2014

Riyadh Public Transit Network

Face-to-face Communication Strategy

Source in EnglishESCWA-OECD Case Study - Riyadh Public Transit Network, Saudi Arabia

The Face-to-Face Communication Strategy was established within the framework of the Riyadh Transit Network to create a communication channel on road-related information between the project and the residents of Riyadh, related to the construction of the Riyadh metro network.

Implementation: 2014

Contributor(s)

The initiative was conducted by the Riyadh Transit Network's Community Engagement Team of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in collaboration with several companies and contractors, as well as media channels.

Purpose

The Communication Strategy was established to create unique community engagement and affinity between Riyadh’s Mass Transportation Project and the residents, giving them a sense of ownership and minimizing the inconvenience caused by traffic detours generated by construction works.

Functions

Through personalized communication, the engagement team reaches out to residents and shop owners to inform them of upcoming traffic detours resulting from construction work.  Similarly, a call centre was established to receive residents’ complaints and facilitate resolving them on the spot.  This customized communication strategy serves residents in a fast, responsive and transparent way, and was adopted at three levels:

  • Face-to-face communication through visits where contracted engineers meet with the residents on the ground under the coordination of the engagement team.
  • Door-to-door information distribution to the rest of the affected neighbourhoods, offering alternative parking places and routes to take.
  • Advertising campaign to reach the rest of the city residents, providing detailed information, in print and animation formats.

Clients

Beneficiaries of this project include, among others, residents, shop owners, commercial and business centres, schools, universities, government entities, and hospitals.

Outcome

  • Informing people of the changes on the ground helped manage their expectations and avoid any negative experiences.
  • More than 80,000 Face-to-face visits and 820,000 Door-to-door distributions have taken place over a 5 year period.
  • The communication strategy will be adopted in other projects in the city.
  • The engagement team responded to 25,000 complaints that were received by the call centre.

Challenges

  • Ensuring efficient communication and reducing the potential level of inconvenience or annoyance to residents.
  • Communicating with the people who were unable to perceive the long-term benefits of the project.
  • Re-engineering the city and renewing its infrastructure while carrying on the construction project and maintaining effective public communication.
  • Construction time had to be extended in some cases due to unforeseen circumstances which called for additional efforts by the engagement team.

Useful links

Riyadh Metro Website
Riyadh Metro Twitter account

 

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