Sun Metro: “We’re Not The System Of The Past”
Sun Metro is trying to prove they are not the bus system of the past, and they’re using a new television commercial to convey the point.
The sleek, new 30-second spot features a young woman in several parts of downtown El Paso, including the Oasis bar. The commercial starts with the woman saying “I am eco-friendly, working to save the planet in my own small way. Frugal and fashion-forward. Being green is important to me, but I won’t abandon my sense of style.”
The spot shows the woman getting on a Sun Metro bus and writing while she rides.
“I like how it talks about saving energy and efficiency and things like that because right now in the world, saving energy is a big part of transportation. It looks more modern, it’s more appealing to my generation,” said Christian Escobedo.
Sun Metro is trying to engage a different kind of rider, a younger one, said Spokeswoman Laura Cruz-Acosta.
She said they want to show you can live a busy, active life and still ride the bus. Cruz-Acosta said they are targeting young people because they are the future.
ABC-7 showed the video to several people around the city. Most said it made riding the bus more appealing.
City Rep. Michiel Noe said it was effective, but City Rep. Susie Byrd said it focused too much on being eco-friendly, and not enough on the main and practical reasons the city’s research shows people will prefer the bus.
“You have to be more specific with the reasons why people would choose the bus over the car, you know, that they can get somewhere quickly and on time, that they can do other things while they’re getting to where they need to go,” said Byrd.
The commercial tags out with the woman saying “save money, save energy, save the planet.”
“It does get the message across that we’re trying to save people time, money, energy. There are people out there that it’s very important to them – energy and the pollution that all the cars put out – so I wouldn’t discredit that commercial,” said Noe.
The commercial cost Sun Metro a little under $3,000. They hired a local production house, Beard of Zeus, to do it. Cruz-Acosta said it was all shot in El Paso with local actors.
Sun Metro officials, on Monday, were out of town picking up an award from the The American Public Transportation Association for The Transit System of The Year for Mid-Size Cities.
The award was based on 11 categories, including on-time performance and ridership numbers. Sun Metro boasted a 98% on-time performance from 2008 to 2010 and a 21% increase in ridership during that time, said Cruz-Acosta.
