Waiting for the bus is about to get better at almost 500 locations across the West Midlands.

Centro, the region’s public transport promoter is seeking approval to replace hundreds of bus shelters – giving passengers better protection from the elements and a clearer view of the road.  The £1.75m plan is to be funded by advertising on the shelters.

At the moment some shelters have an advertising panel which can partly block the view of the arriving bus.  Now that Centro is to take over ownership of the shelter from the advertising company, it is guaranteeing passengers a better view.  Advertising panels will only be permitted at the back end of the shelter and the kerb side from now on.

“Our priority has to be providing the best waiting environment for passengers.  Every day over a million people wait for the bus in the West Midlands and it rains on average 175 days a year, so that shows how important shelters are to making bus travel a more attractive option,” comments Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority which sets policy for Centro.

He says a new deal signed with Adshel gives passengers the best of both worlds.

“We could get as much as £70m to invest in the bus network over the next ten years and we get more control over bus shelters.  There is enough money in the deal to pay for regular cleaning and maintenance while still leaving a generous surplus to pay for more and better bus services,” adds Cllr Clarke.

The first improvements to more than a dozen routes were introduced last month and £300,000 has also been set aside to help fund a new Police unit for the West Midlands bus network.

There are some 5,000 bus shelters in the West Midlands of which 700 were previously controlled by Adshel.  Councillors on the Passenger Transport Authority are being asked to approve the replacement of the first 458 of these at its policy meeting on Monday 7 March.   (Update 7 March: this was agreed)