Brighton & Hove City bus shelters set to be transformed

Brighton & Hove’s bus shelters are set to receive a digital revitalisation, delivered in partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council and Out of Home media owner Clear Channel.

The bus shelters are a vital part of the city’s transport network and the Digital Shelter Project will see fifty existing static advertising panels replaced with digital advertising screens.

The project is part of the council’s wider modernisation programme which aims to improve the way the council delivers services. The city’s shelters already provide refuge from the elements, seating for the less able and lighting which offers safety and security for late night and early morning travellers.

The digital upgrade will reduce paper waste and vehicle emissions, through a reduced number of visits required to each shelter during the life of the contract. All Clear Channel maintained sites are powered by electricity from renewable sources.

As part of the new two year contract, which delivers a constant and beneficial revenue stream for the council, Clear Channel will also be responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of most of the bus shelters in the city, securing a number of jobs in the local area for the length of the contract.

Additionally, ten new non-advertising shelters will be installed at bus stops where no shelter currently exists. This will help to increase the number of bus stops with shelters and seating, allowing more vulnerable bus passengers to be able to access and use the bus services. The locations were chosen from a bus shelter prioritisation process approved by the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee on 26 June 2018.

Chair of the Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “Brighton & Hove has the highest rate of bus use of any local authority outside of London and as part of the 20 year long Quality Bus Partnership with local operators, we have already introduced extensive bus priority measures.

“We are committed to improving the value and usefulness of our bus stop sites and we hope that the new bus shelters encourage more people to travel sustainably, helping to improve air quality in the city.”

Clear Channel’s Director of Portfolio Will Ramage, said: “We’re exceptionally proud to be working with Brighton & Hove City Council to bring all of the benefits of digital screens to the public. We will seek to further innovate and enhance the public infrastructure offering over the term of our partnership to continue making a difference in such a culturally, economically and socially diverse city.”