Yarra Trams’ collaborative tram wraps

Tram wraps command immediate attention, providing the ultimate creative canvas for getting a message across and offering the equivalent of a large format travelling billboard. At the end of 2020 Yarra Trams provided six new community organisations with the opportunity to deliver important messages about sustainability through trams on the network, over a period of three months each. The 2021 Yarra Trams Community Partnerships Program, themed “A more sustainable Melbourne,” highlights the work of Birdlife Australia, Environment Victoria, Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand, Planet Ark, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Wildlife Victoria.

Yarra Trams takes us through the process of creating and installing Wildlife Victoria’s eye-catching tram wrap, as part of its 2021 summer campaign.

Wildlife Victoria was the first to join the community program on 17 December 2020. Its tram wrap, which received overwhelmingly positive and engaged feedback from the Melbourne community, featured images of some of Australia’s best-loved native wildlife (such as our kangaroos) to serve as a reminder to motorists to watch out for native animals who also share our roads at times, particularly in more regional Victoria. The tram wrap ran for several months between December 2020 and mid-April this year on Melbourne routes 48 and 109.

“We take great pride in providing our community partners the opportunity to create their own, one of a kind tram wrap design that travels the network as a moving billboard,” says Yarra Trams, pointing out that the process to produce a unique tram wrap generally takes six weeks, including artwork development.

The Wildlife Victoria wrap was made  from very thin and flexible vinyl, with samples provided to Yarra Trams prior to the install for quality assurance purposes.

“The process for the install must be methodical, ensuring all the pieces line up exactly and that no bubbles or other errors are made,” explains Yarra Trams, confirming that the process takes around six hours to apply the wrap on the tram by a team of eight specialised installers.

According to Yarra Trams, this is to ensure all facets of the design and install are considered and that, extremely importantly, the wrap does not impact critical safety assets on the trams, such as lights. On windows, the wrap must be perforated to ensure passengers on board the tram can see through them.

“Our specialist teams must also sign off on the final designs from each partner before the wrap can go into production,” says Yarra Trams, adding that each tram wrap must meet strict guidelines as set out by the Department of Transport, meeting accessibility and  safety standards.

Melbourne’s Art Trams

Melbourne’s Art Trams returned to the network in May as part of RISING, a new Victorian cultural event, and have been designed entirely by Victorian First Peoples artists for the first time. Curated by RISING Artistic Associate Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta), each of the six First Peoples Art Trams speak to diverse themes, from environmental ecologies and caring for Country to personal stories of journeying and family and reflections on the history and cultural heritage of First Peoples in the Victorian landscape.

 The works are being showcased on the network for 12 months featuring internal QR codes that enable travellers to find out more about the artists and their respective works.