Humanizing cities through bus stops: global lessons, local assessment, and proposed design characteristics for Riyadh

Bus stops are interfaces between walking, public transport, streets, and neighborhood life. This study defines a humanized bus stop as one whose provisions enable diverse users to approach, wait, obtain information, and board with independence, dignity, safety, climatic protection, and connection to place. A three-stage applied design was used. First, 39 verifiable records were reviewed. Second, their characteristics were consolidated into a 35-item framework covering nine domains. Third, the researcher applied the framework to 15 air-conditioned shelters of the same design model in Riyadh through daytime and evening visits. Of 525 item–stop observations, 420 were assessable. The unweighted descriptive audit index was 71.5%, with stop-level scores ranging from 66.1% to 75.0%. Cooling, shade, seating, route identity, real-time information, and system integration were strengths. Dedicated wheelchair space and connectivity and charging were absent, while multisensory information, older-adult support, local wayfinding, emergency support, vegetation, and place identity remained incomplete. Sixteen recommendations were prioritized as essential, desirable, or context dependent. The framework provides a transparent basis for auditing bus stop provisions and guiding improvement, but requires validation with users, experts, operators, older adults, and people with disabilities before it can represent passenger experience.