Bauer Media Outdoor, one of the UK’s leading Out of Home media and infrastructure companies, has unveiled a revolutionary new range of bus shelters – the Milestone –in partnership with Essex County Council as part of their Basildon Greener Route launch. This marks the most significant innovation in UK bus shelter design in decades.

The Milestone range represents a new benchmark in public transport design. It has been developed through extensive research into the needs of modern bus users, with a focus on accessibility, safety, comfort, and sustainability. The shelters are designed and manufactured in the UK, using locally sourced, sustainable materials, contributing to a low-carbon supply chain.

Key features include:

·      Welcoming, nature-inspired design to incentivise more bus travel, with more greenery and biodiversity enhancements, including Living Roofs and planters with native plant species and wildflowers

·      Sustainable materials, including long-lasting FSC Douglas fir wood, low carbon concrete, and low carbon glass – Milestone has c70% lower CO2e than a 3-bay legacy bus shelter

·      Innovative and extensive use of timber, with structural parts of the shelter made from engineered timber for the first time ever; responsibly sourced from hand-selected trees in Scotland

·      Enhanced passenger experience with new seating design, focused on lumbar support and comfort

·      Improved accessibility: NaviLens codes for visually impaired people, priority seats, and back-lit timetables

·      Redesigned lighting: low energy, solar-powered and more evenly distributed smart lighting for better visibility, including lip reading

·      Supporting safer journeys with What3Words and Strut Safe helpline information displayed on timetables

·      Above-ground foundations for faster installation to reduce disruption for residents and lower the environmental impact, as foundations can be reused

A total of 18 Milestone shelters will be installed along Whitmore Way in Basildon, forming part of the Essex County Council’s new Greener Route initiative, which also includes the introduction of electric buses by First Bus. This shared investment project supports one of Essex’s most frequent urban and interurban public transport corridors.

Will Ramage, Managing Director at Bauer Media Outdoor, said: “Milestone is the range for change, and this is a groundbreaking moment for the public transport experience. Milestone reimagines what a humble bus shelter can be – more sustainable, more comfortable, and more user-focused than ever before. We are thrilled to partner with Essex County Council to bring this pioneering public infrastructure to Basildon, hoping to encourage more bus use and significantly improve passenger experience.”

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, said: “These incredible new shelters are a huge step forward for Basildon and for Essex. Not only do they offer an improved experience for passengers, but they are also more accessible and better for the environment. By investing in greener infrastructure and working with partners like Bauer Media Outdoor, we’re helping to create a safer, greener and healthier transport network for everyone in Essex.”

The installation began last week and is expected to be completed during the Autumn of2025. The upgrade along Whitmore Way in Basildon will include two innovative shelter types from the Milestone range:

• Nest   (13 shelters) – A compact, off-grid,  non-advertising option ideal for narrow or lower footfall locations.  Features include solar-powered smart lighting and NaviLens.
• Roam  (5 shelters, including 3 with digital  advertising screens) – a sustainable take on the classic bus shelter,  with modular, scalable, and familiar design to meet current and future urban needs.

Backed by research and industry collaboration

The Milestone range was shaped by insights from 3,200 bus users from the Transport Focus panel, including disabled people, parents, carers, and older adults. Bauer Media Outdoor conducted quantitative and qualitative research as well as product testing and validation in partnership with organisations including the disability equality charity Scope and Thomas Pocklington Trust.

Bauer Media Outdoor worked with Innovate UK to identify a consortium involving BE-ST (Scotland’s national innovation centre for construction and the built environment), Edinburgh Napier University, Ecosystems and Highland Heritage Woodworks, along with Vertical Meadow, to develop the new timber design and supply chain, tailored for the needs of bus shelters and council partners. 

Designs are registered in the UK and EU, with patent pending. 

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