Use this $$$ to build the best bus stops ever [with pics!]

Swings and benches at a bus stop in Montreal

This new URA grant program is an amazing opportunity for residents in the City of Pittsburgh to improve transit amenities in their neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Initiatives Fund (NIF) Program will “provide grants in order to help unlock the economic and placemaking potential within neighborhoods; support vision-to-action community investment strategies that build an equitable Pittsburgh; and formalize collaborative partnerships across the City.“

This is a great chance to fund the transit amenities that you and your neighbors deserve – bus shelters, benches, planters, trees, lean bars, lighting, trash cans, you name it. Check out the program details here.

The good news: neighborhoods can apply for up to $20,000 no questions asked! Neighborhoods can even apply for up to $100,000 if they find a local 2:1 match (for every two dollars of URA funding, there must be at least one dollar of local funding to the project.)

The bad news: unfortunately, the deadline is next week on October 1st. (Sorry for being late on this blog). If your neighborhood has a local Community Development Corporation or other organized groups, reach out to them and see if they have something planned. There’s a good chance that transit improvements could fit into their placemaking ideas. Or maybe there’s space to build your own proposal.

With transparency, wide-spread community collaboration, consensus, and buy-in, funding programs like this are a great opportunity to improve a neighborhood for those that live there and build transit ridership.

Check out the full program details here.

Before long – your bus stop could like this,

nice covered bus shelter in London with all the essentials – cover, signage, bench, real-time arrival, lighting, garbage can, greenery

this,

a beautiful bus stop with benches, an arched, domed roof of overlapping panels, colors are earth tones and match the fall leaves on the ground.

this,

a covered bus stop with a mural of large red leather couch, benches in front of the mural makes it seem like the rider is sitting on the couch.

or this?

covered bus shelter with signage and seating that looks like a big red apple!