SamTrans continues with bus stop improvements

“The purpose is to produce design standards to refresh our existing amenities and provide standards for those brand-new amenities,” said Planning Analyst Nicholette Tolmie. 

The project is still in the early stages, and once the amenities are selected for the different types of stops, the agency can better estimate the costs of full implementation, according to a recent staff report.

In addition to better information displays, the bus shelters will also comprise materials that are better protected against weather and more immune to damage.

“We specifically did not select any materials or components that were difficult  to procure so that when something breaks we can fix it quickly,” Principal Planner Christopher Espiritu said. “We are … moving toward perforated aluminum walls, instead of glass, which is easily vandalized and very expensive to replace.”

Board Member Jeff Gee, also a Redwood City councilmember, said the agency also needs to ensure the agency can provide adequate ongoing maintenance for all the improved stops. 

“This is going to look great when they get deployed the first five years,” Gee said. “But if we don't maintain them or replace them for five years, it's reputational damage, so beyond whatever the cost is here, we also need to make the commitment for maintenance and a reserve fund to replace the old stuff with new stuff.”