GO Transit riders are frustrated about advertisements on train windows blocking their views during their commutes.
On Wednesday, Reddit user @ferndinosaur shared a photo on a Toronto Reddit group of a Simplii Financial ad taking up the bottom half of a window.
“The upper half would have at least allowed us to see out of the window. This is on about a quarter of the upstairs windows in a car. Not sure if it’s in the middle/bottom parts of the car,” reads the caption.
In response, Metrolinx says when reviewing advertising materials that will be installed on its vehicle windows, it follows a set of guidelines to ensure that no more than 40 per cent of a window is blocked and that there are seats still available on each coach which are clear of advertising.
“We want to ensure public transit remains affordable for everyone, so we must look at alternate revenue sources that don’t rely solely on fares and public funding. Revenue from advertising on our trains, buses and in stations goes directly to improving and expanding our transit services for customers,” the transit agency said in a statement to Now Toronto on Thursday.
“On all train coaches there are windows with and without advertisements to ensure customers have comfortable seating options. We welcome and listen to customer feedback to help us maintain high customer satisfaction levels on board and inform future plans,” it continued.
REACTIONS TO THE AD
Online, other users are expressing their thoughts on the matter.
“I have no problems with ads in public, but I do have a problem when you’re forcing me to look at your ad. It’s sort of like the physical version of a really long un-skippable YouTube ad. “Oh, you wanted to just relax and look out the window on the way home? Well f**k you, enjoy this finance ad instead,” reads one comment.
“What’s the point of the windows then?” questioned one user.
“As a marketer, I would truly hate for my brand to be associated with this nuisance and eyesore,” another user said.
Some users are also calling out the huge ads as a safety issue.
“I don’t like these because looking out the window gives me a constant visual cue as to where I am. I prefer the window seat so I don’t get anxious about missing my stop if I can’t hear the announcement or if my phone GPS doesn’t work. Part of the point of the large signs at train stops is so that people looking out the window can see what stop the train is at,” one user said.
The user adds that the ads are a major safety concern for riders who struggle with mental health or physical disabilities, which limit their ability to hear/see the announcement.
“From a safety perspective, in the event of an incident people need to be able to see outside the train to make sound time sensitive decisions on whether it is safe to evacuate a train — ie: fire, derailment, security incident at a station. Opaque stickers really make this harder than it needs to be,” another user said.
“From a comfort point of view, nobody can see out the window while seated… unless they want to look at the sky or condo towers. Many people need a visual to the outside to avoid getting motion sickness. Kids also enjoy sitting by the window looking out during the trip — a game of I-spy also makes the trips go faster for them,” the user continued.
