IGPDecaux wins Rome’s iconic bus shelter contract in Italy

JCDecaux SE (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, announced that IGPDecaux has been awarded the bus shelter contract in Rome (2.8 million inhabitants and 50 million tourists in 2023). IGPDecaux is a company owned 60% by JCDecaux SE and 40% by the du Chène de Vère family.

Following a competitive tender and awarded by ATAC, the city’s public transport company, the 11-year contract covers the upgrade of 9,600 existing infrastructures (including 1,400 bus shelters and 8,200 bus stops) as well as the installation and maintenance of bus stops and bus shelters from the new “Eterna” range, providing a total of more than 1,900 advertising panels on bus shelters, including 747 digital ones.

The installation programme started on December 6th, meeting the objective that some of the new street furniture will be in place for the inauguration of the 2025 Jubilee. Included in the “Piano Fermate” project, the contract is part of detailed plans by “Roma Capitale” to enhance the use of public transport services, modernise the urban environment and introduce innovative services for Rome’s  citizens, city users, as well as the millions of visitors who come to the capital.

This contract is based on a hybrid model where Capex will be financed by a public subsidy and through advertising.

• In addition to the refurbishment of the existing infrastructure, the contract includes the installation of new street furniture, improving the quality of urban life, for public transport passengers and visitors. This comprises: 
  435 “Eterna” bus shelters equipped with 501 digital touch screens for user information, and an innovative system to aid visually impaired users, 
• 405 electronic “Eterna” bus stops with a digital panel that includes an audio system to aid visually impaired users, 
• 14 “Eterna” bus terminals with an office and toilets for the exclusive use of ATAC staff.

The introduction of a new application for navigation and accessibility for the visually impaired will make Rome the first Italian city to have this service available free of charge to the city.

The new street furniture benefits from a unified design across all products, while also being easily recognisable by passengers and fitting seamlessly into the urban landscape. The new “Eterna” line of street furniture was designed, developed and produced by JCDecaux specifically for Rome, and was chosen to give the public transport provided by ATAC a future-facing and streamlined image, thanks to an exclusive, light and well-integrated design that enhances the city environment.

With its new touchscreens exclusively dedicated to ATAC, IGPDecaux will facilitate the digitisation of local public transport information, transforming passengers' waiting time into active time, thanks to a wide range of public interest information including cultural sites, community events and initiatives of the most importance to the city, all available in Italian and English.

The new contract will offer advertisers and their brands high-quality, well-designed street furniture in Italy’s Capital City, including digital displays that will benefit local residents and tourists alike.

In line with JCDecaux’s Climate strategy that is targeting Net Zero Carbon by 2050, the Rome bus shelter contract aims to reduce carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy in the production phase (indirect emissions) and the power used by these newly installed virtuous products (illumination and digital).

Eugenio Patanè, Councilor for Mobility of Roma Capitale, said: “Thanks to ATAC's “Piano Fermate Smart” project, which includes the installation of the new super-technological 'Eterna' bus shelters, we are providing Roman citizens with improved accessibility to public transport and more efficient information. The project - for which I wish to thank ATAC, the Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Department of “Roma Capitale”, and IGPDecaux for their excellent work - is also important because the traditional bus shelters that will be replaced by new technological ones, will then be repurposed on stops that are currently lacking them, whenever possible.”

Alberto Zorzan, Managing Director of ATAC, said: “ATAC's partnership with IGPDecaux is a powerful example of synergy between the public and private sectors that benefits all. The new bus shelters, which we have begun to install in Rome, make the transport infrastructure more attractive, provide the necessary comfort and help make the visual look of the urban furniture as consistent as possible. For this reason, the go-ahead for the installations was obtained after thorough - but necessary - discussions and coordination with the institutions that regulate and coordinate services and issue authorisations with respect for the artistic and cultural heritage. This requires specific conditions and suitability tests before the placement of the new bus shelters and bus stops.  Given the unique context of Rome, everything has to be carefully considered. That is why the overall value of the intervention is not just in the aesthetic, but also the attention dedicated to their installation. In addition to comfort and visual amenity, another key target of the project is the dissemination in the city of true infomobility centres to be used by customers: they can better plan their journey, but also optimise mobility for the large range of urban initiatives, thanks to the possibility of relating places and events, in a dynamic and easily accessible way through the touch screen stations. We are confident that this content will increase the attractiveness of the Public Transport network, fitting into the innovative and sustainable pathway of what we have done in recent years, for example Tap&Go. Enjoy your trip!”

Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: “We are very proud to have been awarded this iconic bus shelter contract in the ”Eternal City” and to have started the installation of a new generation of street furniture, as we approach the 2025 Jubilee. We would like to thank ATAC, Italy's leading urban mobility operator and one of the largest Local Public Transport companies in Europe, for its confidence in IGPDecaux’s ability to successfully deliver the  bus shelter contract in Rome, one of Europe's largest and most populous cities. Our Group will bring its technical, aesthetic, service-oriented and environmental expertise to play its part in the creation of exemplary cityscapes that are designed to benefit city residents and visitors as well as providing a powerful communication platform for our advertising clients. The implementation of this contract is fully aligned with the “Piano Fermate” project that is set to transform the public space in Rome while enhancing its historical and architectural beauty. With this new contract, JCDecaux will be able to offer a consistent, high-quality street furniture network in Italy with Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Rome and Turin.”