Vector Media partnered with Tranzito in what the companies call one of the largest contracts for out-of-home (OOH) media and real-time information. The two have been awarded the City of Los Angeles’s Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program contract to upgrade LA’s bus shelter network.

The Los Angeles City Council approved the Tranzito-Vector contract, up to 20-years, installing 3,450 new shade and shelter structures across Los Angeles, as well as hundreds of other transportation amenities to enhance the riders’ experience. It will take five years to build.

“The city will get 60.5% of the revenue share as a concessionary contract,” said Gene Oh, CEO at Tranzito.

Oh said eventually the structures will have a space for Uber, Lyft and other ride-share companies to pick-up passengers.

“We’re starting to look at these locations as an interconnected network,” he said.

The structures will incorporate state-of-the-art technology that provide real-time arrival and departure information, city messages, and emergency broadcasts at all locations. A consumer app will provide all the information.

They will have intuitive lighting technology, inductive cell-phone charging, and a host of other features including e-scooter docks, shared delivery lockers, and information and wayfinding kiosks.

The terminals, many solar powered, will use E-Paper Display technology, like the technology used in Amazon Kindle. The structures require very low power. The benches have dividers between the seats to discourage people from sleeping on them.

Marc Borzykowski, CEO at Vector Media, said the company will offer experiential marketing opportunities around the units and “shelter domination” to allow brands to take over the message beyond the ad panel.

“We plan to roll out a series of new advertising and sponsorship initiatives that will serve all types of advertisers, from large national corporations to the many local small businesses and not-for-profits that make Los Angeles such a unique and dynamic place,” he said.

The more than 3,000 shelter networks will include approximately 700 dual-panel digital OOH displays as well as 100 16-foot icon panels for premium advertising placement across Los Angeles.

Borzykowski said the companies-built replacement costs into the budget in the event of any vandalism that might come because of the structures being in Los Angeles.

“The digital screens, which will make up about a quarter of the units, … there are precautions built in such double-pane glass,” Borzykowski said.

Vector Media and Tranzito have been awarded the City of Los Angeles’s Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program contract to upgrade LA’s bus shelter network. The companies say their partnership is one of the largest contracts for OOH media and real-time information.