If all goes according to plan, customers could find themselves packed on a Red Line train heading for Fidelity Park Street Station.
During a joint meeting with members of the MassDOT/MBTA Committee on Finance and Audit on Tuesday, Mark Boyle, the T’s assistant general manager for development, told members of the board that the transit agency has developed a plan to sell station naming rights to corporate sponsors.
For the last few months the MBTA has studied the feasibility of rolling out the “MBTA Corporate Partnership Program” to enter into long-term contracts and partnerships with “well-established sponsors.”
Boyle said they interviewed more than 300 people about the proposal and also held a focus group to get feedback from customers.
“All of that has come back with positive results and we believe this is a program which should go to the next step,” said Boyle.
If passed, upon purchasing naming rights, a corporate sponsor would get their companies moniker printed on T maps and signage.
They would also get station advertising space, advertising on the T’s website and automated stop announcements.
“When pulling into a station, it would have their name mentioned,” said Boyle.
The proposed contracts would run for 8-years, and be for select stations only, according to Boyle.
No historical stations could be renamed, he said, referencing Park Street, Copley Station and South Station, but corporate names could be added in front of the existing name.
Boyle presented three possible sign scenarios (pictured above) which he said would help generate millions of dollars for the MBTA annually.
According to estimates, the T could make roughly $1.7 million dollars in non-fare revenue per station, per year for certain stations.
The T would consider selling the names to the six busiest stations first, such as Downtown Crossing, Back Bay and Airport Stations.
If all six of the busiest station names were sold to corporate sponsors, the T could roll in close to $84 million over an eight year period.
If that venture worked well, the T would then consider selling the names of additional stations, said Boyle.
The second wave of stations would include Copley Square, State Street, Boylston, Harvard and Kendall. Those stations combined could bring in $62 million over and 8-year period.
Combined, the T could stand to gain $147 million.
Boyle said there were other benefits besides the annual non-fare revenue, however.
“We believe this opportunity would lead to upgrades and some maintenance in key stations because a corporate name would be attached,” he said.
Stops Like “Harvard,” that already have big names attached to their location, could find themselves defending their brand if the T decided to put them out to bid, as well.
“We believe if another corporate name would be added to places like Harvard, they would in fact become interested in [purchasing the rights],” said Boyle.
The T will reach out to those organizations with names on stations prior to anything going out to bid, if the proposal is passed.
Some board members worried, however, that selling naming rights would confuse passengers and tourists.
“Fidelty, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, whatever—they don’t mean anything spatially,” said board member Elizabeth Levin. “So how are we not going to confuse people?”
Levin also worried about corporate sponsors with “weird names” purchasing the rights to station names.
Boyle said the “way-finding name” would remain the same and be prominent to avoid confusion.
If it were up to Committee member Francis Alvaro, though, someone would name the Fenway T stop after the New York Yankees.
“As a longtime Yankee’s fan, I’d love to see ‘Yankee Fenway Station,’” said Alvaro, during the briefing Tuesday.
Joking aside, Alvaro said before the T moves forward with any plans to sell the names of its stations, they should consider ways to protect the transit agency from entering an agreement with companies that could go sour.
“We should be able to terminate these things at will. If Fidelity becomes he next Enron, we shouldn’t be calling Fidelity anything,” he said.
Boyle said they are ready to move forward with the initiative by mid-summer, and they will present the proposal to the full MassDOT Board of Directors in July.
Commuter Rail naming rights are also being considered as a way to fund and upgrade the Commuter Rail WIFI System.
Here is the list of Stations that could get renamed if the MBTA accepts a new proposal to sell naming rights:
- Downtown Crossing
- South Station
- Park Street
- Back Bay
- North Station
- Airport
- Copley Square
- State Street
- Boylston
- Harvard
- Kendall
