Next-Gen Bus Shelters Coming to L.A.

Tranzito-Vector, a joint venture between Tranzito, smart mobility operator, and  Vector Media, one of the nation’s largest transit advertising companies, has been awarded the City of Los Angeles’s Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program to upgrade LA’s bus shelter network, providing much needed shade and amenities to the City.

The contract, which has a term of up to 20 years, was approved by the Los Angeles City Council in a near-unanimous vote on Sept. 20, 2022.

Over the next five years, Tranzito-Vector will install 3,450 brand new shade and shelter structures across Los Angeles, as well as hundreds of other transportation amenities to enhance the ridership experience such as e-scooter docks for last mile mobility, shared delivery lockers, and information and wayfinding kiosks.

These new structures will incorporate state-of-the-art technology providing real-time arrival and departure information, city messaging, and emergency broadcasts at 100% of locations. 

Additionally, the structures will have intuitive lighting technology, inductive cell phone charging, and a host of other features. The new structures will be built on an open architecture enabling the structures to evolve and incorporate new features as new technologies emerge and as the city sees fit to deploy.

“We believe it’s time to evolve the bus stop,” said Gene Oh, CEO, Tranzito. “As smart mobility experts, our aim is to help cities transform today’s bus stops into tomorrow’s mobility hubs, creating a network of connected infrastructure nodes that offer both passive and active communication on the streets, and provide amenities and comforts that everyday bus riders need.  Advertising revenue will be a key driver to realize this vision, and Vector Media’s focus on transit advertising and innovative thinking make this a perfect partnership to help Los Angeles and other cities evolve with smart-city technology.”

“We are honored to have been selected by the City of Los Angeles to build out a world-class Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program,” said Marc Borzykowski, CEO, Vector Media. “We want to thank Mayor Garcetti, Council President Martinez, Council Committee Chairs Krekorian and Blumenfield, the City Council, and StreetsLA for championing the needs of bus riders to provide equitable shelter, shade, safety, and comfort at the City’s bus stops. Our partnership with Tranzito and the city of LA will be built upon a commitment to providing the citizens of Los Angeles a haven while waiting for the bus, but also providing advertisers with an exciting new canvas to tell their stories.”

Borzykowski continued, “we plan to roll out a series of new advertising and sponsorship initiatives that will serve all types of advertisers, from large national corporations to the many local small businesses and not-for-profits that make Los Angeles such a unique and dynamic city.”

Tranzito-Vector will specialize in the new mobility space, partnering with both public agencies and private operators to provide much-needed revenues, systems integration, and strategic planning to ensure an equitable and sustainable smart-cities mobility future for all.