By Kyle LoJacono
Those who take advantage of Pasco County’s public transportation will soon see advertising as they board their buses.
Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) recently started selling advertising space on the sides of its bus fleet. The first companies to buy a spot are Farrell Roofing and also Greg Henry Restoration, both Pasco-based firms.
Both companies bought yearlong contracts for ads that fully wrap around the outside of one bus, which comes with a $5,000 per month price tag. Of that, the county will get $650 each month, according to PCPT director Mike Carroll.
Steve Farrell, owner of Farrell Roofing, said the chance to advertise on PCPT buses was one his company couldn’t pass up.
“Most of our advertising is our vehicles,” Farrell said. “The bus is a little bit larger than our vehicles, and I think that will work well.”
Those are just the first two ads that have been installed. County commissioners have already reached agreements that will result in about $1 million in extra revenue generated from the ads during the next five years.
The ads will be put on the buses by Black Jack Media, a Pasco-based company, which will pay for instillation and any maintenance. The group is also helping sell the spots for the county. Black Jack sales manager Regan Weiss said it takes about eight hours to finish adding ads to one bus.
The deal calls for Black Jack to sell ads on all 36 of Pasco’s buses by the end of 2012. By that time the county will start collecting more money for each wrap sold on the buses, up to $850 per vehicle per month.
Weiss said his company has already gotten interest from such businesses as the Tampa Bay Storm and Nike. The county will not accept certain ads, such as those for lawyers and politicians, alcohol, tobacco, adult entertainment, pawn shops and tattoo parlors among others.
Carroll said he plans on using the newly wrapped buses on some of PCPT’s busiest routes to “put them in front of the most eyes possible,” such as those that travel along US 301 and US 19.
Carroll said companies can also advertise on the inside of the buses, or with smaller ones on the outside.
PCPT joins the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), which already sells advertising spots on its bus fleet.
For additional information on PCPT, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net.
