Bloomington residents will see fewer buses fully wrapped in advertisements over the next two years.
The transit board of directors voted Tuesday to cap the number of buses that can be fully wrapped in ads, with the goal of introducing more electric buses with Bloomington Transit branding.
Board treasurer Doug Horn said transit logos need to be visible and noticeable so advertisers don’t diminish the transit’s main purpose, which is to serve the public.
“What we have right now,” Horn said, “yes, you can find BT logos on these wrapped buses, but they are colored and shadowed in such a way that they’re completely lost.”
Board secretary Nancy Obermeyer said the policy change is worth the effort if it makes buses more easily recognizable and accessible to the public.
“Let not the perfect be the enemy of the better. We’re making it better, and that’s the whole point here,” Obermeyer said.
Under the new policy, no more than half of fixed-route buses will be eligible for full wraps over the next two years. Each advertiser will be limited to two full bus wraps and up to six ads total on all routes. BT Access electric buses will not have advertising.