Buzz Stops

There is a buzz at bus stops around Europe, as a growing number of them feature a living roof to support bees and other wildlife in urban environments. It is not every day that a bus shelter receives a ‘special mention from the jury’ of the European Bee Award.

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The concept began in the Dutch city of Utrecht, which now enjoys 316 bus shelters with sedum-covered roofs. Alongside supporting biodiversity in the city, the green roofs help store rainwater, provide cooling in hot weather and capture particulates.

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Utrecht’s green bus shelters were installed by RBL Outdoor and Clear Channel, who also maintain these roofs, financed by the advertising revenue generated at the sites. Many of these bus shelters also feature a solar panel on the roof, sustainably generating the electricity for the required on-site lighting.

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Similar green roofs are sprouting across Europe, including Paris, Copenhagen, Helsingborg in Sweden, and Antwerp. Following the success of the green roofs in Utrecht, Clear Channel began installing them in the UK.

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Cities around the UK embracing bee-friendly bus shelters include Sunderland, Leicester, Cardiff and Glasgow. So far, Clear Channel has installed over 70 of these living roof shelters across the UK.

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The bee-friendly bus shelters have been assessed and verified by The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Ecologists awarded these green roofs the highest significance category under Natural England’s Biodiversity Metric 3.0. Passengers can now expect to see a range of bees, butterflies and hoverflies as they wait for a bus.