what ML were saying about entrenched travel behaviours
 
I find the corporate branding at the UPX station to be a little overbearing. "The CIBC UPstairs lounge" doesn't exactly exude warm and friendly.

Has anyone been inside? It seems like a natural spot for transit riders before a ball game.
 
mjl08 said:
I find the corporate branding at the UPX station to be a little overbearing. "The CIBC UPstairs lounge" doesn't exactly exude warm and friendly.
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UPX sold the space. You could revert it, but CIBC would want their money back and Metrolinx will probably need that cash to fund corporate reorganisation...
 
TOareaFan said:
Met with three different groups last week (1 each from Calgary, Winnipeg, NY) each one confirmed something I have long suspected......if they had known before they left their home towns that UP existed that is how they would have got to downtown for their meetings. Each one had already figured out how they were going to get downtown and no level of signage/wifi/info on landing would change that. They had mapped out their dash to the cab line and that was it. Each one wondered why there was no attempt to market them before, or as, they planned their trips (either online, as they booked or at their departure airport gate).
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What's in it for the airlines whether you take a cab, a bus or UPX? Cross their palms with silver, and you'll see cross-promotion. But then operating costs go up more...
 
I'm not sure why airlines should promote this service, or why it should be promoted when logging into Pearson's wifi when oftentimes it isn't even the best way to get into the city from the airport. Why should it be promoted any more than the TTC?
 
TOareaFan said:
Met with three different groups last week (1 each from Calgary, Winnipeg, NY) each one confirmed something I have long suspected......if they had known before they left their home towns that UP existed that is how they would have got to downtown for their meetings. Each one had already figured out how they were going to get downtown and no level of signage/wifi/info on landing would change that. They had mapped out their dash to the cab line and that was it. Each one wondered why there was no attempt to market them before, or as, they planned their trips (either online, as they booked or at their departure airport gate).
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Was in London Heathrow back in January, and thought they did a very good job marketing the Heathrow Express:

1. Dedicated customer service reps with ticket machines on hand all waiting at the baggage handling area of Terminal 2 arrivals. They were there actively marketing to every traveler passing through arrivals.

2. After you exit the baggage area into the main hall, the first thing you see is a large row of ticket machines with a big flashy sign "EXPRESS TRAIN TO LONDON". They are placed right in front of the arrivals door, and this will be the first thing every visitor sees when they exit the hall way. In contrast, the UPX ticket office is placed on the far left of the arrival hall in Terminal 1, beside a currency exchange desk that could easily be missed. It's all about perception and first impressions.

Together with the price reduction and more visible marketing, I think taking UPX to the city will be a no brainer even to your casual traveler.
 
Honestly, I think Metrolinx is right regarding the UPX. The lack of visibility/usage is more of a function of engrained travel habits than anything. When visiting London, for example, people are already aware of the Heathrow train and will seek it out. Toronto on the other hand, has been well served by airport limos, and that's what people are going to continue seeking.

The UPX should have been free for a month or two in order to get people onto it, since the best marketing they've got is the train itself. Simply having signs saying a train exists won't help change people's travel habits. They need to experience the quick, smooth ride in order to understand it. I guess you can have reps at the terminal actively trying to sell the train, but who really wants to stop and listen when you've already decided that you are looking for a cab?

The only way they are going to increase ridership is through word of mouth. Once enough people have used it and are talking about it, word will spread that the service exists and how efficient it is. That will drive people to seek it out, at which point it will be easier to sell.
 
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Tuscani01 said:
Honestly, I think Metrolinx is right regarding the UPX. The lack of visibility/usage is more of a function of engrained travel habits than anything. When visiting London, for example, people are already aware of the Heathrow train and will seek it out. Toronto on the other hand, has been well served by airport limos, and that's what people are going to continue seeking.

The UPX should have been free for a month or two in order to get people onto it, since the best marketing they've got is the train itself. Simply having signs saying a train exists won't help change people's travel habits. They need to experience the quick, smooth ride in order to understand it. I guess you can have reps at the terminal actively trying to sell the train, but who really wants to stop and listen when you've already decided that you are looking for a cab?

The only way they are going to increase ridership is through word of mouth. Once enough people have used it and are talking about it, word will spread that the service exists and how efficient it is. That will drive people to seek it out, at which point it will be easier to sell.
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The whole set-up of arrivals at Pearson assumes you're either going to take an airport limo or rent a car, with all other 'ground transportation' options treated as a poor relation. The TTC bus connection has to be the most poorly signposted of all modes.
 
I think Metrolinx has made some progress on the signage, as it was atrocious at first, especially working around the Union Station renos. Seems like they still have some work to do, particularly at Pearson.
 
mjl08 said:
I think Metrolinx has made some progress on the signage, as it was atrocious at first, especially working around the Union Station renos. Seems like they still have some work to do, particularly at Pearson.
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Yes definitely getting better, even at Pearson I've seen a gradual improvement in marketing and signage. I've also experienced a general uptick in ridership, especially on trains from YYZ to Union where there's higher ridership among travelers arriving in Toronto.

Not sure if this is a new thing, but they've also put up large banners in arrival halls, and large wall facades within the domestic terminal marketing the service to arriving and departing passengers. Definitely a work in progress but you can see that Metrolinx is experimenting a lot these days...
 
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LNahid2000 said:
I'm not sure why airlines should promote this service, or why it should be promoted when logging into Pearson's wifi when oftentimes it isn't even the best way to get into the city from the airport. Why should it be promoted any more than the TTC?
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UP Express is pretty well promoted on their website. Pushing notifications and/or having info on WIFI login pages is an emerging trend. In fact I was reading about beacons located near stores that are able to push sales notifications onto your phone while walking through an airport terminal. UP is no different IMO
 
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