Solar-Powered Bus Shelters Arrive in Cleveland Heights

Cleveland Heights will soon have two new bus shelters on Mayfield Road. 

But these won’t be the typical brown-framed boxes. These shelters will use energy from sunlight during the day to power the structures at night with security lights, and have a little flair. LED lights will make the shelters glow in purples, greens, reds, blues and more.

“It produces a beautiful, artistic, colorful show. It’s not the Mona Lisa, but it is art,” said Richard Wong, planning and development director for Cleveland Heights.

Crews are installing the shelter on Mayfield and Coventry today, and there will be another one on the corner of Mayfield and Warrensville Center Road.

The locations have the most ridership, Wong said, which is why they were selected to receive new structures. 

Once the shelters are constructed, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority must inspect them before people can use them, said Danielle Willis, Planning Team Leader and Sustainability Coordinator for RTA.

“It usually takes seven days to test it … We like to make sure everything is working correctly, make sure all the parts are there and look at the safety features,” Willis said.

She estimated that the ribbon-cutting ceremony would be Aug. 22, but couldn’t confirm until the shelters are complete and reviewed.  

Wong said the shelters will create a more enjoyable ride for commuters, and also have energy-saving features.

For example, there are motion detectors in the shelters so that the lights only turn on if someone is waiting for the bus inside. And, of course, it's powered by the sun. 

The benches are also slightly more spacious, and have dividers for individual seats. About four people can sit on the bench, Wong said, and about 10 could fit in the 8.5-by- 13.5-foot shelter. The shelter, which is made of metal and tempered glass, is about the same size as the current RTA shelters.

The Federal Transit Administration gave the RTA a grant to create these shelters, and Cleveland Heights received $100,000 to manufacture and install the structures, Wong said.

The shelters were designed by Solar-Impact, a renewable energy company based in Shaker Heights, and fabricated by DaNite Sign in Columbus.

“It’s going to make bus-riding more enjoyable for (commuters),” Wong said.

Willis said it’s part of RTA’s sustainability initiative and what the company calls the “Transit Waiting Environment program.”

 “Our customers are our main priority, so we want to enhance all of our shelter environments.”