As I've touched on, making transit more friendly with good design and branding is critical to creating a safe and welcoming space for riders. It creates an environment that people actually want to go back to, and don't mind staying in. Maybe - just maybe - they will even be more tolerant of an occasional system delay when they aren't waiting in an unwelcome environment.
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| Stockholm understands this perfectly, as most of their metro network is essentially an art gallery |
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| More artwork in the beautiful Stockholm Metro |
It doesn't take effort to make the environment more welcoming. In Stockholm's case, the gold standard for transit art, it actually costs money in the form of paint, sculptures, artwork, etc. Not all stations are completely decked out with art, however.
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| A little bit of paint can go a long way |
If spending money on art is a problem, maybe consider a second screen for a bus that is out of service. The bus could read "out of service", and then flash to "Thank you Veterans" on veteran's day.
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| Chicago, IL CTA bus with some holiday graphics |
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| "Welcome Aboard" on a bus in Denver, Colorado. Why not? |
Of course, there are things you probably shouldn't do, as well. Avoid displaying rules or nagging messages.
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| Be careful what rules you post on the outside of a bus unless you are certain you will enforce it 100% |
