News
Transform a MetroBus Into a Work of Art on May 12
People of all ages are invited to add some pizzazz and a burst color to the MetroBus fleet by helping paint two specially designed murals on a MetroBus at the Citizens for Modern Transit’s (CMT) Great Race 2016. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, children and adults will transform a MetroBus into a rolling work of art that will travel throughout the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County over the next year. Participants can paint the bus and enjoy food, drinks and music as part of the Great Race Finish Line Celebration and Metro Market at the Cortex Commons in midtown St. Louis.
What: Metro Arts in Transit Bus Painting
Where: CMT’s Great Race 2016 – Finish Line Celebration and Metro Market
Cortex Commons
4240 Duncan Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
When: Thursday, May 12 – 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to participants of all ages
“CMT’s Great Race is an exciting annual tradition, and we’re thrilled to partner with Citizens for Modern Transit to make this engaging, interactive activity a part of the race festivities,” said David Allen, Director of Metro Arts in Transit. “The bus painting brings people together and lets them have a lot of fun expressing their creative side, while at the same time reinforcing the important themes of accessible, integrated transportation options.”
The murals for Thursday’s bus painting were designed by The Firecracker Press, and include bright colors and visual elements that highlight the impact of public transit and other types of transportation to keep the region connected and moving forward. The Firecracker Press is a letterpress design studio well known for its vibrant, bold and fun designs, and for combining antique printing technology with modern thinking.
“We’re very excited to have the Metro Arts in Transit Bus painting as part of this year’s Great Race,” said Kim Cella, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “The goal of our event is to raise awareness about the importance of our region’s public transit system and multimodal transportation options, and this bus painting is a wonderful way to engage participants and continue sharing this message to the community as the bus travels through the region over the next 12 months.”
“In addition, the bus painting will help us emphasize the importance of activating the last mile around transit with entertainment, arts and other activities as part of the CMT Metro Market.”
CMT’s Great Race 2016 focuses on the last mile of the transit commute and how different modes of transportation can be seamlessly integrated, and explores the next steps needed to ensure alternative transportation options are available to everyone in the future. The two competing Great Race teams will be integrating public transit with bike and car share options to make it to the finish line.
David Allen, Kim Cella and representatives from The Firecracker Press will be available for interviews at the bus painting on Thursday. Members of the media can contact Jerry Vallely, External Communications Manager, at 314-486-5553 for more information.
About Metro
Metro is the operator of the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 399 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 78 MetroBus routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro is an enterprise of Bi-State Development (BSD), which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park; the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD also operates the Bi-State Development Research Institute and the St. Louis Regional Freightway.