RIVERSIDE, CA – Complete Coach Works (CCW), North America’s leading provider of transit bus and sustainable transportation solutions, is proud to announce it has been recognized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) with an Ad Wheel Award for its 50-50 Bus Comprehensive Campaign, earning First Place in the Business Member category for Best Marketing and Communications to Increase Ridership or Sales.
The award-winning campaign centered on CCW’s innovative 50-50 Bus, a fully functional demonstration vehicle showcasing a side-by-side comparison of a refurbished bus on the curbside and the original bus condition on the roadside essentially making the split down the middle of the vehicle. Designed as a mobile educational tool for customer visits and trade shows, the 50-50 Bus provided transit agencies with a clear, hands-on view of how midlife refurbishment can extend vehicle life, improve reliability, and enhance the rider experience as well as showcasing the cost benefit of refurbishment at half the cost of new and in half the delivery period as new.
As part of the comprehensive campaign, the 50-50 Bus traveled nationwide throughout 2025, appearing at major industry trade shows and making on-site visits to transit agencies across multiple regions. At each stop, CCW hosted guided walkthroughs, technical discussions, and in-depth explanations of the refurbishment process, supported by coordinated print advertising, social media outreach, and digital promotion to ensure consistent messaging across all channels.
The campaign generated strong engagement from transit leaders, fleet managers, and decision-makers, many of whom cited the live, side-by-side demonstration as a key factor in understanding the value of refurbishment in their fleet decisions. By combining in-person experiences with strategic print and digital media, the 50-50 Bus Comprehensive Campaign created a memorable national presence and strengthened CCW’s position as a leader in fleet life-extension solutions.
“The 50-50 Bus campaign allowed agencies to see, touch, and experience the impact of refurbishment in a way traditional marketing simply can’t deliver,” said Kallie Arevalo, Marketing Manager at Complete Coach Works. “This award recognizes not just a marketing effort, but a commitment to educating the industry and providing practical, cost-effective solutions for today’s transit challenges.”
CCW will receive the award during APTA’s annual Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience Workshop, held from February 22-25 in Savannah, GA. The Ad Wheel Awards celebrate excellence in marketing, communications, and customer experience within the public transportation industry. Winners are selected based on creativity, effectiveness, and measurable impact in advancing industry awareness and engagement.
For more information about Complete Coach Works, visit CompleteCoach.com.