(a) The Council of the District of Columbia finds that:

(1) There is a shortage of bus shelters in the District of Columbia;

(2) There are over 3,500 bus stops in the District of Columbia;

(3) The District of Columbia Department of Transportation estimates that it would be appropriate to place bus shelters at at least 1,500 of the 3,500 bus stops with advertisements on 750 of the bus shelters;

(4) The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority currently proposes to install only 366 bus shelters in the District of Columbia;

(5) Additional bus shelters will enhance the safety and convenience of bus transportation throughout the District of Columbia;

(6) It currently costs approximately $2,800 to purchase and install a bus shelter in the District of Columbia (the United States Department of Transportation has been paying 80% of this amount, while the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is responsible for 20%);

(7) The District of Columbia government does not have the funds to purchase and install the number of bus shelters which are necessary to meet the needs of the bus-riding public in the District of Columbia; and

(8) The awarding of a franchise agreement, granting the right to erect and maintain bus shelters containing advertisement display panels along public streets, can provide the needed bus shelters at no cost to the District of Columbia and will further afford the District of Columbia additional revenues.

(b) The purposes of this chapter are to:

(1) Provide the District of Columbia with bus shelters along its bus transportation routes;

(2) Install and maintain bus shelters in the District of Columbia through the awarding of a franchise agreement;

(3) Permit advertisement to be displayed on some of the bus shelters; and

(4) Generate revenues for the District of Columbia.

(c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as comprising the franchise agreement.

(May 10, 1980, D.C. Law 3-67, § 2, 27 DCR 1266.)