Passenger shelters are available for users of public transport. This forms part of a broader strategy to reduce the use of individual vehicles in cities. The provision of high quality shelters is one way of encouraging people to use buses to a greater extent. But what makes a good bus shelter ?
A welcoming place at all times
Bus shelters meet the needs of users waiting for public transport in what can be poor weather conditions. Depending on the schedule, users may have to wait several minutes, or even tens of minutes. Ideally they should be able to sit down and take a moment to read the paper or a book. This means they must be protected from rain and wind by a shelter with a roof, sometimes with side walls as well.
Shelters also protect users from the hot sun in mid-summer. The bus shelter itself creates some cooling shade, but local authorities can take things further by combining street furniture with plants. A shelter located under a tree increases the feeling of safety for its users. This would also make a shelter more welcoming while reducing the impacts of bad weather and sunlight. A shelter's strength is crucial as it may be exposed to the vagaries of the weather and falling branches, etc. Not to mention its proximity to the road, which exposes it to potential collisions.
Lastly, it is important that bus shelters are properly maintained so that they retain their attractiveness over the years. However, some stains are harder to remove than others. The effects of vandalism can be especially difficult to remove. Street furniture increasingly features surfaces which have been specially designed and treated to simplify the removal of graffiti. This is an important criterion as it has been statistically proven that clean and well-maintained public spaces encourage civic-minded behaviour, whereas poorly-maintained areas tend to deteriorate more quickly.
A great place for disseminating information
Bus shelters are also ideal places to provide information to passengers.
The users will certainly expect to find the timetables of the lines serving the stop. This is the essential information, but other content can also be provided including local news, upcoming events, projects and development work in progress, etc. If the local authority has a message they want to get across, passenger shelters are excellent places to do it. Users are willing to read information, and may even request new content, if they have to wait for relatively long periods.
Designer bus shelters can integrate perfectly into their surroundings
Plexiglass bus shelters are very popular, but they are not suitable for all environments. They are often found in open countryside, outside contemporary office buildings and in historic city centres... But manufacturers of street furniture have far more to offer. Glass surfaces can be combined with robust, long-lasting materials such as concrete. Composite materials can also be made to imitate wood while having fewer maintenance requirements. These avenues must be explored if we want street furniture to blend in perfectly with the local architectural style and to meet the technical and practical expectations of both the local authority and its users.
Francioli, long-lasting, stylish passenger shelters
Francioli specializes in the supply and installation of public amenities and offers a wide range of hard-wearing, attractive passenger shelters in a variety of styles: small and large models, with and without benches, glass walls, imitation wood, polished granito, etc. Francioli's street furniture offering has been designed to meet the requirements of a variety of urban environments, from the most modern to the more natural.
Passenger shelters with glass partitions
Having a glass partition on the traffic side, this passenger shelter enables users to check if their bus is arriving while remaining protected from bad weather. This shelter features a glass-cement roof and polished granito side walls. The unit also incorporates two concrete benches.
Large and small shelters
Do you need harmonized furniture for both high-frequency lines and less-frequented stops? Francioli offers passenger shelters with similar architectural styles in a variety of sizes. The largest comes with a 12 cm thick slab and two separate bench seats. The smaller model is delivered without a floor slab and includes a single bench seat.
Overhanging roof shelter, simple and accessible
The overhanging roof shelter is a very simple model consisting of a base slab and a roof, but without side protection. This street furniture unit effectively protects travellers from both rain and sunshine. Made of concrete and steel, it has been designed to provide long-term convenience for users on their daily commute, including people with reduced mobility (PRM).
All Francioli products are entirely made in France. Thanks to the natural properties of concrete and an effective anti-graffiti treatment, Francioli shelters offer a welcoming environment and good protection against the elements. They are guaranteed to improve the image of public transport among the general public.
