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In an effort to encourage more commuters to use public transportation, cities around the world have begun to update their bus stops with modern technology to make them more efficient, functional, and even fun. Seattle’s King County Metro Transit, for example, has partnered with local communities to encourage young artists to decorate local bus stops in an effort to discourage graffiti. Designs include animal prints and multicultural paintings.

A bus stop in Florence, Italy, uses solar powered technology developed by MIT’s Senseable City Lab to provide commuters with interactive touch screen maps and bus location information. The entire bus stop shelter begins to glow as the bus approaches. A bus stop in Ventura, California employs a sculptor’s eye catching design in an effort to attract interest to public transportation. The stop also offers restrooms, drinking fountains, and an information station. A Rapid Ride terminal in King County allows commuters to use their transit passes to pay for the bus ride before the bus even arrives. Some bus stops in Dubai offer commuters shelter from the desert heat in air condition cooled bus stops. Many of these air conditioners malfunctioned, however, when riders left the bus stop doors a jar. The city of Konagai, Japan gives commuters fruit shaped bus stops in 16 different “flavors” including strawberry and watermelon varieties. These bus stops were built as an attraction at the 1990 Travel Expo.