Streetsblog USA

And America’s Best Bus Stop Is …

By Streetsblog | Apr 18, 2022

After a nail-biting battle between two fantastic New England nominees, Portland, Maine has been crowned the winner of our America’s Best Bus Stops contest for 2022.



Image: Michael D. Wilson via Creative Portland

Portland was an early favorite to win this competition, thanks in no small part to this small town’s big enthusiasm for the marriage of public transit and public art — and this stop’s unique message of hope, friendship, and celebration of the local immigrant community to which artist Ebenezer Akakpo belongs. Maine’s media was quick to get on board, and we couldn’t be happier to see bus stops get such a bright spotlight in the conversation about what makes a city great.

Link to tweet

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Portland narrowly beat the Walnut Avenue stop along Boston’s Columbus Avenue Busway, though it wasn’t always clear. When voting ended at 10 a.m. on Friday, the initial vote count showed Boston in the lead. But some Portland supporters questioned a surge of online votes just as polling ended.

After probing the issue, Streetsblog rejected votes cast by third-party bots, giving Portland the win.

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