The Bus Stop Builder

Created For Planners

The Bus Stop Builder was created for planners to select a bus stop location and then pick, add and scale bus stop amenities onto their creation from an amenity library that includes upgrades such as lighting, benches and shelters. Planners can then save their creation to show and gather support for bus stop improvements in their city or jurisdiction. They can also use their design as a reference when moving through their city’s procurement department process.

Get Creative

You can build as many designs as you want. We encourage you to think “outside the bus” and use this tool to envision what bus stops in your jurisdiction could be. The Bus Stop Builder is only an aid, not a formal design tool. Bus stop designs should always be reviewed by a professional.

ADA Considerations

Considerations for ADA compliance, safety, amenity size and dimension should always be included before any final bus stop amenity upgrade designs are reviewed at the city level.

If this is your first time using the Bus Stop Builder, we recommend you watch the short demo video below.

There are 4 steps to designing a bus stop:

Step 1. Find your background image
Step 2. Add your amenities to your bus stop
Step 3. Save your design
Step 4. Learn more about what to do next

Use the Bus Stop Builder

Consider Sustainable Bus Shelters

Materials 

Traditional bus shelters are often manufactured using resource-intensive materials that produce significant emissions during the extraction and manufacturing process. As a sustainable alternative, municipalities can opt for eco-friendly bus shelters. Cities can procure shelters made from materials with smaller ecological footprints, such as bio-based materials like bamboo and wood, or that are built using alternative materials to polycarbonate paneling. Shelters can also be made with upcycled steel, concrete, aluminum, glass and other “second life” mechanical components from previous architecture or construction projects. 

Vegetation 

Municipalities can procure bus shelters with roofs and side panels fitted with vegetation and plant life. Vegetated bus shelters serve a variety of purposes: they mitigate urban heat island by providing cooling effects, provide wildlife habitat and ecosystem benefits and naturally absorb rainwater and buffer against flooding impacts. Municipalities should pursue bus shelters with vegetation in coordination with other city agencies to ensure plant life can be adequately maintained and not otherwise negatively impact the streetscape. 

Energy Savings 

Cities can procure bus shelters that are energy efficient. Shelters can integrate solar panels into their designs, making them less reliant on nonrenewable energy sources. Shelters can also employ passive design principles that emphasize natural light and ventilation sources.  

Modular Construction 

Bus shelters can also be designed to reduce building and maintenance costs. Cities can partner with manufacturers that design shelters that are assembled using prefabricated modules that reduce waste and construction time. These “kits of parts” are often flexible and can be adapted to fit a variety of locations and surroundings. They are also scalable, contributing to low development costs and reduced emissions impacts of more traditional building methods. 

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops.

Step 2: Add your amenities to your bus stop

  • Click the “Amenity Library” button to open the Library:
    • Scroll through the Amenity Library on the right to drag and drop your chosen amenities or use the “Add” button.
    • You can add, move, rotate, scale, and delete any amenity. You can also add as many as you like.
    • NOTE: All amenities may not be appropriate for all sidewalk widths. Consider amenities like the Lean Bar for narrower sidewalks, whereas amenities such as Shelters are more appropriate for wider sidewalks.


Step 3: Save your design

  • Choose the “Finalize & Save” button, then fill out the brief Contact Form.
    • You’ll then be taken to a unique link to your design; keep it on file for viewing later at any time.

Using the Builder to design your bus stop

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops, and when the background image you choose below is viewed straight on

Step 1: Find your background image

  • via the map below on the left, you can go to the bus stop you wish to design, then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to where your bus stop is on the map, or
  • via the “Upload Background” button, you can upload an image of the bus stop from your local device (it works best if your image is square), then you’ll be taken to Step 2 right away, or
  • you can type in an address or street corner and city via the search field, then click the “Search” button and then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to the red location Pin.


NOTES: It’s possible Google hasn’t created a Street View for some bus stops. If this is the case for the bus stop you want to add amenities to, you may want to consider taking a smartphone photo of that bus stop and uploading it here via the “Upload Background” button (crop your image square). Per Google Street Map View compliance rules, it is not possible to edit the lighting or shading of a Google Street View background, so choose thoughtfully or upload your own image.

Once you have your chosen bus stop background on the right, select the “Design Bus Stop” button to go to the next screen to then add amenities.