Cincinnati Bell has signed a naming rights agreement that will transform the Cincinnati Streetcar into the Cincinnati Bell Connector.

Advertising Vehicles – which has the contract with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority to sell the naming rights and advertising on the Cincinnati Streetcar – announced the naming rights contract today. Revenue from the naming rights will be used to help fund streetcar operations.

Cincinnati Bell will pay $340,000 per year for 10 years under the agreement. The contract will provide the following:

•     The Cincinnati Streetcar will be renamed the Cincinnati Bell Connector.

•     The look of the streetcars will change, with Cincinnati Bell graphics on the front, back and top, as well as inside the streetcar.  The current logo and colors will no longer be used.

•     Streetcar stations will be rebranded as Cincinnati Bell stations.

Cincinnati Bell, which has more than 1,100 employees working Downtown, has built out a fiber network across Greater Cincinnati providing high-speed connectivity.

The Cincinnati Bell naming rights contract is in addition to other advertising being sold inside and outside the streetcars.  It was recently announced that UC Lindner College of Business, Rhinegeist, Richter & Phillips Jewelers, Four Entertainment Group, Taste of Belgium, Tom + Chee and Kerry Toyota have purchased advertising on the streetcars, and several other advertising contracts are being finalized.

The 3.6-mile Cincinnati Streetcar is a modern streetcar system designed to link major employment centers in Downtown and Uptown, connecting through Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

Scheduled to open Sept. 9, 2016, the Cincinnati Streetcar is intended to expand transportation options, stimulate development, and enhance livability by connecting downtown, the riverfront and Over the Rhine. The Cincinnati Streetcar is owned and funded by the City of Cincinnati, managed by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, and operated by Transdev.