Amtran has tweaked its policy governing advertisements on buses, clearing the way to begin accepting ads again, after suspending new ad contracts in 2019, following a court ruling in a northeast Pennsylvania case.

The latest changes are based on a recent Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association survey designed to determine what the public feels is appropriate for transit ads, particularly those that touch on controversial topics like politics and religion, according to Amtran CEO Josh Baker.

The new policy will limit ads accepted by Amtran to what the organization feels won’t create liability, Baker said.

The organization won’t accept ads for tobacco, alcohol, political candidates; ads that promote or oppose any religion; ads that are “derogatory to any race, color, gender, ethnic background, age group, disability, marital or parental status, or sexual preference”; ads that promote the use of guns; ads that are pornographic or that promote violence or “sexual conduct”; ads that are defamatory or libelous; and ads that are objectionable, controversial or offensive, according to the policy.

Ads must comply with any relevant laws or regulations, must not be “false, misleading or deceptive,” must not contain inauthentic testimonials, must not contain health-related messages unless sponsored by a governmental health agency or supported by the American Medical Association or the Food and Drug Administration; must not promote unsafe behavior; must not imply Amtran’s endorsement of a product or service; and must not promote an ideological viewpoint that is contested, according to general guidelines that accompany the policy.

“It’s not the intention of the organization to allow its transit vehicles or property to become a public forum for dissemination, debate, or discussion of public issues,” according to the policy.

Acceptance of any ad doesn’t imply endorsement or agreement by Amtran, the policy states.

The organization reserves the right to refuse any ad for legitimate reasons that aren’t explicit in the policy, and retains the right to apply its own discretion in subjective cases, the policy states.

The policy would permit an ad for an upcoming mayoral campaign debate, but not one that advocates for a particular mayoral candidate, Baker said.

The organization backed away from all ads — except those that were run based on prior commitments — after a 2019 U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of an atheist group that sued the County of Lackawanna Transit System for its denial of an ad that amounted to an impermissible repression of the atheist group’s religious “viewpoint.”

At the time, Amtran feared that a minor revenue source could be the trigger for a massive court judgment.

The new policy doesn’t mean that Amtran will begin pushing for ad revenues, Baker said.

The highest previous amount earned in a year was $60,000 — about six years ago, he said.

Questionable ad requests could come before the Amtran board for a ruling, he said.

Driver places

in Roadeo

On Aug. 4, Amtran hosted the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association Roadeo at Logan Valley Mall and at Amtran headquarters on Fifth Avenue.

Two Amtran drivers participated — Joe Beach, who took third place among 20 “fixed-route” contestants; and Jamie Rickens, who took seventh.

The third-place finish entitles Beach to compete in next year’s American Public Transportation Association International Bus Roadeo, which will be held in Austin, Texas, said Baker.

The top three state finishers qualify for the following year’s International.

If Beach goes, it will be his third International.

Last year, he went to the International in Oregon after qualifying the year before by finishing first in the state in 2022.

In 2019, he went to the International in Louisville, Ky., after finishing third in the state the year before.

Help wanted

Amtran is looking to hire four drivers.

All four would begin as part-timers, like all Amtran drivers, said CEO Josh Baker.

The need is based on a roster that is short of two part-timers, plus the retirement this year of one driver and the expected retirement of another at the end of the year, according to Baker.

The organization has been advertising for help with flyers in bus racks, in newspaper ads and with notices on social media.

Amtran’s best recruitment tool is actually an employee referral program, Baker said.

An employee who suggests a candidate who is hired and works at least 90 days receives a $300 reward, Baker said.

The employee gets another $300 if the one that was recently hired makes it past one year, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer William

Kibler is at 814-949-7038.