Paris-based JCDecaux SA, one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the world, announces that its Japanese facility, MCDecaux, has won an advertising bus shelter contract from the Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, for a minimum duration of 15 years.

This exclusive contract is the largest bus shelter contract in Japan and covers the design, installation, maintenance and operation of at least 400 shelters featuring more than 800 square meters—or more than 2,500 square feet—of advertising panels. The installations are expected to be complete before the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Fewer than 100 advertising bus shelters are currently financed and managed directly by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which outsources the concession to several Japanese advertising agencies, including MCDecaux.

The new contract is a public-private partnership between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and MCDecaux. The goal, according to the agency, is to improve services for citizens by installing modern and energy-efficient advertising bus shelters. Once finalized, the arrangement will add new functions, such as universal USB charge points, night time illumination of information messaging and UV protective glass. Features for the visually impaired will include tactile labels and voice announcements. A total of 150 bus shelters will offer free Wi-Fi and 32-inch digital touch screens.

MCDecaux is 85 percent owned by JCDecaux and 15 percent by Mitsubishi Corporation.