The County of Lackawanna Transportation System (COLTS) in Scranton, Pa., will no longer display “God Bless America” on its buses, thanks to the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
FFRF Staff Attorney Stephanie Schmitt sent a Feb. 10 letter of complaint to Executive Director Robert Fiume. “It is inappropriate for COLTS buses to display ‘God Bless America’ messages on its buses because it conveys government support for belief in a god,” wrote Schmitt. The COLTS buses included the overtly sectarian message via an electronic ticker. The transportation system used federal, state and county resources to share their message with passerby and was directly responsible for the ‘God Bless America’ sign placement.
Fiume confirmed on March 5 that the bus company had “updated its PR software to reflect only secular messages.”
