Start Bus
From its inception, the Jackson public bus system, START Bus, enjoyed a small but intensely loyal ridership. A newly hired marketing director saw the opportunity to reach out to the community and build greater awareness and excitement in order to increase ridership and begin branding the organization as a safe and convenient alternative to driving.
Portis Group was retained to design the brand visual language, including bus exterior graphics, bus shelter posters, logo, community event materials and a complete redesign of the bus schedules and route maps. An ad campaign was developed to encourage skiers to ride the bus to the mountain and a website was built to inform web-surfing tourists, provide links to educational resources, publicize events and to post seasonal transit schedules and area maps.
START Bus ridership more than doubled during the first 4 years of the campaign which opened the doors for increased federal funding to purchase additional buses and to provide expanded routes and services.