Over the last three months, two transit activists have become known as the Bench Guys by placing benches at bus stops that don't offer a place to sit.
When Darrell Owens and Mingwei Samuel noticed there were no benches at many bus stops across the East Bay, instead of sitting on their hands, they decided to take a stand. 'It's easy to feel helpless in the world with all the stuff that's going on, and this is just a way to make the world a better place,' Samuel said. Over the last three months, they've become known as the Bench Guys, pulling up to bus stops and installing their own hand-crafted creations.
But to get them 'to actually care about their bus riders and put these benches out' themselves.And while it may seem like an exercise in futility, they're already getting a sitting ovation from both city and transit officials. In fact, their project has already pushed Berkeley to swap one of their benches for an official city bench. Jean Walsh, an AC Transit board member said, this quirky campaign is forcing officials to find a solution to this deep-seated issue.
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