Is it pricier for advertisers to drape a streetcar that runs on a high-traffic route?

It would make sense, wouldn’t it? The King car picks up almost 50,000 impressionable consumers every day, while less trodden routes like Bathurst top out at around 13,500. So for advertisers (who pay a standard fee of $30,075 a month, regardless of route), landing the King stretch is sort of like scoring a spot during the Super Bowl, and Bathurst more like a Beachcombers rerun. And yet, our stuck-in-the-’70s transit system hasn’t figured out how to cash in on the difference. Each morning, drivers (who are attached to specific routes) are randomly assigned to one of the city’s 248 trolleys, meaning the same Bacardi-emblazoned car that caught the eye of thousands of Christmas shoppers one day could be going almost unnoticed the next. There is one way to beat the system: companies with deep pockets can spend nearly $45,000 to wrap one of the double-capacity accordion cars, which run on high-traffic routes during peak hours.

• Question from Trevor Hince in Leaside

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