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The city might look a little different for Sydney commuters who have spent the last two years working from home. And no, it’s not the light rail or improved weather.
Supply chain issues, worker shortages and a not-so-healthy bout of rain worked against QMS Media, the billboard company behind the revamp of the city’s bus shelters, public toilets, kiosks and signage.
But, the rollout is now nearly complete.
The new bus shelters will keep commuters cool in the summer.Credit:Rhett Wyman
Over the past eight months QMS has installed hundreds of new bus-stop shelters, bins, benches and toilets across the City of Sydney’s 26-square-kilometre area. The refurbishment is the first of its kind for the city in more than two decades. It has been a major point of frustration for residents, small businesses and the incumbent provider, JCDecaux. However, the company behind the revamp is hoping the outcome is worth the wait.
“It’s something to be proud of,” says QMS’ chief customer officer Mark Fairhurst, who has been involved in the process since the company first engaged with the City of Sydney council in 2019. “The existing furniture was put there before the Sydney Olympics. The dynamics of the city have changed.”
Bus shelters with technology to keep commuters cool in the summer months and self-cleaning toilets are all part of the change, which media sources previously said cost north of $100 million to complete. The new accessible toilets will have green roofs, designed to keep the toilet cool and improve the amount of greenery in the area and the city will have fewer kiosks - which Fairhurst says is due to reduced demand.
There are also 150 new communication panels - 86-inch screens with LED low-energy lighting that feature advertisements on one side and information about what is going on in the city on the other.
Each screen, toilet and kiosk is running on 100 per cent renewable energy and the infrastructure used is made from highly recyclable materials, which were requirements under the city’s 2030 sustainability vision (focused on reducing carbon emissions).
Sydney city’s outdoor advertising contract is widely considered the most lucrative in the country. It is estimated to be worth between $500 to $600 million in advertising over a decade and covers 33 suburbs that make up the most populated city in Australia. QMS will make its money by selling advertising space on the kiosks, bus shelters and large billboards, which are spread across Sydney CBD and suburbs such as Alexandria, Zetland and Paddington.