First look: TfL is trialling a brand new bus stop design across London

You know what they say about buses. You wait ages for a bus, and it’s raining, and windy, and there is nowhere to sit down apart from the weird plastic ledge thing, and then three buses come along at once. Or something like that? Anyway, because of this top-class experience, TfL has decided it’s time for the capital’s bus stops to glow up. The transport authority is running a 12-month trial at 27 bus shelters across the city as it looks to improve accessibility, safety and all-round customer experience. 

New bus shelters will be introduced in London boroughs Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Camden, Croydon, Hackney, Havering, Hillingdon, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and City of Westminster. Locations were selected based on the condition of existing shelters and the number of customers using each bus stop, as well as high crime locations. The first ones were installed at the end of January, with the trial running for the next year.

We know you’re on the edge of your seat to find out more – and not just perched on one of the current stops’ weird seat-rest hybrids. So, how will the bus shelters actually be different?

Well, TfL’s new designs have a number of enhanced features: lighting will be improved to help customers feel safer and provide better visibility; seats will be introduced for comfort and accessibility; a reflective red vinyl roof will make bus stops more recognisable in darkness and from a distance, while new materials will make the shelters less vulnerable to vandalism. TfL will also install priority seating, signified by a moquette, and CCTV cameras at 10 locations. 

The transport bosses said they engaged with a number of campaign groups and charities before creating the new designs, which will see a mixture of new and refurbished shelters installed. Feedback was given by groups including the RNIB, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and London TravelWatch. 

Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, said: ‘Many people – particularly women and girls – can feel unsafe waiting at bus shelters after dark, so better lighting and CCTV will go a long way to help them feel more safe and secure. We know that buses are a vital mode of transport for many people, so this is a positive way to encourage people to use them more and make them feel a lot safer and comfortable when they do so.

‘Our recent street space research also found that a third of Londoners wanted better places to sit and rest, so more comfortable bus shelters will no doubt be welcomed by many people, and particularly those with mobility issues. We’ll be looking out for the new bus shelters and look forward to seeing the results of the trial.’

Did you see that TfL has revealed the completion date (and cost) of the DLR extension into southeast London?