Marketing Agency in Richmond: GRTC Bus Ads, From the Rear Panel to the Full Wrap

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

A shop buys a bus wrap expecting it to pass the front door every day, then learns that GRTC cannot promise any bus will stay on any route. GRTC’s buses ride zero fare, its advertising page counts over 10 million trips a year, and every ad on them must pass the Advertising Policy GRTC adopted on June 20, 2023. A marketing agency in Richmond that buys this space writes for the panel and the policy, not for a route. Progression is based in New York, plans Richmond campaigns remotely, and offers on-site sessions on request.

A wrap bought for one route

A shop in Carytown wants its brand on the bus it sees pass its window every morning. It asks about a full wrap, and finds out two things in the same conversation: the price, and the fact that the bus will not stay on that route.

The rate sheet says GRTC is not able to commit an ad to any specific bus route, and that its buses rotate daily throughout the region. The Advertising Policy says the same in its own words, and adds that GRTC will try to meet a sponsor’s geographic request.

• The wrap travels the whole system, not one street.
• The message has to work for a rider in any neighborhood.
• A local address belongs in the copy only if it helps everyone who sees it.
• The campaign is planned for the region before the first panel is drawn.

What a marketing agency in Richmond reads before buying GRTC space

Two documents decide what runs. GRTC’s Advertising Policy, adopted and effective June 20, 2023, and the rate sheet GRTC posts, headed Updated October 2024.

The policy says GRTC approves the design and location of all advertisements, and that it declares its designated advertising property a non-public forum, used for private advertising only to generate revenue for GRTC. Every ad is subject to GRTC’s approval. The designated property includes passenger vehicles, ad panels in shelters and on bus stop signs, digital displays at stops and in vehicles, and digital ads on GRTC’s apps and website.

GRTC’s rider guide says “All buses are Zero Fare.” On its advertising page, GRTC says its transit ads reach up to 90% of Richmond’s adult population, regardless of income, with over 10 million annual trips. These are GRTC’s own statements about its service.

Who approves an ad?

GRTC. The Director of Communications and Marketing, or a designee, reviews every submitted ad, and GRTC may reject or remove one that does not meet the policy.

Which kinds of advertising does GRTC permit?

Commercial advertising, governmental advertising and public service announcements sponsored by a government entity or a qualifying nonprofit.

One bus, panel by panel

The rate sheet lists a handful of exterior panels and a set of interior ones. Each row below gives the size GRTC lists, who sees the panel, the words that fit and the line of the policy that matters most for it.

Panels drivers read from behind

The rear panel is the only one a driver at a light reads for several seconds. Keep it to a name and one short claim, and keep every part of it still.

Panels on the street side

The queen, king and super king are long and low, so they read as a headline. The street side faces pedestrians and cyclists as well as drivers, and the best ones say one thing.

Wraps

A half wrap covers a complete side. A full wrap covers all sides of the vehicle except the roof. A king kong runs fender to fender with window perforation. All three are production jobs as much as media buys.

Inside the bus

GRTC lists interior channel cards, 29 inches by 11 inches, sold as a three month campaign in packages of 28, 56 or 84 cards across 7, 14 or 21 buses, with four cards a bus. It also lists infotainment screens.

Fees, production and GRTC’s minimum

GRTC’s rates are on its rate sheet and are quoted by the seller, and they do not include production. GRTC states a $1,000 minimum requirement to purchase advertising space. Production is at the advertiser’s expense and must meet GRTC’s standards for size, weight and material. Pricing depends on scope and is set in the written proposal.

Our transit advertising agency page covers the wider market for buses, trains and shelters.

• Ask GRTC for the current rate sheet before building a budget.
• Ask what production costs for the panels chosen.
• Ask whether the minimum applies to one panel or to the order.
• Ask when the next amendment to the policy is expected.

Where the policy says no

Section 2.a sets standards for every ad, and section 2.b.iv lists what is prohibited. The standards are short and practical, and a claim on a bus has to hold up like a claim anywhere else.

Among the prohibited categories in 2.b.iv are advertising that is false, misleading or deceptive, an implied or declared endorsement by GRTC, advertising that supports or opposes an industry position without a direct commercial benefit to the advertiser, ads for pawn shops or check cashing services, hiring ads for bus operators and mechanics for providers other than GRTC or its contractors, ads that disparage GRTC, other transit agencies or public transportation, a web address or phone number that leads to material the policy would bar, content that would violate exclusive sponsorship rights, and libelous speech and copyright infringement.

• Keep a document behind every claim in the creative.
• Get written permission from anyone quoted.
• Check every web address and phone number before print.
• Ask GRTC about any category that is not clear.

Review, committee and appeal

The Director of Communications and Marketing, or a designee, reviews each submitted ad. If an ad falls within, or may fall within, a prohibited category, it goes to the Advertising Review Committee, which includes at least that director, the Chief of Staff and the Director of Risk Management.

An advertiser can appeal a rejection or removal by filing a written Request for Reconsideration within 10 business days. GRTC sends a final decision in writing within 15 business days of receiving it, and the decision of legal counsel is final.

Can GRTC remove an ad that is already running?

The policy says GRTC reserves the right to reject or remove any advertising it finds does not comply. The same appeal steps apply.

What should the calendar carry?

The date the creative goes to GRTC, the date of its decision, and the ten business days after any rejection.

Zero fare riders and the people who read a bus

GRTC says its buses carry ads 19 hours a day, seven days a week, and that interior ads reach riders during 30 minute trips. Those are GRTC’s statements about its own service. They describe two audiences.

The interior card speaks to a seated rider with time. The rear panel speaks to a driver at a light. A digital marketing agency in Richmond that adds a landing page, tracking and follow-up ads can connect both audiences to one next step.

• Write the interior card as a short paragraph with one action.
• Write the rear panel as a name and a single claim.
• Use the same offer on both so the landing page matches.
• Add tracking so the next step can be measured.

What GRTC is not selling right now

GRTC’s rate sheet says CARE paratransit vehicles are not available at this time, and that GRTC Pulse buses are not available for advertising. The same sheet lists bus shelter windscreens at the Downtown Transfer Station as a separate line, alongside the interior screens.

The advertising page links the rate sheet as GRTC’s current download. Confirm availability with GRTC’s advertising contact before building a plan around any panel, because the lists change.

Does the list of panels change?

Yes. GRTC updates the sheet it posts, so the safe habit is to ask GRTC for the current one on the day the plan is final.

• Confirm each panel’s availability in writing.
• Ask whether a panel can be reserved without a booking.
• Plan a second choice for every panel.
• Ask for the current rate sheet on the day the plan is final.

Marketing agencies in Richmond, VA and the QR code on a bus

Policy section 2.b.iv(19) holds a web address or phone number in an ad to the same policy as the ad, and section 9 says acceptance of an ad is not an endorsement, including content reached through web addresses, QR codes and phone numbers.

That makes the landing page part of the creative. Marketing agencies in Richmond, VA that buy bus space should write and check the page before the panel goes to print, and keep a dated copy of it.

• Build the landing page before the panel is drawn.
• Test the QR code on a phone at the printed size.
• Keep a dated copy of the page that was live when the ad ran.
• Recheck the page whenever the campaign is renewed.

Keep GRTC’s name and logo off the creative

Section 5 of the policy says use of GRTC’s name, logo, slogans or other graphic representations requires advance approval and must meet GRTC’s brand standards, and that GRTC does not endorse or imply endorsement of any product or service.

The plain advice is to say where the bus goes, not who endorses the product. A line such as “Find us along your route” needs no logo. Anything that suggests GRTC stands behind the product is out.

Can a line say where the bus goes?

Yes, in plain words, such as the part of the region the buses cover. It should not suggest that GRTC backs the product.

• Leave GRTC’s marks out of the artwork.
• Keep the tone of the copy about the product, not the transit service.
• Describe the service area in plain words.
• Do not imply a partnership.
• Send any use of GRTC’s name to GRTC first.

The panel order form

Six items go on the order before the creative is sent for print. The form travels with the booking, so everyone can see what was decided. Our transit advertising agency page covers the wider market.

For a nearby market page, see our SEO company in Richmond page.

Frequently asked questions