Every planner is familiar with the term transit waiting environment. It is a fancy name for a bus stop or a train station, and waiting environments are considered to have an effect on the popularity of public transit as a transportation option. A well lit, clean bus stop makes transit users feel a lot more comfortable than a dingy, dark one. Waiting environment upgrades are a part of any streetscape plan these days in America, and there are some really cool designs for bus stops and train stations out there. And why not make a bus stop--something that is too often left as a grimy afterthought--into a showpiece?

That attitude doesn't exist in Russia. In a country where a huge percentage of the population uses transit every day, bus stops are often ugly, unsheltered, unlit spaces that are the opposite of inviting. Some of the bus stops around my neighborhood are really shocking: an L-shaped structure made of bare concrete and covered in graffiti. Add some potholed pavement and a rusty trashcan and you have yourself a bus stop.

There are some interesting bus stops, however, left over from the Soviet Union. These stops are usually out in the country or in little towns, and they feature unique designs and strange murals. Mostly they are in bad condition nowadays, but they harken back to a time of collective labor, futuristic design, and optimistic imagery. Some of them are actually quite cool in a Soviet-kitsch way. Here are some Soviet bus stops from around the former USSR.