These Aren’t America’s Best Bus Stops … But We Still Love Them

You still have a little time to submit your nomination for our America’s Best Bus Stops contest — and we’ve got a little last-minute inspiration for you.

When we announced our quest to find the greatest bus waiting areas in the U.S. (and Canadian) transit network, we got a lot of kind emails from international readers who wanted to give their own country’s stops a shout-out, too.

Here are just a few — and don’t forget to submit your own via this Google form by the end of the day, or scroll to the bottom for more options for how to send your pick.

Is there any better place to stop and smell the roses than this stop in Queensland, Australia? This cozy shelter is the perfect reminder of just how romantic shared transportation can be — and how little human touches can make even a less-trafficked route a joy to ride.

“Whilst there are many good (and a few bad) bus stops that come to mind [in Australia], I just thought I’d share one that all brings a smile to my face,” said submitter Richard. “It’s located on the Brisbane Valley Highway in Queensland, a rural location with only a handful of buses passing each day, at the intersection with Lovers Lane.  When you see the bus shelter I’m sure it will brighten your day as well.”

This high-tech bus stop – or, more accurately, this bus loop — next to the University of British Columbia in Canada features real-time arrival and departure information, tons of shelter and benches, deep sidewalks to keep riders comfortably away from the surrounding roads, and even (gasp!) its own recycling bins. Nominator Patrick adds that those trees to the left are beautiful in the spring, and that the many routes this station serves are able to navigate around one another with ease. Swoon.

Transit-rich Japan has a lot of great bus stops, but maybe none is richer in antioxidants than this series of fruit-shaped shelters that run along Highway 207 in Nagasaki. An anonymous nominator wanted to be sure we knew that you can actually sit in this thing, which comes complete with a bench — as do the 15 other super-kawaii stops just like it, some of which look like watermelons, cantaloupes, oranges, and even tomatoes. (Yes,  tomatoes are fruits too, least depending on whom you ask.)

Your town’s best bus stops might not be quite this sweet, but we still want to see what makes them so great. Submit it here in two minutes, or send us:

1. A photo of your stupendous bus stop — taken by you, or a link to the location on Google Maps where we can grab a screenshot from Street View.
2. The location of your stop — either the closest street address, or a link to the location on Google Maps.
3. The name of the line and transit system that the stop serves (please be as specific as possible, so we know which agency to call to congratulate them!)
4. If you know it: a link to the Twitter handle for the public agency responsible for maintaining that stop.
5. A few words about why this bus stop deserves a little celebration.

You can email the above to us by clicking here. or DM it to us on Twitter @streetsblogusa, or tag us in a post with the hashtag #BestBusStops2022 — or, again, just fill out this Google Form to do it all in a snap.