Overview
- Four diffusers are releasing Bath & Body Works’ Fresh Balsam fragrance in the tunnel linking the 42nd Street shuttle and the Lexington Avenue line at Grand Central.
- The devices emit visible bursts of vapor, and the company estimates 20 to 30 pounds of fragrance will be dispersed by the end of the campaign on Nov. 30.
- MTA signage alerts riders that the area is being freshened with a special fragrance and notes a faint mist may be visible.
- Commuter reactions range from describing a pleasant, Christmassy pine-vanilla scent to some riders saying they barely noticed it.
- The MTA calls the activation a first-of-its-kind revenue initiative following prior pilots in Queens and Brooklyn, and neither the agency nor the company has disclosed the campaign’s cost.