Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
The Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) and Astral Out-of-Home, a division of Bell Media, has announced a major, 10-year business agreement for transit shelter and bus advertising space management and user experience enhancement, effective July 1, 2015.
“The RTC’s Board of Directors is thrilled by this agreement, as it aligns with our objectives, namely to better serve the needs of our clientele and secure new business income sources that will support the RTC’s future growth,” says Rémy Normand, chairman of the Board.
“We are proud to have been selected by the RTC as part of a rigorous selection process and look forward to leveraging our innovative vision, creativity, and extensive experience to the benefit of its clients,” says Luc Quétel, president, Astral Out-of-Home. “This partnership will also enable us to create unique opportunities for advertisers in the Québec City market, and reinforces Bell’s strong bond with the city as an economic, media, technology, and cultural vector.”
This partnership between the private sector and a public transportation corporation presents a new business model in Canada that benefits clients, taxpayers, and advertisers.
Innovations to enhance the customer experience will include:
- BusFlash system in city buses and 20% of the transit shelters will provide five-minute video news updates via smartphones;
- 70 digital touch screens installed in bus shelters will provide useful information to users;
- Installation of a heating system in 10 bus shelters;
- Management of the advertising transit shelter maintenance program.
The digital innovations and news updates will be made possible thanks to Bell’s LTE wireless and fibre optic networks.
“Through this agreement, Québec City’s public transit experience will become a more attractive option, at no cost to taxpayers,” says Normand. “The RTC’s board of directors is very pleased with this agreement.”
The RTC provides public transportation services throughout the greater Québec City area. It transports 147,000 unique clients per month and posts a total of 47 million transit trips per year. It includes a pool of over 605 buses operating on an 887-kilometre network covering 4,617 stops spread on 135 lines.
Quebec City is expected to have major tourism this year with the opening of the new Videotron Centre hockey arena, major concerts including Madonna, Metallica, Rock et Belles Oreilles, and more.
Astral Out-of-Home is one of Canada’s leading out-of-home advertising companies with more than 10,500 strategically placed advertising faces in key markets in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
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