Failed Public-Private Partnership Leaves Bus Stops With No Shade in Los Angeles

"More than half of the bus shelters planned under a city of Los Angeles contract have not been built, leaving riders at more than 800 locations without shelters and depriving the city of millions in unrealized advertising revenues," report Meghan McCarty and Aaron Mendelson.

The duo reports for this KPCC investigation into the results of a 2001 contract between the city of Los Angeles and CBS Decaux. In addition to the missing bus stop shelters, the city has missed out on $80 million in projected revenue.

McCarty and Mendelson provide the details of a public-private partnership gone wrong. The problem boils down to conflicts of interest. The goals of a transit system and the goals of an advertising company do not often align.

Bus riders and transit agencies want the shelters where they are most needed, often at busy bus stops in low-income communities where bus ridership is high. But advertising ventures like CBS Decaux have other priorities.

The article shares anecdotes from the experiences of Los Angeles residents who wait on buses without protection from the Southern California sun. Meghan McCarty also wrote a follow-up post sharing social media reactions to the original story. The issue had already inspire local activists to create the #SeekingShade hashtag.