How CDTA closed the communication gap for their frontline

Meet CDTA

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) keeps the Albany, New York, region moving. With nearly 800 employees — most of them bus operators, maintenance crew, and other frontline staff — CDTA delivers public transit services across four counties.

Like many transit agencies, CDTA’s workforce is overwhelmingly deskless. Operators start their shifts out on the road, maintenance staff are in garages, and few have access to a company-issued email address. Reaching everyone, consistently and quickly, was a long-standing challenge.

The challenge: Communicating consistently across the company

Before Blink, CDTA’s internal communications relied on a patchwork of outdated and labor-intensive methods:

• Posters and internal screens in garages and breakrooms
• “Seat drops” — printed notices left on a bus operator’s seat before their shift
• One-on-one updates from supervisors and superintendents

The reach was inconsistent. Many operators never saw the internal screens. Posters could go unnoticed. Word-of-mouth updates were time-consuming and prone to gaps.

While CDTA did have an intranet, it was stale, underused, and unloved. The design was outdated, content wasn’t refreshed, and the experience didn’t match how employees consumed information in 2021. Plans to relaunch it stalled when leadership questioned whether it would ever solve the core issue: delivering timely, relevant updates to a dispersed, mobile workforce.

Employee feedback confirmed the gap. In focus groups and surveys, frontline staff consistently said they felt “out of the loop” — missing operational updates, policy changes, and even fun extras like contests and giveaways. For the executive leadership team, the message was clear: Communication with the frontline had to improve.

Why Blink: A mobile-friendly app that works for everyone

In early 2022, CDTA pulled together a cross-functional task force — Communications, IT, HR, Operations — to scope a solution.

IT buy-in was non-negotiable. Any platform had to be secure, sustainable, and integrate with CDTA’s existing systems. The fact that Blink could run independently of CDTA’s internal network was a major plus, alleviating security concerns.

For Communications, the priorities were:

• Reach every employee instantly — especially in emergencies
• Enable two-way conversation between leadership and staff
• Offer mobile-first access with an equally capable desktop option
• Be easy to adopt without complex training

Over a six-month vendor review process, Blink stood out for its user-friendly interface, robust mobile features, and ability to support both daily news and urgent alerts. IT Director Thomas Guggisberg, who had researched the market years earlier, saw that Blink’s maturity and functionality now matched CDTA’s needs.

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By June 2022, the agency was ready to launch.

“One of the quickest ways to make someone disengaged is to keep them out of the loop. Blink has given us a way to include everyone — instantly.”
_{Jaime Kazlo - Chief of Staff at CDTA}

Unlocked: A one-stop shop for the content that matters most

Blink quickly became the digital front door to CDTA for every employee — frontline and office-based alike.

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Smooth launch, strong adoption

CDTA primed the rollout with a month of internal marketing: posters, digital screens, breakroom visits, and leadership “ambassadors” who could answer questions. The launch itself featured giveaways, ice cream trucks at garages, and contests to encourage downloads. Employees weren’t required to install Blink — but the incentives worked. Within weeks, adoption passed 70%.

Sustained engagement

Two years on, CDTA maintains:

• 87% adoption across their workforce
• 74% monthly active usage
• An average of 13.6 Hub opens per user per month, with 5.1 items opened per user

Communications Manager Emily De Vito curates a steady mix of posts:

• Operational updates (holiday schedules, policy changes, safety reminders)
• Social content (employee promotions, event photos, award celebrations)
• Surveys and feedback requests to capture employee voice

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That balance keeps the feed lively without sacrificing essential information.

Two-way transparency

From day one, CDTA embraced comments and conversation. Employees use Blink to ask questions, clarify rumors, and share feedback. Leadership responds publicly or, when appropriate, moves discussions into private chat. This transparency, backed by CEO support, has helped foster a culture of trust — even in a unionized environment where skepticism about “company apps” can be high.

Operational wins

Beyond communication, Blink has streamlined workflows. For example, CDTA recently introduced Channels to connect their Paratransit team and dispatchers. Before Blink, a change in a rider’s pickup location required multiple phone calls. Now, a quick Channel message ensures everyone — dispatcher and driver — sees and confirms the update in real time.

Since April, monthly Channel messages have grown from about 300 to over 1,800 — a 500% increase in streamlined, trackable communications.

Looking ahead: Solving problems with deeper functionality

With Blink firmly embedded in daily operations, CDTA is exploring deeper integrations to further reduce friction for frontline employees. Upcoming priorities include:

• Adding pay stub access directly within Blink
• Expanding HR form availability and self-service requests
• Leveraging more targeted Channels for operational efficiency

“We don’t have to tell people to use Blink anymore. They want to — because it makes their jobs easier.”
_{Emily De Vito - Communications Manager at CDTA}