Westchester, a western suburb of Miami-Dade County, saw the inauguration of its own local shuttle service on June 21, 2015. This called for a minibus featuring a distinctive and festive livery in keeping with the colorful rhythms of the neighborhoods it serves.

ECAT paid tribute to active military and veterans and thanked them for their service by creating a “Military Appreciation” Bus, which displays local iconic military landmarks. Unveiled at the Annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, the ECAT “Military Appreciation” Bus was viewed by over 110,000 people in attendance.

TA honored African-American pioneers and inventors of transportation during Black History Month. The celebration showcased a JTA bus wrap commemorating monumental accomplishments. Customers were invited to view the bus and information boards describing the accomplishments of the pioneers, speak with JTA representatives and enjoy refreshments.

For Polk County’s Rebecca Sedwick, the bullying didn’t end until she took her own life. Joining forces with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Polk Transit developed a unique way to banish bullying. An eye-catching bus wrap was developed to let everyone know that the county is committed to being bully-free.

To draw attention to StarMetro’s all-electric bus fleet, the system felt is was important to wrap the electric buses in something that would set them apart from the traditional diesel fleet. However, StarMetro wanted to ensure that the look and feel of the electric fleet graphics were cohesive. This series of five wraps highlights the unique selling points of the electric buses while utilizing similar color schemes and the Tallahassee skyline.

The bus wrap has actual figures of ridership growth and budget savings. Besides running every day, we use it for events (ribbon cuttings, public/private partnerships etc.) Several comments from residents have been received in general, but particularly from attendees to our events. The bus was also featured in a magazine story.

Target Audience: Riders and Central Florida Community Project Cost: $2,500 Description: LYNX partnered with the Town of Eatonville and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival. A bus was designed for the festival, which helped transport over 75,000 attendees. The bus is a daily reminder of the achievements of both the Eatonville writer and the town that inspired and shaped her writings.

Target Audience: Community at Large Project Cost: $3,500 Description: After the death of a Lakeland policeman in the line of duty, we spoke with the police department, and asked if we could work with them on wrapping a bus that would salute fallen heroes. They preferred the idea of saluting public service workers with a small tribute to those lost in the line if duty. A design was created to highlight Police, Fire, EMS workers and show them in the line of duty with a short appreciation message. The bus has been at events in conjunction with the Lakeland Police Dept., we had write-ups in the local newspaper (the Ledger) and have been publicly complimented by local service organizations for the awareness that our bus wrap provided in the community.

Target Audience: riders and non-riders in Central Florida Project Cost: $3,500 Description: The public unveiling is held every year in downtown Orlando and for the first time ever, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer showed up to unveil the bus to the winning organizations. Television crews from ABC and NBC also were there. The 75 representatives from the eight winning agencies represented the largest turnout in the 10-year history for the bus. The bus already has been used by five of the winning agencies as a promotional tool for their annual fund-raising events.

Target Audience: Veterans, General Public Project Cost: $4500 Description: Citrus Connection was invited to participate in the local Veteran’s Day Parade. Rather than create a temporary tribute to Veterans, a design was created for the parade and continues to pay tribute to the Vets every day the bus is in operation. A local write-up was made in the newspapers and positive feedback from riders and non-riders alike continues to be received. The image is a local Veteran pictured as he is today and a smaller image from WW2. All branches and all combat theaters are represented.

Target Audience: Panama City Beach tourists and residents working/exploring the Beach area. Project Cost: $9,250 (Wrap for 2 buses) Description: Bay Town Trolley secured grant funding for a summer route along Panama City Beach. Running from July 1 – Sept 5, 2011, this route would provide free rides to tourists and/or local residents. The service would be “flag down,” meaning that riders could board anywhere along the route with a simple hand wave/gesture. The ultimate goal was to make beach-goers aware of the service, and garner ridership comparable to other system-wide trolley routes. Knowing that tourists were a transient population (with a high turnover rate), efforts had to continually reintroduce the service to new audiences week after week. To serve as an indicator of where the route went and how to get onboard, the team developed the “Beach Bus” brand with the tagline: Wave to Ride. Knowing that the moving bus would be great exposure – and could serve to educate potential riders, a dynamic and eye-catching graphic was created. The use of flip-flops helped to educate that the route was beach-specific. The ‘wave to ride’ text served as a call to action, letting riders know how to board. Additionally, the blue and orange color palette coordinated/pulled from the Panama City Beach logo for local consistency. The bus wrap graphic was highlighted in media coverage, on the local tourist TV network and in printed materials for businesses along the route. Ridership numbers reached 33,522 during the short 67 day period. At 42 rides per hour – Beach Bus ridership exceeded average regular route rides per hour by 121%.

*Best of the Best* Target Audience: Metrorail and express bus riders and potential riders Project Cost: $6,160 Description: In November 2009, Miami-Dade Transit launched a pilot program that offered free WiFi connectivity on six Metrotrail train cars and five buses on two different express bus routes. Each of the six trains and five buses received "WiFi" branding for easy identification by passengers. The branding consisted of the words "WiFi" in large white letters against a blue backdrop with concentric orange waves representing wireless connectivity. The words "Free wireless connectivity on board" appear at the bottom. An average of 632 passengers took advantage of WiFi connectivity during the 6 months of the pilot program, with more than 100,000 user accesses. Over 60 percent of more than 350 respondents to a online survey said they would take transit more often if WiFi connectivity were available across the system. Based on feedback, WiFi is being expanded to the rest of the Metrorail fleet and additional express bus routes. Implementation is projected to be completed in March 2011. The WiFi pilot program and accompanying promotional campaign serve as an example to other transit systems of the popularity of offering WiFi on transit as a way to encourage greater ridership by meeting the needs of an increasingly tech-savvy and "connected" public.

Target Audience: General public (non-bus riders) Project Cost: $1,500 Description: A rear panel was posted on four buses in the fleet depicting children smiling. The purpose was to draw attention to the buses and get viewers to smile. To quantify the effectiveness of this vinyl ad, the picture was shared with approximately 70 non-bus riders and received a very positive reaction. A quick survey was also done at the bus terminal among about 45 riders on two different days and they all expressed a positive reaction and support for the environmental message.

Target Audience: Central Florida Community Project Cost: $4500 Description: LYNX puts the logos of eight non-profit organizations on a bus that travels regular routes all year. The theme and the artwork – Vital Threads That Form The Fabric Of Our Community – celebrates their contribution to Central Florida. Already six of the eight winners have used the bus as a centerpiece display at their major fund-raising events. They get exposure they can’t afford to buy and LYNX gets a chance to demonstrate its commitment to the community.

Target Audience: Non-Bus Riders Project Cost: $1086 Description: The purpose of this exterior bus rear panel was to provide a “green” awareness to people in vehicles around our buses. The layout was put on the rear panel of 4 buses. People were surveyed attending a couple of community events to get their feedback on the art and the concept. Those questioned said they thought it was very eye-catching and that the concept was important. They were also asked if the concept would make them leave their car at home to take the bus on occasion. Most smiled and said they would consider it. This campaign raised awareness of public transit even though ridership did not increase.

Target Audience: Residents of Palm Beach County, current and potential bus riders Project Cost: $6000 Description: Palm Tran was preparing to enter new territory by transitioning to the use of bio-diesel fuel and nitrogen-filled tires. Palm Tran needed a way to communicate the impact of this change without losing the interest of the audience due to the many technical details. An exterior bus advertisement was the perfect choice. Palm Tran’s marketing staff worked with Lamar Advertising to create an eye-catching, attention-grabbing bus exterior advertisement. The design centered on Palm Tran’s new ‘Going Green’ efforts. The bus has been a major success. A photo of the bus was featured on the cover of the Feb 18, 2008 issue of Passenger Transport. The bus was used as the centerpiece for Palm Tran’s Celebration of Going Green event. Palm Tran also uses it during presentations at local libraries and schools to introduce youths to transit. The bus has also helped spread the message of environmental awareness to the community while simultaneously improving the image of public transportation.

Target Audience: Elected Officials Project Cost: $2600 Description: The objectives to this campaign were to influence ridership during extended hours to reach 1,000 rides, coordinate attendance of at least five of the nine designated elected officials at a kick-off press conference, and increase web trends by at least 50 percent. The initial stage in the campaign creation was to develop a theme that would call the community to action. The theme, “Ride Late in ’08,” was then incorporated into a campaign message that spoke directly to all objectives. Trolley officials decided to use their own exterior advertisement space to promote the message and therefore the only expenditure was the cost of promotion. These ads were placed on all 14 trolleys and will continue to run throughout the remainder of 2008. In the first month of the campaign, the exterior ads helped yield 1,680 riders during the extended service hours and continued to increase every month after. August’s extended service hour ridership reached 3,435, a 104% increase over March. There have been 15,633 rides total from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. since the “Ride Late in ’08” campaign began. The elected officials were very pleased with the exterior advertisements and eight of the nine designated elected officials attended the kick-off press conference. Many of the officials are currently considering contributing more local dollars to implement weekend trolley service. These exterior ads helped increase web traffic 82 percent in the first 6 months of 2008 from the same period in 2007.

Target Audience: All Citizens Project Cost: $1275 Description: This was an open Invitation to residents to join in Citrus Connection's anniversary celebration. 2 buses promoting the event were wrapped to increase attendance. Many positive comments from all segments of the community were received.

Target Audience: Transit riders and non-riders Project Cost: $3,650 Description: In March 2007, Miami-Dade Transit launched the “Buses on Shoulders” pilot program, which allows Metrobuses to travel on the shoulders of selected highways when traffic slows down to less than 30 miles per hour. The County needed to find a way of promoting the program among all of the drivers who commute to and from the Kendall area. The completely wrapped buses act as rolling billboards, advertising the new program. Drivers, who are stuck in traffic, see the buses roll past them during peak rush hours. With its ability to bypass heavy traffic, the “Buses on Shoulders” buses are an excellent incentive for motorists to get out of their cars and use transit. Miami-Dade Transit has seen a significant increase in ridership on the buses used for the “Buses on Shoulders” program.

Target Audience: TV viewers and internet users in Polk County Project Cost: $0 to PCTS Description: Polk Government TV wanted a new and better image. The 2006 Citizen Surveys showed people who have never given the station a chance, thought of it as another boring government station like CSPAN. To improve the image, PGTV put together a Public Awareness Campaign promoting the station's "Hometown Hosts" of the local programming. Three PGTV buses have been wrapped and have netted great results. The highly visible buses have increased awareness with increased viewer recognition and the 2007 Citizens Survey results show increased viewership on TV and web streaming by over 30 percent. Polk County Transit Services incurred no costs, PGTV paid all expense related to the bus wraps.

Target Audience: Downtown Orlando Commuters Project Cost: Bus Painting - $5000 Description: The 10th Anniversary LYMMO bus is the object of much finger-pointing - "Look at that!" - as it drives its route in downtown Orlando. The visual is a re-creation of an 8-foot sculpture that stands in front of a prominent new skyscraper in downtown Orlando. It has helped remind people of LYMMO's presence and the service it offers in the downtown area.

Target Audience: General Community Project Cost: $3545 Description: This project was designed to generate positive comments from bus operators, riders and the community at large. The layout of many happy faces covering a variety of ages and ethnic backgrounds was chosen to illustrate the cross section of the community that rides public transit. It also was meant to convey the idea that riding the bus is a fun way to get from one place to another. The bus wrap was only on the bus a short time but it generated positive comments from the Bus Operators and passengers. It is also used to promote bus advertising.

*Judge's Favorite*

Target Audience: Riders and potential riders in the Tampa area Project Cost: $45,000 Description: HART’s express bus services were relaunched with great success by this campaign, and the concept continues to resonate well with riders and non-riders alike. Through a change in branding and image, the agency has truly conveyed to the community their intent to live up to their new tag line, “Changing to serve you better.”

Target Audience: Polk County residents without health coverage Project Cost: $13,100 Description: The Polk HealthCare Plan is administered by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners funded through a half cent sales tax approved by voters to provide health care to eligible residents without health insurance. To promote the plan, three buses were wrapped with the Polk HealthCare Plan logos and information (two English, one Spanish). The buses were used county-wide as a part of a public outreach blitz and participation in the plan has climbed from 2,929 to 14,365 netting a 390.4 percent increase.

Target Audience: Central Florida & Washington D.C. Communities Project Cost: $1200 Description: LYNX designed a bus featuring military personnel with ties to the Central Florida Community to help the Library of Congress promote awareness of the Veteran’s History Project. The artwork was also featured on bus and rail advertising on the Washington D.C. transit system and seen by over 3 million people.

Target Audience: General Public Project Cost: $3,640 Description: The ads and general message received media coverage educating potential customers about the cost advantage of using public transit versus a car. In addition, JTA experienced a 14% increase in bus ridership in August 2005.

Target Audience: Adults 25+, potential home buyers Project Cost: $7450 Description: America’s First Home was new to the market and needed to differentiate themselves from the market leader, First Home Builders. The patriotic theme of the company's logo was expanded upon and a striking ad was created. Many positive comments from the community have been recieved. The images used in this campaign showed everyday people while spotlighting the downside of commuting in a highly congested community.

Target Audience: Community at large Project Cost: $9,000 Description: Employees were asked to submit a paragraph stating what it meant to them to be America’s Best. The employees who took part in the creation of the illustrated bus took pride in the ownership of their contribution, resulting in increased employee moral. The America’s Best Campaign used key words to identify why SCAT won the APTA Outstanding Public Transportation System award. By emphasizing safety, quality, service, community outreach and youth transportation, SCAT branded the image of being Brevard’s transportation experts and America’s Best, thereby upgrading the value of the brand. Ridership increased by 19.4% during the time period that the illustrated bus was on the road.