Bus Advertising

Bus ad program

Parking and Transportation Services accepts internal advertising on Niner Transit buses. Affiliated University organizations and departments are eligible to submit advertisements that meet the content and size criteria described in the policy below.

General

Affiliated university organizations are eligible to submit advertisement applications.

  • Affiliated organizations are university departments and organizations that have accounts recognized by the University’s Banner Financial System, or registered student organizations that are listed with the Office of Student Organizations.
  • An affiliated organization may post ads for two‐week or four‐week periods.
  • The dimensions of all ads must be exactly 17” wide by 11” tall (landscape orientation).
  • REPROS, the University’s on‐campus document service center, will print your ads according to Niner Transit advertising standards. All ads must be in landscape orientation printed on heavy cardstock. Ads may not be laminated.

Process

Step 1: Review policies and submit ad for approval

Review the program policies below. To reserve advertising space, you’ll need to have your artwork available as an electronic file (.jpeg, .png or .pdf), a fund and account code for your department or checks from your organization at the time of your request. Read the policies below and fill out the request form to initiate a review of your advertisement.

Step 2: Make payment

Once your request is reviewed and ad content is approved, a PaTS representative will contact you via email to complete your request and provide/confirm payment information. Departments will be asked to confirm their fund and account codes. Student organizations will be advised to deliver an official student organization check payable to “UNC Charlotte Parking and Transportation Services” to the PaTS front office.

Step 3: Arrange payment for printing (if needed)

PaTS will forward the approved ad to REPROS for printing. REPROS will bill your department using the fund and account code provided. You may also pay with a Pcard in person at the REPROS counter.

Student organizations must deliver payment to REPROS to complete the order. REPROS will accept an official student organization check (not personal), credit card, cash 49er account or Student Government Association (SGA) fund code.

REPROS will print your ads and deliver them to PaTS for placement on Niner Transit buses. Please allow a minimum of two weeks to facilitate this process. PaTS can not guarantee the placement of requests with shorter timelines.

Pricing

Internal department or organization

Ad reservation costs:

Please note, 24 copies covers 2 ads in 12 buses.

  • Two (2) consecutive weeks: $50.00 for 24 copies
  • Four (4) consecutive weeks: $70.00 for 24 copies

REPROS printing costs: (billed separately)

  • Two (2) consecutive weeks:
    • $9.60 for 24 copies
    • Paper = 80 lb
    • Nonlaminated
  • Four (4) consecutive weeks:
    • $15.24 for 24 copies
    • Paper = 100 lb
    • Nonlaminated
  • Periods of time greater than four (4) consecutive weeks:
    • $45.60 for 24 copies
    • Paper = 100 lb
    • Laminated
Student organizations

Student organizations receive a 50% discount for ad reservation costs.

Please note, 24 copies covers 2 ads in 12 buses.

Ad reservation costs:

  • Two (2) consecutive weeks: $25.00 for 24 copies
  • Four (4) consecutive weeks: $35.00 for 24 copies

REPROS printing costs (billed separately)

  • Two (2) consecutive weeks:
    • $9.60 before sales tax* for 24 copies
    • Paper = 80 lb
    • Nonlaminated
  • Four (4) consecutive weeks:
    • $15.24 before sales tax* for 24 copies
    • Paper = 100 lb
    • Nonlaminated
  • Periods of time greater than four (4) consecutive weeks:
    • $45.60 before sales tax* for 24 copies
    • Paper = 100 lb
    • Laminated

*Sales tax is only charged if there is not a fund code. Student Orgs with grants are charged the same as a department.

Payment

Two transactions are necessary to complete your request. Departments and student organizations follow different payment procedures.

Departments

Payment for ad placement must be made via internal fund transfer for departments. Departmental fund and account numbers must be provided as part of the online request form submission. PaTS will charge your department the week the ads are placed.

REPROS will charge for printing costs separately using the fund and account numbers provided. Alternately, you may pay at the REPROS counter with a Pcard. Once payment is processed, REPROS will deliver your ad to PaTS for placement.

Student Organizations

Student organizations must provide a check with their organization’s logo made out to “UNCC Parking and Transportation Services” before the advertisement can be placed. A PaTS representative will instruct you to deliver your check to the PaTS front office once your ad is approved.

Once PaTS receives your check, a representative will send your ad to REPROS for printing and delivery. You must provide payment to the REPROS front counter separately for your printing order to guarantee that your ad is placed in a timely manner. REPROS will accept an official student organization check (no personal checks), credit card, cash, 49er account or Student Government Association (SGA) fund code. REPROS will print and deliver your ad to PATS for placement on Niner Transit buses.

Refunds and Cancellations

Cancellations must be received by Tuesday at noon on the week you plan to run the ad. Any cancellation after this time results in the forfeiture of the right to a refund.

PaTS is not responsible for changes or revisions to bus ads after granting approval for ad placement. You must provide your final artwork in order to initiate your reservations. If changes are necessary, you must resubmit your ad and restart the reservation process.

Guidelines

Dimensions and Composition

Advertisements must be exactly 17 inches wide and 11 inches tall (tabloid) and in landscape view (including any other material that extends past the advertisement composition).

Content

Advertisers must ensure that all text, data and information submitted for display as advertising content is true, accurate, complete and that any use and display of the advertising content does not:

  1. infringe or violate any patent, copyright, trademark, service mark, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights of a third party, including any right of privacy or publicity;
  2. violate any federal, state or local laws or regulations or foreign laws;
  3. contain material that is pornographic, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, libelous, fraudulent, misleading, threatening, hateful, or racially or ethnically objectionable at the sole opinion of the University;
  4. condone or participate in any activities designed to harm minors in any way;
  5. condone or participate in activities designed to impersonate the identity of a third party; or
  6. be likely to result in any consumer fraud, product liability, tort, breach of contract, injury, damage or harm of any kind to any person or entity.

The University will reject any proposed advertising for weapons, tobacco products, or alcohol (including, but not limited to, beer, wine or spirituous liquor). The University reserves the right to reject advertising that markets products or services that might compete with University‐sponsored activities, including student housing and dining, bookstore, auxiliary services, etc.

Advertisements that contain the University’s logos or trademarks without the written permission of the Office of Trademark and Licensing will not be accepted. To requests use of the University’s logos or trademarks please contact Rachel Skipworth at rachel.skipworth@charlotte.edu or 704-687-7683. If the University grants written consent to use its name and/or trademarks for advertising, endorsement, or promotion, the University has the right to reject any such use proposed by the advertiser which in the University’s sole discretion violates the University’s standards of advertising or is inconsistent with the University’s role and reputation as a public institution of higher education.

In cases of doubt, the material to be posted will be submitted to the Director of Parking and Transportation Services or their designee who will make the final determination regarding acceptability.

Policies
  • Advertising space will be reserved on a first‐come, first‐served basis. Only one (1) reservation may be made per form submission. Multiple reservations require a new submissions for each reservation request.
  • Do not print your advertisements. Parking and Transportation Services will approve your advertisement and submit to REPROS for printing. Only fully-approved advertisements will be posted. (See Guidelines above.)
  • Allow two (2) business days for approval.
  • Advertising is placed on and removed from Niner Transit buses on Sunday evenings.
  • Due to bus rotation on routes, Parking and Transportation Services is unable to accept requests to advertise on certain routes only.
  • Parking and Transportation Services will make a best faith effort to post and properly secure advertisements in all buses, on‐time. However, due to the operational nature of our campus transit program, there may be an occasion where ads do not get posted in every bus due to fleet rotation for maintenance, cleaning, etc. Parking and Transportation Services will not be responsible for any damaged or missing ads during the posted period. If posting date is not met by Parking and Transportation Services, the customer will be notified.
  • Parking and Transportation Services will not be able to accommodate specific interior placement requests, but will make a good faith effort to distribute them equally throughout the buses.
Reposting Content

If you would like to extend your bus ad reservation, please contact a PaTS representative at 704-687-0271 to see if space is available. If you would like to repost a previous advertisement, follow these instructions:

  • A new advertising application is needed for each advertising reservation. Please remember that spaces may not be reserved more than two (2) months ahead of time.
  • Parking and Transportation Services is not responsible for lost or damaged advertisements when posting, and previously used ads will not be returned, stored or managed by PaTS.
  • Advertisers must provide new ads each time they want to repost if the ad has been removed from buses. PaTS will not store bus ads that have been removed at the end of ad reservation period.

Questions? Email us at mchristenbury@charlotte.edu.


Bus shelter ads

PaTS does not control advertising at bus shelters on campus. Contact MSSmedia for information about placing ads in bus shelter.