Winnipeg to install more polycarbonate panels at bus shelters

More bus shelters in Winnipeg will soon have their glass panels swapped out for a stronger alternative.

More bus shelters in Winnipeg will soon have polycarbonate panels compared to glass, as the city said a pilot project is showing positive results.

The pilot project started in the fall last year after the city was spending more than $1 million to replace shattered glass at shelters.

To start, 22 shelters were selected to test out polycarbonate panels. Each location was chosen due to the “high rates of vandalism,” the city said.

So far, 14 of the shelters weren’t vandalized, and six had panels popped out, but crews were able to put them back in undamaged.

One shelter did require the panels to be replaced after a car crashed into the shelter. The city said the panels survived the crash, but they were stolen before city crews arrived to pop them back in.

“By installing stronger, more durable panels, we’re making sure shelters stay in place and stay usable. It’s a practical step that improves service for Transit riders while protecting taxpayer dollars,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a news release.

The city plans to install the polycarbonate at six more shelters this spring and another 50 by the end of 2026.

Polycarbonate panels cost 15 per cent more than glass but are 250 times more damage resistant.