A group of EWU students had their senior capstone project for Visual Communication Design (VCD) from the 2015 Spring Quarter chosen as the new courtesy campaign for Spokane Transit Authority.

The campaign features blob-type characters called the Ridealongs with vibrant colors giving friendly reminders of Spokane Transit rules.
Six teams were given ten weeks to design their own take on the courtesy campaign. Following presentations from each group, one was chosen to be the winner and the design used for the campaign. The winning group was Ashley Teel, Cassandra Baden, Audrey Carter and Bryn McAllister.

The Ridealongs’ design aims to be unlike anything featured on the buses before, according to Teel. “No one likes the rules; they’re boring. Which is why they’re often ignored,” Teel said.

Teel said her team wanted to downplay the authoritativeness of the rules in an effort to make them fun and approachable.
The design team wanted to feature e-cigarettes as part of the no smoking posters. “Patrons honestly may not be aware that their use is prohibited on the buses, just like traditional tobacco products,” Teel said.

This is not the first instance of Eastern VCD students gaining experience through their senior capstone. “Our capstone always works with community partners on projects,” said Mindy Breen, VCD program director at Eastern and overseer of the spring capstone project.
Breen said EWU VCD students have worked on a bevy of previous projects involved with the community like Toolbox product incubators, Airway Heights Department of Corrections and HarvestScape urban greenhouses. “We like to work with our community [so] the students can give back,” Breen said.

Spokane Transit was eager to launch its new campaign. “This campaign is important to not only our riders, but also to our downtown neighbors and non-riders,” said Beth Bousley, director of Communications and Customer Service at Spokane Transit.

Current EWU senior and avid bus rider Keylin Huddleston said he supports the refreshed rules. He also offered a way to be more courteous on the bus. “I’d like to see them do something about people standing in the way of the door though,” Huddleston said.

Rules for carts and strollers blocking the aisles exist on Spokane Transit’s code of conduct, but there is nothing about patrons standing in the way of the door, according to their rules of conduct.

Bousley said the launch is slated for the end of January 2016.