Yahoo Wires Bus Stops for Local Launch

Yahoo is bringing the Internet to bus stops to support its national launch of Yahoo Local.

Commuters access Yahoo Local on the fly

Yahoo puts Internet kiosks at bus stops in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles to promote its new local search services. Each kiosk has a 42-inch plasma monitor, keyboard and printer so riders can print out maps and other information on-site.

The kiosks tout Yahoo Local, a new search service that gives comprehensive merchant listings by town and lets surfers pinpoint local information. Yahoo began testing local search services in August and rolls it out nationally this month.

"Local searchers can now feel like an insider in the neighborhood they are exploring, whether it is knowing the best bakery, bookstore or tailor," said Yahoo Local general manager Paul Levine in a statement.

A Local Finds online sweepstakes will award prizes from local merchants in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC. Site visitors in each city see an invitation to enter the sweeps on the Yahoo Local search page. Street teams in key cities tout Yahoo Local to commuters. Yahoo handles Yahoo Local Marketing in-house.

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