Skip to content

The Brake: Where Do Great Bus Stops Come From — And How Do We Get More Of Them?

The United States have a lot more sorry stops than good ones — and to understand how these wonderful waiting areas bucked the trend, we brought in an expert for some game-time commentary. 
The Brake: Where Do Great Bus Stops Come From — And How Do We Get More Of Them?
Photo: Maria DB, CC

Streetsblog’s America’s Best Bus Stops Contest is down to its final two contenders. Nationwide, though, the United States have a lot more sorry stops than good ones — and to understand how our two wonderful waiting areas bucked the trend, we brought in an expert for some game-time commentary.

Today, Streetsblog’s podcast, The Brake, is talking with bus stop expert and Transit Center Senior Research Associate Mary Buchanan, author of the indispensable report From Sorry to Superb: Everything You Need to Know About Great Bus Stops.

Host Kea Wilson chats with Buchanan about how cities can create — or fight for — the structural conditions that help create great bus stops, and keep them well-maintained for years to come. In addition to sharing her thoughts on the finalists, Buchanan gives us a quick tour of the latest research on which essential bus stop features actually get Americans onto shared modes, and which ones are just nice to have. And then we dig into why America’s best bus networks might not have a whole lot of “great” stops at all — but they would have plenty of adequate ones.

Give it a listen, and don’t forget to vote in the final round of America’s Best Bus Stops by Friday, April 15 at 10 a.m. ET.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines: Streetcars Get Mixed Reviews

August 21, 2026

New Report Underscores Success of Speed Cameras in Oakland

August 20, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: How Money for Highways Could Have Built 36 Paris Metros

August 20, 2026

Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

August 20, 2026

A New US-Canada Bridge Opposed By Trump Has a One-of-a-Kind Bike Path

August 19, 2026
See all posts