New look for bus stops

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PETALING Jaya has taken on a more refreshing look recently with more old bus shelters being replaced by stylish ones made of tempered glass.

Parisign Corporation Sdn Bhd has built 106 bus shelters in the city since September last year.

The company will eventually replace all the more than 400 bus shelters in the city and add another 100 in the new townships. The move is targeted to be completed by December next year, or mid-2011 at the latest.

Protection: The new bus shelters’ black polycarbonate roofing and glass panels in spiral green can protect commuters from UV rays.

After that, the company will build another 200 taxi shelters with a similar design.

The new shelters are not only more aesthetically appealing but also bring some relief to the problem of illegal bills and posters.

According to Parisign general manager Henry Tan, the glass panels allow for bills and posters to be removed and cleaned easily. Previously, the panels were made of plastic and markings would be left behind even after the posters were removed.

“The company does not receive any funding from the council for the construction of the new bus shelters. We bear the full costs and, in turn, we get advertising rights for 15 years,” said Tan at the company’s factory in Kampung Chempaka, Petaling Jaya.

“We are required to clean the bus shelters twice a month and we have also bought insurance for the facilities,” he said.

Parisign was founded in 1976 as a signage supplier that later specialised in outdoor media. The contract to build bus shelters for Petaling Jaya in exchange for advertising rights was granted to them in 1996 but the implementation was delayed due to technical issues.

“To us, commuters are the real clients because they are the ones who look at the advertisements. As such, their comfort and safety is our priority,” Tan said.

The bus shelters are built with black polycarbonate roofing that can protect commuters from UV rays while the glass panels in spiral green have also been coated with UV films.

They are designed using a modular system that makes it easy for expansion if the number of commuters using the bus stop increases over time.

Many of the bus stops, depending on the location and necessity, are built with front panels to shield commuters from rain or splashes of water from puddles on the road when cars drive past.

Beverage vending machines are also placed at many of the bus stops for those wanting to quench their thirst.

Safety concern: The bus shelters are designed modularly to make it easier to expand.

Tan said the design was fully developed by Parisign and the company was always trying out new ideas to improve the facility.

Two bus stops, one located near KWSP building on the Federal Highway and the other in PJ8, are fitted with fans.

“Our teams, including management personnel, make regular visits to the sites to get feedback from the users,” he added.

Parisign has also built 139 similar bus shelters in Kuala Lumpur under an advertising agreement with the City Hall.