New shelters set to create a buzz across the city

Derby City Council has announced that the city’s bus shelters will soon be replaced with new, eco-friendly alternatives.

Around half of Derby’s 90 new shelters will feature living roofs – nicknamed ‘Bee Bus Stops’ – designed to enhance biodiversity.

Each one is planted with a mix of native wildflowers and sedum plants – ideal food sources and habitats for a wide variety of pollinating insects including solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies, whose numbers have been in decline in recent years.

Once complete, Derby will be home to the UK’s largest city network of living roof shelters.

Shelters not receiving living roofs will be installed with solar panels where possible, which will power low-energy smart lighting.

The move comes after the city council recently awarded a 10-year contract to advertising and infrastructure company Clear Channel UK to replace, manage and clean the city’s bus shelters.

Work to revamp and replace the shelters is due to begin this spring.

Councillor Steve Hassall, the city council’s cabinet member for regeneration, decarbonisation, strategic planning and transport, said: “The new contract with Clear Channel will bring many benefits for residents and the city.

“We’re pleased to be working with the team at Clear Channel to make public transport infrastructure in the city even more sustainable.

“It is vital that we do everything we can to mitigate the impact of climate change.”

Will Ramage, managing director at Clear Channel, said: “We’re overjoyed to be working with Derby City Council to bring the greenest, cleanest and most sustainable bus shelters to the city for the residents and visitors of Derby.

“The council has big aspirations for making the city greener and more sustainable, and I’m really glad our latest innovations can help achieve their environmental goals.”