OC Transpo has launched a $1 million dollar advertising campaign to get residents ready for light rail transit.
The "Get Ready for Rail" campaign was launched Wednesday, more than one year before the city's Confederation line is set to open. Phase One of LRT will 13 brand new, accessible light rail stations between Tunney's Pasture and Blair Station. The city advertises it will take commuters less than 25 minutes to end-to-end.
"We are starting a very aggressive campaign that will last between now and when the train launches called "Get Ready for Rail"," said the chair of the transit committee, councillor Stephen Blais.
The advertising and marketing campaign will feature YouTube videos and posters to be displayed on buses and at stations. OC Transpo paid a consulting firm $355,000 to come up with the campaign. The rest of the $1 million is being used to share information about light rail with commuters and residents.
Blais said he hopes 'Get Ready for Rail' will prepare the public for opening day so there is less congestion and confusion. There is no official opening date yet for light rail although it is scheduled to start up sometime in 2018.
"When we open it next year we want to make sure residents of Ottawa and users of the bus know how it works, where they are going, know how to transfer, how they are going to pay and all the features of the train," said Blais.
In preparation for 2018, several bus routes are being re-named as of Sunday, April 23rd. A full list of changes and OC Transpo's reasoning behind the move can be found on their website.
