Chicago trying out screens on buses, platforms

September 23, 2008 by Dave Haynes

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that city’s transit authority is working outdoor giant Titan to install digital advertising panels on the sides of some buses and eventually along the rail service.

The Chicago Transit Authority will test the durability and power consumption of the digital display board on a bus operating along the No. 124 Navy Pier route for a six-week pilot beginning Tuesday, according to a CTA spokeswoman. The addition of the latest advertising medium is expected to generate $101 million over 10 years, the release said.

The testing will first determine if the gear can stand up to the bumps and to the weather.

This is the first part of a deal done earlier this year with Titan to sell ads across the city’s transit estate. Ultimately, the network would see more than 1,500 digital display boards on 100 buses and at all 144 rail stations.

The digital displays will be tied in to the authority’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications and will be able to handle emergency alerts and real-time service updates.

Leave a comment