The Dutch city Utrecht has transformed its 316 bus stops into bee stops with green roofs. Click on the video above and discover they do not only look great, they also help capture fine dust, storage of rainwater and provide cooling in the summertime.
From bus stops to bee stops
It is one of many measures aimed at a.o. improving Utrecht’s air quality. Did you know that after smoking, an unhealthy environment (including bad air quality) is the second cause of diseases in the Netherlands?
More biodiversity The green roofs of Utrecht’s bus stops have also become bee stops and contribute to the city’s biodiversity, supporting insects like honey bees and bumblebees Source: BrightVibes
Better buses
Recently Utrecht has replaced 10 diesel buses for electric buses. Utrecht aims to only operate co2 neutral buses by 2028. In the meantime, Utrecht incentivises bus drivers to adapt to a more environmentally friendly driving style. The buses register how efficient and comfortable each bus driver operates the bus, and based on how well they drive, they can “win” prizes the cleaner, more comfortable and safer they drive.
More electric buses Utrecht is expanding the number of buses powered by electricity. The electricity used by Utrecht comes from Dutch windmills. Source: Provincie Utrecht
And how about bee stings?
Speaking from personal experience, the bees are attracted by the plants and flowers on the roof, not by the people sitting underneath the roof. And as you can read here, in general bees are not agressive at all. They are often mistaken for the more aggressive wasps, but there really is no need to fear these busy bees on these bus stop green roofs.
This article was first published on BrightVibes on 7 July 2019. It inspired cities from Melbourne to Mexico to jump on the bus and turn their bus stops into bee stops too.