County Commission | The Magazine April 2017 | Page 17
FROM THE COVER
ECRT goes big on advertising
Gadsden Regional Medical Center saw the value of advertising with Etowah County Rural
Transportation right away and reserved the entire left side of the buses, said Director Lora Weaver.
E
towah County is the latest in a growing number of counties that
have tapped into another revenue stream to help fund their rural
transportation programs, which many residents rely on for rides to doctor’s
appointments, dialysis or the grocery store.
Riders typically pay a small fare, but the bulk of funding for these
programs comes from the county and from federal grants. For Etowah
County, riders pay a $6 fare to utilize a program that, altogether, costs a little
less than $400,000 a year, said Lora Weaver, director of Etowah County Rural
Transportation (ECRT).
But since February of this
year, there are advertisers paying
to emblazon their messages on
the soon-to-be 6 ECRT buses
crisscrossing the county, from
Ballplay in the east to Egypt
in the west. “We’re looking at
approximately $24,000 in revenue
annually,” Weaver said.
“That helps a lot.”
She started the project by
checking with the Alabama
Department of
Transportation
(ALDOT),
which
administers federal grants for rural
transportation. After a request for
proposals, the county commission
contracted with someone locally
Etowah County
who handles ad sales, production
and installation.
“He does all the work,”
Weaver said, noting that the county
commission and ALDOT must
approve all ads.
ECRT considered attaching
brackets to the buses to hold small,
interchangeable signs, but instead
went big with wrap-style ads that
advertisers purchase for a year.
“It gives the advertiser a whole lot
bigger area to catch people’s attention
– plus it brings in more revenue,”
Weaver said.
“Brilliant Ideas” are not
necessarily unique. Sometimes the
smartest move you can make is
to replicate what works in
other counties.
Weaver said she received excellent
advice from other rural transportation
programs that had already started
advertising initiatives, such as
Baldwin and Houston counties as
well as the Northwest Alabama
Council of Local Governments,
which serves Colbert, Lauderdale,
Franklin, Marion and
Winston counties.
She’s also got an eye on the
possibility of advertising inside
the bu ses.
ECRT operates on a demand
response basis, meaning that riders
schedule ideally at least a day in
advance for trips that can be 30-40
miles one way. Last year, ECRT
made 2,367 trips during the busiest
quarter (January-March).
“We use all the money we bring
in to offset the cost to the county,”
Weaver said. n
To find out more about this Brilliant
Idea at Work in Etowah County, contact Lora
Weaver, director of transportation, at 256-
547-1014 or [email protected].
COUNTY COMMISSION | 17