The Unst Bus Shelter, also known as Bobby's Bus Shelter, is a bus shelter and bus stop near the village of Baltasound, on the isle of Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is maintained by the Shetland Islands Council. It is located on the main road across Unst – the A968 – which runs between Belmont and Haroldswick.
The name "Bobby's Bus Shelter" honours Bobby Macaulay, a child who used to cycle to the shelter in the mornings to catch the bus to school. The local council had plans to remove the bus shelter in 1996, but after the seven-year-old sent them a letter asking them not to and explaining that the shelter is where he kept his bike while at school, the council left it there and local volunteers furnished and decorated it.
The shelter has a sofa and a television. It is furnished and redecorated periodically. For example, in 2010 it was given World Cup themed decoration due to Macaulay's visit to South Africa to see the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and each year by local residents with a sofa, television, computer and other home comforts.
Year Theme 2002 Golden jubilee 2003 2004 Underwater 2005 Africa 2006 Space 2007 Yellow 2008 Blue 2009 Pink 2010 World Cup 2011 Tall ships 2012 Diamond Jubilee 2013 Sheep 2014 Tribute to Nelson Mandela 2015 Puffins 2016 Flowers 2017 2018 100 years of women's suffrage in the United Kingdom 2019 Fake Gnus 2020 2020 Vision 2021 COP26 and the environment 2022 Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II 2023 Nautical themed 2024 Leap Year 2025 Bees 2026 Alice in Wonderland
References
External links
The Unst Bus Shelter Website Shetland Times article: Website for Unst bus shelter is ‘essential reading for future generations’ BBC article: What makes one lonely busy shelter on Unst famous the world over?
Blog post on the bus shelter