Different tram systems in the UK seem to have different attitudes towards advertising – and how long they keep any ads on their trams. In locations such as Manchester, Edinburgh and on the West Midlands Metro the contract comes to an end and the adverts are quickly removed but in Blackpool it seems to be a far more relaxed affair with a lot of the adverts still carried on the trams believed to be for contracts which have long expired. Indeed, aside from the full vinyl wrap adverts we have seen in the past few years, there has been very little new external advertising added to the trams – but that has recently changed with all trams not in full adverts having received small adverts for the Heart UK heart attack and stroke prevention campaign.
The small adverts have been applied on the centre section of the Flexity2 trams immediately below the windows only. And as if to prove the point that adverts don’t get removed when they expire those trams which already had side ads have retained them.
The trams which are confirmed as having received the adverts are 002, 004, 007, 008, 009, 012, 013, 014, 017 and 018. 005 is out of service at the moment awaiting repairs whilst 006 has not yet been seen. These ads mark the first external advertising on the two newer trams (017 and 018). 010 (Queen’s Platinum Jubilee ads) and 015 (Blackpool Transport ticketing – with yet another update to show the latest changes to these prices) have not received the heart attack adverts.
A close-up of the new advertising campaign.
The position of the new adverts on the centre section is seen on 018 as it arrives at Gynn Square.
015’s advert for Blackpool Transport ticketing remains fully in situ. The £6.60 on the advert is a recent amendment but this has involved the addition of a vinyl on top of all the previous additions leading to a bit of a bump on the side! (All Photographs by Michael Morton, 22nd October 2022)
I can now confirm that 005 and 006 both carry the Heart Attack & Stroke Awareness campaign adverts though 005 remains out of service awaiting a new axillary convertor.
Photographs and video of the Flexitys carrying the adverts can be found on Youtube – Podbaba Transport and an additional video showing all of the trams in the current Flexity fleet will be posted on there on Wednesday 2nd November 2022 when I have been to Starr Gate depot to photograph.
So the complete list of Heart Attack/Stroke Flexitys is: 002,004,005,006,007,008,009,012,013,014,017,018 – twelve in total.