San Francisco Mayor Dedicates Bus Shelter That Discourages Transients

The first of 1,000 new “bum-resistant” bus shelters designed to keep commuters dry but with no place for the homeless to stretch out was dedicated near the Civic Center.

The modern, black-and-cream shelter’s first visitor was Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who called the structure “a landmark for San Francisco.”

Feinstein tried out one of the hard, narrow “flip” seats, which were chosen over benches in an effort to make sure the shelters serve their intended purpose.

“You can’t sleep on these seats,” S. Myron Tatarian, the city’s retired director of public works, noted.

In addition, the entire structure is coated with a special epoxy paint that is “highly resistant to graffiti,” Municipal Railway official Tom Jordan said.

The shelters cost about $10,000 each. The city was able to pay for them by selling exclusive outdoor advertising rights to the Gannett billboard firm for about $12 million.

About 12 shelters will be installed each week, starting in the Financial District by about Thanksgiving, a Gannett spokesman said. Eventually, there will be 650 shelters in major commercial districts and another 350 in the neighborhoods.