On 15 September, we welcomed guests to our Product Showcase at our Sawtry Depot, bringing together local authorities, transport leaders, and industry experts for a day focused on the future of bus infrastructure.
Hostedin collaboration with Campaign for Better Transport, the event focused on asimple idea: it’s more than just a bus shelter.
If we want more people to choose public transport, the experience at the very start of their journey matters.
From feeling safe and comfortable while waiting to accessing the right information and infrastructure that works for diverse needs, the bus stop plays a vital role in how people experience and access the wider transport network.
Throughout the day, we explored what better can look like in practice, with expert insight, real-world examples and a closer look at the infrastructure already helping us and our partners make a difference.
Opening the conversation, Michael Solomon Williams, Head of Campaigns and External Affairs of Campaign for Better Transport, explored the wider role public transport plays in connecting people to jobs, education, healthcare, and their communities.
With the bus stop acting as the gateway to the wider transport network, creating a more consistent, accessible, and inclusive experience is an important part of making public transport work better for everyone.
Hissession also highlighted the opportunity for industry, local authorities, andtransport partners to work together, raise standards, and createbetter-connected transport networks across the UK.
The conversation then turned to the people using that infrastructure every day.
Behavioural science expert and Transport for Humans co-author Pete Dyson explored the human factors that influence how we choose to travel, and why those decisions aren't always based on speed, cost, or efficiency alone.
Our surroundings, experiences and confidence all play a part. Small barriers can make a significant difference, particularly for people who may already feel less confident using public transport. Equally, thoughtful improvements to the environment can help make journeys feel easier, safer, and more accessible.
It reinforced something at the heart of our approach to public infrastructure: great design starts with understanding the people who use it.
Better transport relies on better infrastructure.
Neil Chapman, Product Design Director Europe & UK at Bauer Media Outdoor, shared how we're moving beyond thinking about bus shelters as individual assets and towards creating connected infrastructure that supports the entire passenger journey.
That means designing around real needs – bringing together comfort, accessibility, safety and sustainability – while considering the full lifecycle of our infrastructure, from design and delivery through to maintenance and improvement.
As amedia owner and infrastructure partner, we can bring together our experience, expertise, and partnerships to help local authorities deliver infrastructure that works harder for their communities.
Louise Stubbings, Partnerships and Creative Director at Bauer Media Outdoor UK, brought this to life through examples of how we're already working with our council partners to deliver better passenger environments.
Because sometimes the improvements that make the biggest difference are also the most practical. Better lighting can help people feel safer. Seating makes waiting more comfortable. Well-designed shelters protect from the weather. Real-time information gives passengers greater confidence in their journey.
Together, those elements can help build trust in public transport and improve the overall experience.
From our Portsmouth Super Stops to the rollout of new Milestone bus shelters as part of Essex's Greener Routes programme, these examples illustrate what can happen when innovation, passenger needs and strong partnerships come together.
The day finished by taking the conversation outside.
Guests were invited to explore our products and infrastructure first-hand, bringing the ideas discussed throughout the day to life. It was an opportunity to see the designs up close, experience different features first-hand and speak directly with the teams behind them.
More importantly, it created a space for conversations about what comes next.
Our Product Showcase isn't simply about showing what we make. It's a forum for bringing our partners together, sharing ideas, learning from one another and continuing to explore how infrastructure can better serve the people and places around it.
Better transport infrastructure can help make journeys safer, more comfortable, more accessible and easier to navigate.
But delivering that infrastructure requires collaboration.
By bringing together the experience of our local authority partners, transport organisations, industry experts, and our own teams, we’ll continue to challenge what good looks like and explore better ways to connect people and places.
Because when infrastructure is designed around the people who use it, it becomes much more than just a bus shelter.
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