News Release

Omnitrans Captures Transit Marketing Prize

Omnitrans Vice Chair, Upland Mayor John Pomierski, Omnitrans Chair, Highland Mayor Penny Lilburn, Omnitrans Director of Planning Rohan Kuruppu.

San Bernardino, CA – The headline “To us, cheap and easy is a compliment” earned Omnitrans top transit marketing honors from the American Public Transportation Association. Omnitrans Board Chair Penny Lilburn and Vice Chair John Pomierski accepted the award at a ceremony held in conjunction with the APTA annual meeting in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.

“Cheap and easy” ads appeared on buses and bus shelters during the transit agency’s Fall 2008 marketing campaign, a time when passenger boardings were on the rise.  The message, which humorously emphasized both ease of use and economic benefits of taking the bus, struck a chord with competition judges. Omnitrans earned first place awards in two print media subcategories, bus shelter posters and transit ads, along with the grand prize among all entries for print media from similarly sized transit agencies across the nation.

“Ads on buses and shelters present a creative challenge because the concept must be conveyed with very few words and images.  When you can get your point across and inject humor, even better for creating a lasting impression,” explained Director of Marketing Wendy Williams. "We received positive feedback when the ‘cheap and easy’ ads were running.” 

APTA “AdWheel” awards recognize public transportation systems and business members for excellence in advertising, communications, marketing, and promotion.  Nearly 500 entries were submitted to the prestigious competition in the four categories of print, electronic, campaign, and special event.  This is the first AdWheel grand prize awarded to Omnitrans; the agency earned first place subcategory prizes previously in 1994, 2002, 2005 and 2007.

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Founded in 1976, Omnitrans is the public transit agency serving fifteen cities and the unincorporated areas of the Inland Valley of San Bernardino County in Southern California. Omnitrans currently operates 32 fixed bus routes in a
480-square-mile area. Omnitrans also provides OmniLink and Access
demand-response service, and is a partner in the Inland Empire Connection express bus service. The American Public Transportation Association has named Omnitrans the Outstanding Transit System of its size in both 1995
and 1999. Omnitrans also has received twelve safety awards from the
National Safety Council.