Tecumseh's Unconquered Sun is selling two cutting edge bus shelters to Sarnia Transit and is in talks with Transit Windsor and the Toronto Transit Commission for similar pilot programs.
Company Founder Sean Moore says the shelters combine solar panels and remote GPS technology to make a homegrown, marketable, renewable energy product.
"I think all these transit authorities are really looking for additional streams of revenue to actually maintain their transit shelters believe it or not, you see a lot of dilapidated ones around the city," says Moore.
According to Moore, between ad revenue and electricity bill savings, the shelters provide roughly $3,500 a year in revenue for transit authorities.
He also points to the remote technology as what really gives the shelters a cutting edge.
"I can control these things by my cell phone, I can set them up to be timed," says Moore. "Maintenance you'll know exactly what's wrong with one if there is a problem or if there's a major event that happens to them or if they're sabotaged, you'll know."
The shelters can also be outfitted with security cameras and ports for charging cell phones or other devices.
Moore wouldn't disclose the price of the shelters instead pointing to $250,000 in potential revenue the two shelters heading to Sarnia could generate.
He adds his company didn't receive any government subsidies in developing the solar shelter.
A call to Sarnia Transit has gone unreturned as of publishing.
An Unconquered Sun solar bus shelter is unveiled at a news conference in Tecumseh on June 30, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
