This message is from Calgary Transit officals:

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in vandalism of bus shelters throughout the system. Although the increase in damage does not cost The City, there are some negative impacts to the customer experience and adjacent communities. Calgary Transit’s bus shelter contract is currently with Outfront Media and includes the maintenance and repair of all bus shelters, and the installation of new shelters on the system.

• In addition to the increase in vandalism, Outfront Media experienced supply chain issues in 2021 with replacement glass and that resulted in 356 shelters without some panes of glass. Calgary Transit has been working closely with the vendor to develop a replacement plan and have since been successful in receiving enough glass to repair all outstanding shelters and are close to closing the backlog.  

• The glass used in the shelters are of industry standard and are designed to break in small chunks, not shatter, which is safer for our customers and for pedestrians. Calgary Transit has piloted other products, but the existing glass is the best one for safety reasons. Plexiglass for instance, is less likely to break, but is easily vandalized with scratching and burning thus limiting transparency. This makes it a safety issue as customers cannot be seen from the outside. Other transit agencies have looked at removing panels all together and just having metal designs but it provides no wind break or thermal protection, but overall, transit agencies use the same type of shatter-proof glass as Calgary Transit.

• Unfortunately, bus shelter vandalism is not unique to Calgary. During the pandemic, transit agencies throughout the country have experienced increases to bus shelter vandalism and social disorder in general that have come about with less people out in the community, taking transit, and lack of activities for citizens.