The next time someone sees a vehicle with the Shenango Valley Shuttle Service or Mercer County Community Transit, they may see an advertisement for their favorite local business.
That's because the two transportation services — operated by the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, or COG — are offering businesses the chance to advertise on their shuttles and buses.
Those advertisements can help promote local businesses and support public transit, COG Transit Director Michael Nashtock said.
"It's something that PennDOT actually encourages agencies to do," Nashtock said.
The Shenango Valley Shuttle Service offers rides along fixed routes, while Mercer County Community Transit offers rides by appointment.
Advertising on public transportation has been allowed for some time in Pennsylvania, although COG has only been involved with advertising for about a year, after COG's executive board voted to allow advertisements on COG's buses and shuttles last September, COG Executive Director Jill Boozer said.
Any advertising revenue generated must be funneled directly into COG's transportation budget, Boozer said.
"Basically what we needed in place was an advertising policy, which is what the board approved last year," she said.
Managing the advertisements for COG is James Blundo, who has prior experience handling advertisements for the New Castle Area Transit Authority.
While COG and the NCATA are similar, Blundo said COG is unique in that it also offers rides by appointment and covers some territory within a few of the surrounding counties as well.
Advertising on public transit vehicles can be beneficial for local businesses, since major outlets and chains often focus on larger-scale advertisements and may ignore local advertising opportunities, such as public transportation.
"A small business owner in town sees these buses every day, and they know people are using these services and see those buses too," Blundo said.
Nashtock said some local businesses started reaching out to COG about advertising shortly after the executive board's vote last year. That interest from businesses has continued ever since.
There are some regulations regarding what kind of organizations can run advertisements, but COG's entire advertising policy can be found on COG's website, Nashtock said.
For more information, call the COG office at 724-981-1561 or visit www.mcrcogtransitads.com.
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