Croydon residents to benefit from high-tech bus shelters

Croydon council has announced that bus shelters in the borough will soon be replaced and upgraded with digital screens and state-of-the-art technology.

Croydon Council has begun a 10-year contract with VALO Smart City UK LTD which will transform sites across the borough with smart bus shelters providing real time journey information, digital screens and free public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Air quality, noise, footfall, and traffic flow sensors will be integrated in the shelters to monitor the area’s environment and digital panels will display emergency messages and travel information relevant to each specific location. Digital advertising will bring in more than £6.75 million in revenue to the council.

Mobilisation works are already underway, and the new smart bus shelters will start to be rolled out in March 2022 subject to planning approval. The move means that Croydon will be the first borough in the country to benefit from this private public partnership and VALO will install the new bus shelters for no extra charge as part of the contract.

Muhammad Ali, cabinet member for sustainable Croydon, said: “I am very excited about the arrival of these smart bus shelters which will make residents’ travel experiences more enjoyable, informative and safer. The smart city sensors will also act as a great tool in our continued mission to become a greener, more sustainable borough.

“Our partnership with innovators VALO will be our latest step towards Croydon becoming not only a digital council but the first truly connected smart borough which uses technology to enhance and transform the lives of our residents for the better.”