Quarantine has changed everyone’s way of life. Most places are operating at limited capacity, offices have been closed, and personal lives have been derailed for the most part. Now with some semblance of normalcy returning, many people are going to jump at every opportunity to get out of their apartment.
As we start to transition out of this pandemic, your residents will want your help. That means providing new amenities, updating existing amenities, and abiding by updated health guidelines.
Bikes
Since 2019, the sales and usage rates of bikes have skyrocketed. This is due in large part to people wanting to avoid crowded buses and trains, as well as avoid the close proximity with strangers that comes with using Uber or Lyft. Bikes serve as a convenient, reliable mode of transportation, while allowing riders to keep their distance from others.
Because of this rise in popularity, more residents will want a safe place to store their bikes while they’re not using them. What could that look like for your community? One great option is a secure bike room. Most new apartment buildings have bike rooms, but there’s always room for improvement. Does your bike room have lockers for your residents to store their belongings? We know they have an apartment a few floors upstairs, but somewhere to leave their bike-related belongings can be a nice addition – because no one likes a cluttered apartment!
You may not have a bike room, or you may not have space for one in your building. No problem, you just need to get creative! Using extra space in your parking garage to add more secure bike parking is a viable option. We’re not saying you’ll need to use 15 parking spaces, but two or three can do the trick and provide that more secure space for bikes that your residents (or future residents) might be looking for.
Real-time transit information
As we mentioned above, many people are still, understandably, a little wary about riding public transportation. But because people aren’t riding as much, most buses and subway cars are empty. This is an opportunity for you to provide an amenity that helps your employees feel a little more comfortable riding public transit.
Over the next weeks and months though, as your residents begin to get their vaccines and venture out, providing real-time transit information will be helpful, particularly because service can still be irregular. Additionally, as offices begin to slowly reopen, some residents will soon start commuting a few times a week and these real-time updates will be more important than ever.
Providing real-time transit information (like a TransitScreen *wink* *wink*) will also help your residents know when trains and buses will be arriving. This allows them to plan their day, or maybe even just an errand. Plus, the addition of crowding information to our screens (see if this information is eligible in your area) means your residents can know in advance generally how crowded their ride will be. This is just another level of safety you can provide for your residents to help them get back into the swing of things.
On-screen features
The goal of an amenity like TransitScreen is to connect your residents with your building and the surrounding community. In addition to displaying real-time transit information, we offer two additional features that can help you enhance your TransitScreen. We apologize in advance for the shameless plug!
Messaging
As your building and your community start to open up, there are going to be events happening to get residents out and about. Whether it’s a happy hour in your lobby, or specials at local restaurants, your residents will want to know and attend. Our on-screen Messaging feature can help you get the word out. It’s a more sustainable alternative to printing out those new fliers you hang in the elevator every day or week, especially because you can quickly and easily update the messaging as frequently as you’d like, or even put a couple of different messages up in rotation! If you’re going through the trouble of putting on an event for your residents, you want them to know about it and attend, right?
Nearby
In addition to our Messaging feature, we also offer a Nearby feature. Nearby allows you to highlight restaurants, shops, coffee houses, and any other attractions in your neighborhood so that when your residents start going out more regularly, they’ll know what some convenient options are, what time their new favorite coffee shop closes, and more.
Nearby can also help to highlight any new places that might have opened during quarantine. Since your residents have been limited to their apartments for almost a year, they may not be familiar with new attractions in the area. Nearby is another great opportunity for you to add an extra point of contact between your building staff and your residents and to help your residents feel more connected with their community after more than a year of quarantine!
