Terra bus stop

The bus stop that brings fresh air back to the city

The Terra bus stop experiment, launched by Lemon®, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole's mobility experimentation laboratory, TaM, and Transdev, symbolizes this desire to rethink urban transport with a focus on user comfort and well-being.

The TERRA stop and its prototype furniture are inspired by nature to improve passenger comfort and well-being by providing a feeling of freshness during hot weather.

Launched in 2022, the TERRA experimental project entered its second phase, from April to October 2024, at the Léon Blum bus stop in Montpellier. This prototype, now optimized thanks to lessons learned from its previous version, aims to increase user comfort by providing more shade and coolness, especially during hot weather.

Signature materials and styling, and new modules designed using biomimicry

The TERRA bus stop, designed using natural and sustainable materials, was created to blend harmoniously into the urban landscape of the Montpellier metropolitan area and contribute to enhancing the environment.

The first phase of this experiment involved an exhibition in front of City Hall: an opportunity to raise public awareness about climate change issues, highlight the city’s commitment to mobility, and present the innovative features of the Terra bus stop pilot. The experimental bus stops will then be installed across the TaM network for a period of two years.

The 2024 experiment builds on the successful components of 2022 and adopts a new and unprecedented approach in 2024: biomimicry! Several strategies are being deployed to enhance the feeling of well‑being:

by using durable, heat‑resistant materials such as ceramic and raw earth, as well as vegetation tested during the first phase that showed temperature differences of 15 to 20 degrees compared to traditional bus stops;
by incorporating “technical bricks” inspired by the living world, notably the polar bear, the cactus, and the tree. Biomimicry involves observing and drawing inspiration from the mechanisms, materials, and functions found in nature to develop new innovations that generate value;
by testing an ultra‑low‑power e‑paper display including real‑time passenger information;
by offering modular urban furniture that can adapt to all types of public‑space configurations.