Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, Texas, has awarded a three-year contract to Tolar Manufacturing Company for plans to upgrade bus stops system-wide by designing, producing and installing thousands of passenger amenities at every bus stop in the service area.
Along with over 254 Signature Sunset bus shelters that include agency branding advertising panels, Tolar will also provide new, uniquely designed Signature Sunset EcoShade six-feet wide monopole shelters for locations with narrow or limited right-of-way. The first 40 shelters, including several 18-feet high capacity Signature Sunset shelters, are scheduled to be installed with the help of certified Tolar installation partner, L.A.W. Contracting of San Antonio, Texas, in October to help celebrate Trinity Metro’s 40th anniversary.
Trinity Metro sought to ensure its customers and the community could provide feedback about the new bus shelters and amenities along a busy commuter corridor. Tolar Manufacturing was asked to create three prototype shelters that were installed along Hemphill Street in Fort Worth. Survey takers offered opinions on the amenities, from the look of the shelter, to the comfort of the bench, among other features.
“We are pleased about all of the great feedback we received about these bus stop improvements,” said Wayne Gensler, COO at Trinity Metro. “The timing is perfect for the new look because we are celebrating our 40th anniversary later this year and are planning to have 40 new shelters in place by the anniversary in November. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the occasion than by offering an enhanced customer experience for our riders.”
Trinity Metro received over 150 responses, with over 91 percent of responders stating the new bus shelters were visually appealing and provide a feeling of safety. Over half of the respondents enjoyed the new security lighting, and a large majority of respondents felt the service information helped with their travels and approved of the real-time bus tracking displays.
“We are honored to be helping Trinity Metro achieve their passenger amenity goals and look forward to not only delivering large capacity shelters but also our unique small-footprint EcoShade monopole shelters customized for the Fort Worth community,” said Scott Williams, business development manager for Tolar Manufacturing. These monopole shelters provide solar-powered security lighting, agency-provided ePaper real-time information signage and seating for two, plus ADA seating space. All Signature Sunset shelters include a standard advertising display, Mesa benches with seat delineators, wind-protecting glass walls and solar security lighting.
