Well, as promised, I got photos of UTS 8338 in front of the Aaron’s/Goodwill building in Waynesboro on my way to work. Also, I was mistaken about what they were promoting. While there is a sign on the premises about cell phones for troops, that is not what was on the bus. The bus is displaying a promotion for a food drive by the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and it is sponsored by Aaron’s and Liberty Tax Service. So here are the photos…
As you can see, that’s the bus right there, #8338 of University Transit Service, which is the University of Virginia’s own bus system. And the roll sign is set to “SPECIAL”, since this is definitely not UTS’s Blue, Orange, or Green Line service. In the third picture, you can see the people out advertising for Liberty Tax Service. Note the guy dressed as the Statue of Liberty, whose job it is to wave at those going by. My friend Katie actually did that job at the corner of Main Street and Lew Dewitt Blvd. last tax season.
So there it is. I wonder how long it will be there, since it’s nice to have an Orion I in the neighborhood. Usually the only time I see Orions is when I go to Washington DC, and even then, it’s Orion V’s rather than the old Orion I’s. I wonder if it’s going back to Charlottesville afterwards to ferry students around UVA again.
One note, though: I would highly recommend NOT patronizing Aaron’s, the other organization that is sponsoring the bus. The reason is what kind of promotions that they consider prudent. They have been known, on multiple occasions, to go over to Wal-Mart, and start putting flyers on people’s cars. I’ll get off work and I’ll have a flyer for their company under my windshield wiper. A quick look at the Wal-Mart parking lot when I see the flyer on my car shows that the lot is trashed, and the content of the trash is those stupid Aaron’s flyers. Personally, I don’t want people touching my car while it’s parked unless you have a valid reason to do so, like if I’m parked illegally and you’re issuing me a citation. Fine. Don’t touch my car to put promotional crap on my windshield. It ultimately just creates litter and makes the area where the flyers were placed look trashy. And it does not make me want to patronize the organization putting these flyers out. In fact, it’s a disincentive for me. I will specifically NOT patronize any organization that puts flyers on my car.
Still, I liked seeing the bus. Funny how things come together sometimes.