Weymouth’s bus shelters ‘fit for a king’ following transformation work

The look of Weymouth’s seafront is going in the right direction, following a major refurbishment of the King’s Statue bus shelters on the esplanade. 

All eight bus shelters were stripped back to bare metal, then reprimed, painted and cleaned over a six-week period, after it was considered necessary to replace the weathered bus stops. 

The work was carried out following an assessment last year by First Bus, whose buses regularly operate along the seafront and surrounding areas. 

The bus shelters were first installed in 2012 and were known as the ‘Olympic bus shelters’, due to the installation of them ahead of Weymouth and Portland hosting the sailing events that year. 
 
Dorset Council’s Cabinet Member for Place Services, Cllr Jon Andrews, said: “The refurbishment of the bus shelters has improved functionality, user experience and kerb appeal for residents and visitors.” 
 
Operational work began on 5 May and was completed on 11 June – a week ahead of schedule.  
 
It was fully funded by central government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan programme. 
 
Cllr Andrews continued: “Collaboration has been key to the success of this project. I would like to thank bus companies First Bus and Go Southcoast for working with us so closely, so we could facilitate this important work to be carried out and limit disruption to bus users. 
 
"This is a small but important step in making Weymouth work for everyone who lives, works and visits this beautiful part of Dorset." 

First Bus placed additional staff on the seafront during the work, to direct people to temporary stands and provide travel information. 
 
The refurbishment has extended the shelter’s lifespan for at least another decade, without the need to replace the infrastructure and disrupt local people. 

A second phase of the bus shelter refurbishment along the esplanade is scheduled to be carried out this summer. The current Real Time Passenger Information LED screens will be replaced with new colour TV screens, which will display real time passenger information but in a more accessible way.