Kimm Leininger is counting on Geauga County Transit buses to get the word out about United Way Services of Geauga County's 211 information service.The UW…
Kimm Leininger is counting on Geauga County Transit buses to get the word out about United Way Services of Geauga County’s 211 information service.
The UW Geauga executive director called the nonprofit’s advertisement on the sides of two of the county’s mini-buses “400,000 miles of a billboard.”
“The buses rotate in every community. It’s a great way to spread a message all around the county,” Leininger said, adding each bus covers thousands of miles of the community every year.
She was standing in the county transit’s capacious garage on Merritt Road in Claridon Township admiring the removable 211 banner down the side of one bus.
The sticky-sided banners are the first blush of a project transit Director Mike Kasper has initiated to help area businesses and organizations inform people about their goods and services.
Businesses or organizations can buy space on the side or in a window of the bus on a contract with GC Transit, he said, adding the ads in the windows are translucent so the driver can see through them.
Since a single bus changes routes often during the month, the advertisement is seen far and wide — even into Lake and Cuyahoga counties, where buses will take groups for day trips.
“We’ve contacted local businesses that have expressed a lot of interest,” Kasper said. The advertising dollars will be a welcom addition to his budget.
“We receive a very minimal amount of tax dollars from the county commissioners,” he said.
Although customers pay to ride, 99 percent of GC Transit’s operating funds come from the federal government and are administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Kasper said.
Each of the 16 buses can seat a dozen passengers with space at the back for two wheelchairs but are not limited to transporting seniors or handicapped, he said. The buses pick up and drop off anyone int he county who needs to go to doctors’ office, school or even to go shopping.
So far, Geauga County Job and Family Services and Waste Management of Cutts Road in Chardon have jumped on board, he said.
GC Transit Operations Manager Jack Jackson said the income from ads will help with the department’s maintenance budget and future improvements.
“We have to raise money to match state and local grants,” he said.
Leininger said the 211 information service provided by United Way needs more exposure and the ads on the buses should provide it.
“For us, this is a great partnership,” she said.
Anyone needing information can dial 211 and a person will answer the phone on the other end of the line, Leininger explained.
The help center will work with callers to problem solve, from filing their taxes to finding child care to providing information about the Maple Festival, Leininger said.
This part of United Way is an information and referral center, has connections with government, community, health and human services, and is certified by the Alliance of Information and Referral Services, she said.
The center’s staff know how to determine exactly what kind of help a caller needs, sometimes beyond the surface reason for the call.
“If a caller is having trouble feeding a family, chances are other things are going on in the household,” she said.
The staff has access to a huge database of organizations that can help nearly any situation, Leininger said.
