Time to ditch ads that wrap around buses

Self-help books often advise that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

I think that applies to trains and buses, as well as people.

Not everyone is happy with Waterloo regional council’s recent decision to keep the outside of light-rail trains free of advertising.

But I think it makes sense — and they should go even further.

Waterloo Region’s contract for bus advertising will expire in June 2019, just over a year from now.

That’s a perfect time to ditch the ads on the sides of buses.

Working in the newspaper business, as I have for decades, I respect the importance of advertising revenue. But sometimes it’s a false economy to go after every penny.

Some of that advertising literally “wraps” all or part of the vehicle in vinyl with the advertiser’s graphics and message. Perforated vinyl is placed over the windows. The Region of Waterloo earns $220,000 a year from these ads.

But there are lots of problems with it, from both the inside and the outside.

From the outside, others see the bus as a rolling ad instead of a legitimate, branded means of transportation that is so elegant and efficient, everybody wants to get on.

One person described the wraparound advertising as a form of disrespect to the riders, in that those choosing transit are of such low social value that the vehicle conveying them can be sold off to anyone to put up whatever message they want.

It’s a reasonable point. After all, most people who own cars wouldn’t agree to cover them with ads, even though they could make some money if they did.

Additionally, some bus riders have complained to Grand River Transit with specific concerns about the perforated vinyl on the windows that restricts their view.

It’s harder to see outside, so navigating the ride and getting off at the right place is that much more difficult.

Also, the ads restrict light and make the inside of the bus darker and gloomier. And for some, the “blurred” effect of the advertising makes them dizzy on the ride.

None of these are things you want to happen as you’re trying to get more people to ride the bus.

In a spread-out community like ours, where having your own car is so convenient, we’re going to have to make the bus a welcoming place that gives the rider as much autonomy as possible.

It means the bus ought to be clean, bright, pleasant and safe. Oh, and easy to use. Those little signs at the bus stops that tell you when the next one is coming are great. So is being able to see where you are.

The buses and the Ion trains are integrated. If we want to have lots of people on those trains, then the buses that connect with the trains have to be well-used.

So ads on the backs of buses, which don’t affect the riders, are fine. So are ads inside the bus.

But the ads that wrap one or both sides of a bus should go into the file marked “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”