BCDCOG Transit and Bus Stop Design Guidelines

The Transit and Bus Stop Design Guidelines is a tool to help deliver transportation choices that link people, jobs, and community conveniently, consistently, and safely.

Bus stops are the “front door” of transit systems. Their location, design, and maintenance influence how riders experience transit. The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has over 860 stops that vary in terms of their ridership, existing condition, and level of service. Bus Stop Design Guidelines assist CARTA with improving and standardizing all current and future bus stops to reflect agency, passenger, and stakeholder priorities as well as meet existing federal, state, and local regulations.

Nelson\Nygaard led the development of a flexible, highly visual, and easy-to-navigate Transit and Bus Stop Design Guidelines. The document reflects that bus stops must differ based on level of activity, location, physical, and fiscal constraints. The Guidelines include the process for CARTA to prioritize capital improvements at stops and describe the approved amenities for CARTA stops that the agency could fund for stops. The study was also guided by a Technical Advisory Committee which met five times throughout the project to provide input into the development of the Design Guidelines.

Ultimately, the Transit and Bus Stop Design Guidelines is a tool to help the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), CARTA, TCL, and regional partners deliver transportation choices that link people, jobs, and community conveniently, consistently, and safely.