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There's a New Bus Bench Management Company in Town
Photo by Fire Monkey Fish via the LAist Featured Photos pool
The battle over the exclusive right to install thousands of bus benches in the city for the next 10 years has been won — and the winner is Florida-based Martin Outdoor Media, according to The Daily News.A city council vote on Friday afternoon brings an end to the battle between two sides heavily armed with lobbyists, while a cash-strapped city hall looked for a cut of the bench's advertising revenue (they got $2.76 million over 10 years). Caught in the middle were bus riders who like to have a seat while they're waiting for their bus.
Bus benches began to disappear earlier this month after the city failed to renew its contract with Norman Bench Advertising. How long it will take the new bus managers in town to replace those missing benches was not reported, but officials said earlier that it "may be some time."
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