The haze of teensy dots that currently obscure oh-so-many bus and train windows are soon to be a thing of the past.
The transit agency’s board voted 9-4 Tuesday night to ban ad wraps from covering vehicle windows, starting next year. Existing wraps will stay in place until their current advertising contracts run out.
According to RTD, 493 buses, 128 light rail vehicles and 48 commuter rail vehicles currently have ads over at least some of their windows — and those wraps earned RTD $786,000 between April and September, more than 40 percent of the transit system’s total ad revenue in that time.
Despite the potential for lost revenue, RTD says directors took the action after years of pressure from transit advocates.
“This is a huge victory for riders and the rider experience,” James Flattum, co-founder of the group Greater Denver Transit said Wednesday. “There was a consensus last night that this was an improvement in rider experience that RTD can afford.”
Greater Denver Transit coordinated an email campaign asking RTD to nix window ads, which it complains keep riders from enjoying metro scenery, make it harder for people to spot their stops and contribute to a sense of buses and trains as dim and uninviting.
On the board, the measure was championed by RTD director Brett Paglieri, who represents a Lakewood-focused district.
In a release touting the end of window ads, RTD noted it is also ending a program that allowed digital advertising on screens at train platforms and bus stops.
