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Leicester Is Turning All of Its Bus Stops Into Green Roof Pollinator Gardens for Bees

By Arnesia Young on July 9, 2021

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As the world’s population of bees continues to decline at alarming rates, many are looking for solutions as to how to protect these vital creatures. The UK city of Leicester has a plan of its own in the works. As part of a city-wide initiative “to be a carbon neutral, biodiverse, and climate-adapted city” within the next 10 years, they have begun to replace their traditional bus stops with what they’re calling Living Roof bus shelters—fondly nicknamed “Bee Bus Stops.” Their green roofs will be solar-powered and topped with pollinator gardens, filled primarily with a mix of wildflowers and Sedum plants to attract bees and other pollinating insects.

“It’s great to see the first of Leicester’s new living roof bus shelters appearing across the city,” says Leicester Deputy City Mayor Cllr Adam Clarke. “We’ve already had some fantastic feedback from people who are as excited as we are to see this bee and butterfly friendly revamp of bus shelters taking shape. But this is just one of many benefits of the citywide revamp of our bus shelters. The new, modern shelters will be great for passengers and the mix of solar power and living roofs is another step forward for our ambition to be a carbon neutral and climate-adapted city by 2030.”

Leicester’s network of living roof and solar-powered bus shelters will be the first in the UK. In addition to supporting the city’s pollinator populations, the new green roofs will also serve to absorb rainwater, help reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, capture particles in the air, support local biodiversity, and promote sustainable transport in the city. As part of a new 10-year contract between Leicester City Council and Clear Channel UK—an advertising and infrastructure company—they hope to revamp all 479 bus shelters in the city by late 2022.