Let’s be honest: many bus stops are ugly. Boring benches – often with hostile architecture – in plastic huts that sometimes provide shade, depending on where the sun is. And that’s when you’re lucky.
But what if bus stops were aesthetically pleasing? Could cities encourage more people to use public transport, reducing pollution and traffic?
In a new Italian study…
… ~300 people at a bus stop near Milan were shown a VR version of a colorful bus stop with better seating and shopping opportunities. It found that they would be willing to pay an average of $4.71 more and travel about 28 minutes longer to use a more attractive stop.
Armando Cartenì, the lead author of the study and professor of transport planning, told Bloomberg that “investing in beauty is always a good decision for both private providers and public administrations.”
However, the participants were tourists and not commuters, for whom the main concern is to get to work quickly and cheaply.
For commuters…
… it is the convenience that counts; it want to be able to walk safely to your stop and wait comfortably.
A study from the University of Minnesota found that better bus stops had an impact on the perceived wait time of passengers. Passengers who:
- At stops with shelters, benches and real-time arrival information, passengers waited 10 minutes and felt like the wait lasted 11 minutes.
- Those waiting at stops without amenities perceived their 10-minute wait as 21 minutes.
A study by the University of Utah found that ridership increased at walkable stops with shelters and benches. However, it was not possible to determine whether it was existing commuters who chose the better stops or new users who were attracted by the improved service.
None of this is to say …
… Form and function are not both important: cities often rely on public art to bring vibrancy to cities, and well-designed transit stations can do both.
Buses in the USA are often associated with a stigma — something only someone without a car would choose — and not a normal part of everyday life. Attractive and well-equipped bus stops wouldn’t hurt.
For the spoilsports: If you are now thinking: “This whole thing will probably involve a lot of bureaucracy,” then you are not wrong. Here is a story about how an endorsement deal and bureaucratic red tape led to a shitty situation for drivers in LA.
