Commonplace blue-and-yellow Pennsylvania license plates will begin wanting rather a lot completely different because the state begins to roll out new plates that includes the Liberty Bell and a red-white-and-blue palette.
These new Pennsylvania plates show the message “Let Freedom Ring” in pink throughout the underside and have been unveiled practically a yr in the past by Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro adopted up that announcement with a brand new one at present on social media – with assist from a number of mascots from the state’s skilled sports activities groups. Acceptable, since Tuesday, June 17 can also be Nationwide Mascot Day.
Gritty, Franklin, Lincoln, the Phanatic, Swoop, and even the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steely McBeam all took half within the video, which was captioned, “Irrespective of who you root for, we predict you’ll just like the information we’re dropping.”
As of June 17, over 12,000 new plates have been delivered to Pennsylvanians to make the swap.
Requested what they considered the brand new license plates final summer time, an entirely unscientific ballot of 100 Philadelphians strolling across the metropolis discovered a mixture of indifference, nostalgia for the previous plate, and lukewarm acceptance of the brand new one. Nevertheless, 62 out of the 100 individuals polled appreciated the brand new design.
In case you are fascinated with switching to the brand new plate your self, you are able to do so at pa.gov/licenseplate. The usual swap prices $13 and might fluctuate based mostly on charges and doable personalizations. There is no such thing as a pre-requisite to modify to those new plates.
The design of those plates additionally matches the 37 freeway welcome indicators put in throughout the state since July 2024 as a part of Shapiro’s Nice American Getaway tourism initiative.
Shapiro’s initiative appears to spotlight and enhance Pennsylvania’s tourism business, which generated $76.7 billion in 2024 and welcomed 192.4 million guests in 2022. The business will probably see one other profitable yr in 2026 because the state is about to be a central level for the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and website of the FIFA World Cup, MLB All-Star Sport and 2026 NFL Draft, amongst different occasions.
Together with the notice marketing campaign from new plates and freeway indicators, Shapiro hopes to additional help the business with a newly proposed $64 million funds that features $15 million for occasion safety and $36.5 million for occasion planning and operations.