CTA's courtesy campaign wins APTA award

A courtesy campaign from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has earned the "Grand Award" in the American Public Transportation Association's AdWheel competition.

Conceived and designed in-house, the campaign covers discourteous passenger behavior, such as littering or eating on trains. As part of the campaign, messages aimed at promoting more courteous rider behavior appear on car cards on trains and buses, APTA officials said in a news release.

The messages convey "some of the most commonly heard complaints from riders about fellow public transit passengers" in Chicago and around the globe, APTA officials said.

CTA launched the courtesy campaign in May.

The campaign marks CTA's latest attempt to improve customer communications and passenger comfort. Past efforts include the development of social media channels, as well as expanded digital information screens with bus and train service info.