First Digital Bus Ad Installed
- By Kevin Zolkiewicz
During a press conference at Kedzie Garage this morning, the CTA announced the first bus with a curb-side LED display board for displaying digital advertisements. The bus, New Flyer #1727, will begin service tomorrow on the #124 Navy Pier route.
In addition to advertisements, the displays are capable of providing emergency information or real-time service updates when necessary.
The CTA will test the bus for a period of six weeks to monitor the durability and power consumption of the digital display.
Last Spring, the CTA announced a 10-year contract with Titan Outdoor for digital advertising at both CTA rail stations and on the curb side of buses. The digital ads are being installed at no cost to the CTA and will be maintained by Titan. Over the life of the contract, the CTA expects to earn nearly $101 million in advertising revenue.
Up to 100 buses are scheduled to receive digital ads by next summer.