MBTA Grants Five-Year Contract Extension to Cemusa for Implementation and Maintenance of Bus Shelters

BOSTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Cemusa, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of urban outdoor furniture, today announced that its contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has been extended for five years. The original agreement was for 10 years and included the installation and maintenance of 200 structures throughout Boston and 13 surrounding cities, including Everett, Cambridge and Somerville. Cemusa also conducted a customer satisfaction survey to determine users’ opinions regarding the MBTA bus shelters.

The survey found that over 91 percent of respondents rate the quality of the area’s new bus shelters as “very good” or “excellent.” Additionally, 85 percent of residents say the implementation of the bus shelters has also positively affected their opinion of the MBTA.

“The MBTA’s first priority is always to provide riders with a safe, clean and efficient transit experience,” said MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas. “The new bus shelters not only contribute to that goal, but also complement the many historic streets and neighborhoods in the communities we serve.”

Of the more than 200 survey participants, 89 percent of respondents rated the up-keep of the shelters as “very good” or “excellent,” while 59 percent report that the new shelters have increased their use of public transportation.

“Cemusa is pleased to provide a safe, clean and aesthetically-pleasing commuting experience for Boston area transit riders,” said Susan Baron, chief executive officer of Cemusa North America. “We are proud to help the MBTA generate additional revenue and increase rider satisfaction as part of our newly extended agreement.”

Following a comprehensive review process, Cemusa was selected as the winning bidder for the metro Boston contract in November of 2004. Cemusa’s structures cover much of the MBTA service area, including a wide variety of neighborhoods and university campuses. So far, 18 of the new bus shelters utilize solar power, and the company uses only people-, pet- and environmentally-friendly salt and sand mix for snow and ice melting, while all of its cleaning products are 100 percent organic.

Cemusa developed two shelter designs for the MBTA with 14 customized variations, allowing the structures to blend seamlessly into the varied streetscapes of the metro Boston area. The use of materials including stainless steel, aluminum extrusions and shatter-proof safety glass, combined with rigorous maintenance standards, will ensure the shelters’ durability and attractiveness over the life of the contract. Some of the structures’ design features include benches, illuminated advertising panels, transit maps and scheduling information.

Survey Methodology

Cemusa’s customer-satisfaction survey polled a random sample of over 200 MBTA riders in Cambridge and Revere over two days. All responses were tallied.

About Cemusa

Founded in 1984, with an average annual revenue growth between 15-20 percent, Cemusa represents more than 160 cities and municipalities throughout Europe and the Americas, and is quickly gaining a presence within the U.S. with secured contracts in New York, Miami-Dade County, San Antonio and Boston. Cemusa has designed, built, installed and maintained more than 160,000 urban furniture elements, which include bus shelters, clocks, public information panels, newsstands, automatic toilets, special trash containers and electronic panels. Cemusa is a subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), a leading diversified industrial construction and services group headquartered in Madrid, as well as a member of the IBEX 35, one of the largest stock market listed companies in Spain. FCC, which has been providing services to municipalities and institutions for over 100 years, has more than 93,000 employees and annual revenues of $12.9 billion. For more information, please visit http://www.cemusa.com/

    CONTACT:    Jaclyn Valrose    Edelman, for Cemusa    312-240-3378    jaclyn.valrose@edelman.com  

Cemusa

CONTACT: Jaclyn Valrose of Edelman, +1-312-240-3378,jaclyn.valrose@edelman.com, for Cemusa

Web site: http://www.cemusa.com/