The look of buses sure has changed. I caught the side of this Portland Metro bus with my camera, at a quick stop on the Hill. Portland METRO Bus provides bus service throughout the Greater Portland area and communities of Westbrook, Falmouth and the Maine Mall in South Portland. I rode buses a lot as a kid in the city. My first three years of school, I rode them daily from our house on Washington Avenue to St. Joseph's School. In the fifth and sixth grades, I was aboard them twice a week to travel up the Hill to the Lee Recreation Center to play basketball on the school team. In Junior High, the gang and I piled on them every Thursday night and ventured up Forest Avenue to take swimming lessons at the YMCA. I was on them a lot, and I can certainly tell you with factual accuracy that they did not resemble this one. They were your basic cream and orange color-schemed bus, small, loud with little heat provided. Advertisements were small placards, sprinkled about inside above the windows. I only read them when I was really bored to death. City-wide bus life today attempts to hit you over the head with a 2x4 with ads. Where the windows and doors located is a crap shoot. And the cost today? I'm sure is well above the dime it took me to get to my classroom back in the day.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Bus Lines
The look of buses sure has changed. I caught the side of this Portland Metro bus with my camera, at a quick stop on the Hill. Portland METRO Bus provides bus service throughout the Greater Portland area and communities of Westbrook, Falmouth and the Maine Mall in South Portland. I rode buses a lot as a kid in the city. My first three years of school, I rode them daily from our house on Washington Avenue to St. Joseph's School. In the fifth and sixth grades, I was aboard them twice a week to travel up the Hill to the Lee Recreation Center to play basketball on the school team. In Junior High, the gang and I piled on them every Thursday night and ventured up Forest Avenue to take swimming lessons at the YMCA. I was on them a lot, and I can certainly tell you with factual accuracy that they did not resemble this one. They were your basic cream and orange color-schemed bus, small, loud with little heat provided. Advertisements were small placards, sprinkled about inside above the windows. I only read them when I was really bored to death. City-wide bus life today attempts to hit you over the head with a 2x4 with ads. Where the windows and doors located is a crap shoot. And the cost today? I'm sure is well above the dime it took me to get to my classroom back in the day.
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Not very attractive, is it? Hard on the eyeballs.
ReplyDeleteWell, consider that if it were not for the ads the bus fare would be higher. I remember the first time I saw a big ad on the side of a transit vehicle. It was on the side of a Munich subway car promoting Jaegermeister. Jaegermeister? It was more shocked by the subject than the presence of the billboard.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how we are bombarded by ads everywhere!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!
Cezar
When Phoenix opened the new light rail system, city leaders said they would not be selling the sides of the cars for advertising. That lasted maybe 3 months at the most. Now almost all of the cars are wrapped in these huge moving billboard-like signs. I've gotten so I don't even notice it anymore.
ReplyDeleteThey sure have changed - moving billboards now!
ReplyDeleteThey do the same here! Visual pollution!!
ReplyDeleteThey have to balance the books somehow. Attractive? No. Practical? Yes. Better than raising fares for those who ride the buses? Yes.
ReplyDeleteFunny to hear everyones comments. Our company is considering these types of ad but our CEO is not sold on the idea. I will have to share these comments with him. Great shot.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the advertising on buses and light rails helps keep the cost of public transportation somewhat reasonable.
ReplyDelete