Marketing materials for Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) have been recognized as among the best in the country by the American Public Transit Association (APTA). The APTA AdWheel awards are held annually, and this year Tcat has been honored with first-place awards in two divisions of the print media category. Tcat garnered two awards in last year's competition, as well.

The TCAT pieces honored this year are a newspaper advertisement, "A Fare to Remember," and a newsletter, "StreetWise — Tcat's Guide to Getting Around." Both Tcat pieces are in contention for the grand prize in the print media category at APTA's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 10-13.

"A Fare to Remember" was an ad that ran in the Cornell Daily Sun. It is intended to encourage students to ride Tcat buses on campus. Special attention was given to the Blue Light Escort Service routes (free with a Cornell ID), which are available seven nights a week until as late as 2 a.m., throughout the year. The ad was written and designed by Suzanne Copsey of Cornell's Transportation and Mail Services.

"StreetWise — Tcat's Guide to Getting Around" is intended as a supplement to the numerous welcome guides printed each fall. "StreetWise" provides comprehensive, specific information on how to use Tcat buses to get to shopping districts, grocery stores, parks, museums and other local services and attractions. The newsletter was distributed in the Ithaca Times and its nine Finger Lakes papers, on buses and at Tcat pass and schedule outlets throughout Tompkins County. The "StreetWise" concept, writing and design were a result of the efforts of Transportation and Mail Services staff members Amy Ross and Suzanne Copsey.

Through Transportation and Mail Services, Cornell provides marketing, communications and human resources support to Tcat — a joint venture of Cornell, the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County. Tcat's communications and marketing manager is David Jay Lieb.