City signs new bus contract

Transit riders will no longer have to worry about vanishing bus benches as the City Council approved a 10-year contract Friday with a new firm that plans to replace all 5,000 of the fixtures.Daily News,

Following a lengthy debate, the council voted 11-1 in favor of a contract with Martin Outdoor Media, which promised to pay the city at least $2.7 million of its advertising revenue over the next decade.

"What is most important is to make sure these benches fit in with the community plans and we make sure there are benches in the most transit-dependent corridors of our city," Councilman Bill Rosendahl said. "We know there needs to be significant amounts of advertising, but it needs to fit in with the community."