This is the council response I have received in respect of the disappearing bus shelters
We can confirm, that JCDecaux have removed their bus shelters in Croydon. The contract with JCDecaux ended in March this year and they were not willing to extend this for any period of time despite our requests. Subsequently, they removed their bus shelters over the summer. We have completed a full tender process and have appointed a new company to install replacement bus shelters and street furniture as part of our ongoing programme and commitment to offer our residents in the Borough a better service.
The new bus shelter installation will begin imminently. Unfortunately we do not have specific timings as yet as the deployment is dependent on gaining planning permission for Digital Advertising consent. For your interest, the application for the first batch of sites has already been submitted to Planning, and we are currently working with the Planning Authority to gain consents for the numerous individual sites.
In terms of benefits, the new concession contract will bring an annual income to LBC. In addition, the new bus shelter sites will embed ‘Smart City’ technology to:
- Upgrade the existing paper advertising with digital screens
- Provide real time bus countdown information
- Provide free Wi-Fi
- Monitor air quality via sensors
- Monitor traffic and footfall via sensors
If you would like to see specific details of the plans including the bus shelter design, please feel free to review the planning report here.
Sadly those that remain are subject to considerable graffiti.
