Final Script

Artwork on Buses
Artwork can be found all throughout the city of Pittsburgh hidden in doorways, displayed on the ground, in windows, or any space made available. A major problem with these forms of artwork is that they are physically static making them seen only by a small niche of people either going out and looking for them or by people passing by who happen to take notice. With the use of the new medium of buses, artwork can be seen by the masses with its outwardly bold displays and constant motion.
In control of the mass transit here in the city of Pittsburgh, Port Authority is in charge of what advertisements appear on the buses. Companies who want their ad’s displayed on the buses create their design then send the idea to a printing company who then prints out the vinyl design in the actual size it will be seen on a bus. This adhesive print is distributed among a group of men who then apply the print to a set number of buses amongst the five Port Authority bus garages. Wearing the proper attire, we enter the Ross Garage about ten minutes outside downtown Pittsburgh, where Port Authority buses are lined up after the morning rush.
This is the tail light, the smallest of the advertising choices. To remove the vinyl an upper corner is peeled off first with the rest of the ad following in one large piece. All of the adhesive must be removed from the bus to ensure that the next ad sticks properly and doesn’t peel off. In preparing a side of the ad to attach first, the ad is bent so that it can be peeled from the waxy back. The ad is then lined up with the markings on the bus, a small section of the wax backing peeled from the side of the ad, and smoothed out with a squeegee type tool. This process is repeated removing the back waxy sheet, straightening the vinyl, attaching it, and then smoothing it out with the squeegee tool. This is done section by section until the full ad is attached. Some buses even have a flat attachment to make applying the ad easier, because it must go on as smooth and straight as possible without any bubbles. A simple way of thinking about the process is to think of the ad as a large bumper sticker someone might put onto their car.
The larger advertising displays are attached the same way, but with the help of 2-3 people. Advertisers have the option of the queen, which is displayed on the sidewalk side, the king-size, slightly larger the queen and still on the sidewalk side, the king kong, which extends the whole middle of the bus from wheel to roof and is displayed on the sidewalk side, and the largest, the full wrap, covering the entire traffic side with edges appearing to extend onto the roof.
Presented in the form of images, text, and designs, the artwork displayed on buses is ever changing and in constant motion, displaying advertising and announcements unique to the city of Pittsburgh.