The back of the La Center themed bus showcases a 1919 picture of schoolchildren posing outside of the La Center School.
C-Tran’s new La Center-themed bus includes landmarks such as the La Center Community Library, card rooms and images of the iconic Main Street.
In a campaign push to decorate its fleet with landmarks representing Clark County, C-Tran has released decal-wrapped buses showcasing cities in the area.
New to the lineup is a bus covered in images of all things La Center, including the La Center Library, buildings on Main Street and historic photos.
“As far as choosing what goes on the bus, that’s been a really fun part of this project,” C-Tran Communications and Public Affairs Manager Christine Selk said. “Dean Horn, who is our resident graphic designer, it was really important to him that each bus had its own personality and they don’t look cookie cutter. So, we wanted each one to have a distinct flavor.”
Selk later described how the La Center bus was a deviation from the norm because the wrap used a few historic photos of the town, including a 1919 picture of school children on the back.
“That was really fun and quite a few residents of La Center commented on that,” she said. “It was really fun to work with the historical society to get those photos.”
Selk also mentioned how throughout the process she and the rest of the C-Tran team have learned a lot about cities in Clark County.
“There were a lot of things I didn’t know before we started this project and it’s really cool to learn about it because of these bus wraps,” she said.
The bus wrap program was started earlier this year. The La Center bus is the sixth bus added to the lineup of designs that currently include Ridgefield, Vancouver and Battle Ground.
When the campaign is over, the fleet will include decorated buses for each of the cities in C-Tran’s operating area. The last two buses in the series will feature Yacolt and Clark County and are set to hit the streets in 2020.
“By far my favorite part (of the program) is just seeing the excitement on peoples faces when we roll these buses out,” Selk concluded. “That’s been the most gratifying experience, seeing how proud people are of their respective communities.”
