New Bus Shelters Reflect Westminster’s Many Faces

In Westminster, you can catch the bus in style. Three styles.

All of the city’s worn-out, faded benches, many with bankruptcy ads on them, will be plucked from the ground to make way for glossy themed bus shelters by the end of this month.

Patrons in Little Saigon will get sun protection from a red tile rooftop vaguely reminiscent of an Asian roof line with curved corners. Wait for the bus at the Civic Center and you’ll be in an Old English-style shelter, complete with arched roof and faux stained glass. Anywhere else in the city, you’ll be slightly less pampered with a Mediterranean-style beige shelter.

All of the stops will sport color-coordinated trash cans, and will be lighted at night with a glowing “W,” in honor of the city.

“It’s a grand scheme to update the city’s look,” said Gerard Charles, a city engineering technician who lobbied for the shelters. “We’re proud. . . . It’s a cut above the rest.”

Westminster, the first city in the county to have themed bus shelters, is also making money off the deal.

City officials said they had received complaints from senior citizens and others who found the old bench advertisements offensive.

The city rented out all 150 of its bus shelters to an advertising agency, Eller Media, for at least $3.4 million through 2010. The city will have right of refusal on any ad, and could get additional money, depending on advertising revenue. As part of the 10-year contract, the ad company is responsible for keeping bus shelters clean.

“It’s really cutting edge to have three designs because Westminster is such a diverse city,” said Phil R. Anthony, a spokesman for Eller Media in Orange, which contracts with most of the cities in the county to maintain and advertise in bus shelters. “It’s a better place to catch the bus.”

Imogene Driskill, 78, who lives near Brookhurst Street and Bolsa Avenue, where an Asian-themed shelter has been built, said the architecture was well-chosen.

“They make me think I’m in Vietnam,” said Driskill, who has lived in Westminster for 20 years. “They fit right in with the area, which has become a landmark.”

Taking shelter behind a restaurant from the sun and breeze last week, Sao Nguyen was excited about the prospect of new benches. She travels by bus from Garden Grove to the Asian-American Senior Citizen Assn. and various grocery stores in Little Saigon about three times a week. The spot where she catches the bus, at Magnolia and Bolsa avenues, has been razed in preparation for the new look.

“I can’t wait,” she said, running to catch an arriving bus. “It takes a long time for the bus to arrive, so it’s good to have some shade.”