Singapore designed what could be the world's best bus stop, with swings, books, and a rooftop garden

pulse

March 2, 2017 5:40 PM

Singapore may have designed the world's best bus stop.

A bus stop in Jurong, Singapore.

Singaporean firm DP Architects says it has designed a bus stop that "makes waiting fun."

Along with the print books, riders can scan a QR code to download e-books from the National Library, or check out digital screens that show arrival times, maps, the weather, news, and local events. There are also solar panels that help power the stop's tech.

"Hopefully the community will appreciate how bus stops can be an extension of their social environments, as sites of possibilities, fun and enrichment," DP Architects director Seah Chee Huang said in a press release. "We also hope this project will encourage more fellow professionals to step forward and collaborate actively in the design of our everyday public spaces, as well as inspire the community to take greater ownership in shaping their own environments."

Globally, the majority of commuters choose driving over public transportation. In 2013, researchers found that one of the biggest reasons that people give up on buses and subways is a long wait. To ease waiting anxiety, a number of subway stops in New York City, for example, have countdown clocks so that riders know when the next train is coming. Perhaps swings and books could also make waiting for the bus a more pleasant experience.

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