Following a blip during the pandemic, when public transit systems first shut down and then imposed masking and social distancing regulations that discouraged many from riding, subway ridership has largely returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Millions of people commute to work on the subway each day in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and many more take the underground rails, whether it’s tourists wandering around a new city, locals who want to avoid traffic pileups, or sports fans who love comparing stats with fellow fanatics on the way to the game.
Whatever passengers’ reason for taking the subway, it offers an incredible way to advertise. The cars, stations and entry points provide an engaged audience who look around them for information and absorb the ads promoting music, art, beauty products, sales and more.
This guide includes information about the top 25 North American and international subway markets for advertising, as well as tips for how to advertise on subways.
Why Advertise on Subways?
Subways offer a large captive audience of active people. They are standing around the station or sitting in the subway, creating lots of dwell time to connect using advertisements. The audience tends to be diverse, and you can target by neighborhood for subway stations and by rider demographics for trains.
Types of Subway Advertising
You can choose from many types of subway advertising, including:
- Urban panel: An ad placed outside the subway station that targets passersby as well as passengers.
- Platform posters: The ads you see on the walls of a subway station, also sometimes called one- or two-sheets.
- Posters: Individual ads located on subway card exteriors.
- Train wrap: An ad covering the entire exterior of a subway car, one of the most visible ad formats.
- Brand train: A step beyond a train car wrap, which includes wrapping the entire train with advertising.
- Floor graphics: Ads on the floor of a subway car or subway station.
- Interior cards: Ads inside the train, usually located above the seats.
- Liveboards: Digital boards on the platform that display information about coming trans as well as ads.
5 Tips for Effective Subway Advertising
Maximize the impact of your subway advertising campaign with these five strategies:
- Integrate with a Comprehensive Outdoor Campaign: Enhance your reach by combining subway ads with other outdoor advertising elements, such as billboards and street furniture.
- Employ Strategic Targeting: With shifts in commuter patterns, especially due to increased remote work, focus on areas with high current ridership. Utilize up-to-date data to inform your targeting strategy.
- Consider Audience Exposure: Recognize that many commuters encounter the same ads daily. Design creative content that remains engaging over multiple viewings, taking into account the frequency of exposure.
- Negotiate Effectively: Be prepared with market insights to secure favorable pricing. Partnering with an experienced agency can facilitate this process and optimize your investment.
- Leverage Creative Opportunities: Subway environments offer unique platforms for innovative advertising. Develop campaigns that interact with the commuting experience, utilizing the distinctive aspects of subway spaces to captivate your audience.
Top 10 Cities for Subway Advertising
Here’s an overview of the 10 best U.S. locations for subway advertising:
1. New York City
The country’s largest subway system by ridership offers diverse advertising options, including train wraps and station dominations that cover almost every inch with advertising.
Fast fact: Post-pandemic NYC subway riders are younger and more affluent than pre-COVID riders.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2. Los Angeles
LA Metro advertising offerings include traditional options as well as naming rights for stations, parking lots, experiential activations, farecards, and more.
Fast fact: The 98 miles of metro service reach 2.1 million LA residents monthly.
3. San Francisco
BART has added digital displays in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, and it also offers street team activation options.
Fast fact: Frequent advertisers on BART include tech, fashion, healthcare, education, tourism, entertainment, and events sectors.
4. Chicago
Chicago Transit Authority opportunities include one- and two-sheets, farecards, door wraps, platform displays, and more.
Fast fact: Rail ridership was up by more than a million, reaching 11.5 million per month in 2023.
5. Philadelphia
Utilizes traditional subway ad formats, including interior and exterior vehicle advertising, car cards, digital displays, station dominations, and naming rights.
Fast fact: Transit advertising reaches 98% of Philadelphia residents each week.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
6. Washington, D.C.
Metro is known for cleanliness, orderliness, and ease of use. Ad opportunities include inside Metro cars, backlit advertising displays, and two-sheet poster displays.
Fast fact: One of the peak weekend ridership times for Metro is during spring cherry blossom season.
7. Boston
Digital signage, car wraps, and station takeovers are popular forms of subway advertising.
Fast fact: More than 1 million people ride Boston subways daily.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
8. Atlanta
Offers exterior and interior rail ads, including full-train wraps and king-size panels. Station takeovers with elevator wraps, ceiling banners, and floor graphics are also available.
Fast fact: The city has 48 miles of rapid transit rail, with about 500,000 daily users.
9. Miami
Provides traditional subway advertising platforms and introduced digital kiosks in 2016 at metrorail stations.
Fast fact: Miami plans to introduce digital advertising on the columns supporting the local metrorail system.
10. Honolulu
The nation’s most recently opened subway in a major city began carrying passengers in 2023. Advertising inventory is evolving, offering a chance to get in on the ground floor.
Fast fact: The rapid transit system is located above ground-level congestion rather than below it (hence the name “Skyline”).
11. Lindenwold, N.J.
Located outside Philadelphia, Lindenwold is home base to one of the most in-demand non-metropolitan subway systems. Advertising options are handled through a third party, Intersection.
Fast fact: PATCO is one of six rapid transit systems in the U.S. that operates 24 hours per day.
12. Baltimore
The Baltimore Metro Subway Link has a variety of options available, and the Maryland Transit Administration will work directly with advertisers to find unique ways to connect with the audience. Fast fact: Ridership on the subway is just shy of 2 million on weekdays.
13. San Juan
Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) oversees Tren Urbano, which has 16 stations and 74 rail cars. The Authority also handles advertising opportunities.
Fast fact: While the majority of the system is elevated, like in Honolulu, there is a 1.1-mile underground in Rio Piedras.
14. Tokyo
Digital advertising on LCD trains has become popular in Tokyo, complementing the train exterior and interior options as well as station advertising.
Fast fact: Almost 7 million riders use the Tokyo subway daily.
15. London
Advertising options for the Underground in London include full-motion video, and Global, which handles all Underground advertising, says studies have found improvements in foot traffic and brand engagement among Underground advertisers.
Fast fact: The subway hosts 5 million daily trips.
16. Berlin
Advertising space on the wall behind trains is a popular option in Berlin, which runs 10 lines and 173 stations, with tracks located mostly underground.
Fast fact: About 1.5 million people use the Berlin subway daily.
17. Madrid
JC Decaux, which manages the advertising network for subway advertising in Madrid, has begun installing digital screens in more than 100 stations across the city. Other traditional options are also available.
Fast fact: Madrid Metro ridership rose 15% in 2023, to more than 662 million.
18. Barcelona
In addition to more than 2,000 supports throughout the subway lines where advertisers can solicit, the Barcelona subway recently began a dynamic opportunity that reproduces the effects of commercials.
Fast fact: The eight Barcelona lines hosted more than 440 million trips in 2023.
19. Paris
In Paris, you can book the entrance to the local Metro, back banners on the train, inside banners on the train, ads on the platform and much more.
Fast fact: The minimum booking for most ad formats is seven days.
20. Beijing
The world’s busiest subway system has become known for campaigns that go viral—from illuminated ads in tunnels during the early 2010s to cyberpunk vibes of more recent ones that make a splash on Reddit. You’ll find one of the most extensive advertising inventories in Beijing.
Fast fact: The system has a stunning 490 stations.
21. Shanghai
The Shanghai subway advertising options run from the traditional, such as posters, to the more innovative, like tunnels lined with LCD screens and food vending machines loaded with ads.
Fast fact: Shanghai has the world’s second-longest subway system at more than 500 miles.
22. Seoul
Seoul has many of the same subway advertising options as the rest of the world, including on station walls—that’s a popular purchase for fan groups who want to wish their favorite K-pop, Korean or sports drama star happy birthday.
Fast fact: Seoul was the world’s first subway system to use transparent ad displays.
23. Delhi
Delhi made international headlines last year when it started broadcasting audio ads inside cars—a move firmly rejected by riders. Lesson learned; Delhi is now keeping the vast majority of its ad options visible, not listenable.
Fast fact: Trains make more than 4,300 trips per day.
24. Montreal
Montreal has traditional subway advertising options available, including attractive backlit station posters and sleek station wraps, plus a network of Metrovision digital screens.
Fast fact: Montreal boasts North America’s third-busiest subway system, behind Mexico City and New York City.
25. Mexico City
While you can pursue the traditional subway advertising options on the Mexico City Metro, you can also negotiate special approaches. For instance, in a campaign a few years ago, the JUNTOS campaign had screens placed in subway stations so riders could watch the group’s video.
Fast fact: Daily ridership on the Mexico City Metro is more than 4.5 million.
How to Advertise on Subways
Advertising in subway systems offers unparalleled access to a diverse and captive audience, making it a highly effective medium for brand exposure. However, navigating the complexities of transit advertising requires expertise and established relationships with local transit authorities and vendors. Partnering with an experienced agency like ours ensures that your campaign benefits from:
- Strategic Media Placement: Leveraging data-driven insights to position your ads for maximum impact.
- Cost Efficiency: Utilizing our established relationships to secure competitive pricing and premium placements.
- Creative Execution: Developing compelling visuals and messages that resonate with commuters.
By collaborating with us, you can effectively reach your target audience and achieve your advertising objectives within the subway environment.
Contact us today to explore subway advertising opportunities tailored to your brand’s needs.
Hi! I am the marketing director for the Korean skincare brand, Then I Met You. We are launching in Sephora stores March, 2025 and are interested in doing OOH & subway, whiteposting ads to drive awareness of our brand and traffic to Sephora stores in NY, and possibly other metro areas like LA, Miami and Houston. I would love to connect to understand what your agency could do for us, rates, lead times for buying ad placements etc. Thank you!