The Berkeley campus is known for being very open and vibrant, while its vicinity being messy and unsafe. Of course, if you’d asked a graduate you’d probably get a different interpretation. But at least for me, when I was in my freshman year, walking home from social events late night felt like a round of…PUBG?

It was until the end of my freshman fall when I discovered that there is actually a free Night Shuttle that goes around the campus perimeter at night, at each 30 minute interval. It would’ve made commutes so much easier. But I suspect it wasn’t popular amongst students because the routes were unclear, and wait times vary largely between stops.

This project, hosted by the Berkeley Parking and Transportation department, gave me a chance to help improve that—starting from the basic bus stop signs. Together we’ve made some thoughtful changes to increase their practicality, catering to new students and first timers. The color scheme on the old design evokes strong Cal spirit, but barely more than that. With the new iteration, we are keeping that spirit while giving commuters a clear distinction between daytime and nighttime services. Adopting a vertical layout also enabled the addition of accessibility, emergency, and route information. Key operating routes are now highlighted in the same colors seen on the official website and app. With these changes, the stop signs now create a unified, convenient commute experience.

This was my first attempt at community betterment with the power of design. While to date, the new bus stop signs haven’t been implemented, it has helped kickstart Berkeley’s transportation reformation: the introduction of accessible drive lanes, the addition of special events shuttles, and a partnership with Google maps for live bus tracking. I find it very rewarding to have left such a legacy at Berkeley.