THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority (NTA) is planning to install solar-powered lights on bus stop poles in Dublin.

The transport authority has issued a public tender for the project, which will take four years and cost around €480,000.

The funding for the solar lights is separate from the bus stop enhancement programme (BSEP), which local authorities use to enhance bus stop facilities with bus shelters and seating at bus poles.*

The NTA said: “The recent tender advertised for the supply of solar lights is separate from the BSEP.”

“It is aimed to install these solar lights on TFI bus poles that are not close to public lighting, to enhance the safety that customers may feel whilst waiting at bus stops when it gets darker, nationwide.”

“The Tender will close at the end of September and following a tender approval process, it is hoped to purchase units before the end of the year.”

Green Party spokesperson for transport and Dublin city councillor Feljin Jose said that while the move to install solar-powered lights on bus stops is welcome, he believes there needs to be an “accelerated roll-out” of shelters for bus stops. 

“The important thing is to try and get as many bus shelters with lights as possible around the country,” he told The Journal. 

There are currently over 13,000 bus stops nationwide – around 2,400 bus shelters and 6,000 bus stop poles are under the NTA’s management.

Many NTA managed bus shelters are already equipped with solar-powered lighting. But hardly any new bus shelters were built in Dublin last year. 

According to figures from Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman, just three new bus shelters were built in the capital last year. This compares to a figure of 37 in 2024, 30 in 2023 and 23 post-covid in 2022.

Jose said “lighting at bus stops and public lighting in general is very important”, highlighting the role it plays in safety and feeling safe while using public transport.

“But we must not lose sight of the fact that we need more bus shelters,” he added.

“This is good and it will serve a purpose for some very remote and low-use bus stops, but we need a big roll-out of bus shelters.”

The NTA said 146 shelters with lighting already installed so far this year.

“The NTA aims to improve the facilities at bus stops in both urban and rural areas. Therefore, each local authority across the State has been allocated €500,000 during 2026, under the Bus Stop Enhancement Programme (BSEP),” it said.

“The funding provided under this programme is intended to enable each local authority, in collaboration with the NTA, to enhance bus stop facilities at bus stopping locations within its administrative area, including the provision of bus shelters and seating at TFI bus poles where appropriate.

“The determination of where to install bus shelters or seating at bus poles, in a county or city will now be largely undertaken by the relevant local authority under the BSEP, with the final programme of installations to be agreed with the NTA.”

*The information on the funding source has been updated based on information from the NTA.