OLD-FASHIONED bus stops could soon a thing of the past with the launch of 21st Century shelters.

Gone will be the days of wondering how long your bus will take before it arrives. And printed timetables will be redundant as global positioning satellites tell users, via digital displays, exactly when their bus will arrive.

This is the picture painted by Nexus, the North-East transport operators, who are pioneering new generation bus stops in conjunction with the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Gateshead has been selected for the trial of a prototype bus stop, as part of a national bid to boost the numbers of people using public transport.

The bus stops feature illuminated timetable information, which can be upgraded to real-time information when global positioning satellite technology becomes more widely available.

They will be powered by solar panels, which act as a weather shelter, with the generated energy stored in battery packs under the pavement.

A Nexus spokesman said: "The technology does exist. An electronic box would be fitted to the bus itself and a signal relayed via a satellite to the bus stop.

"Bus users will be able to get real-time information telling them whether they have just missed a bus and how long the next one will take to get there."

It would also be possible to have the information relayed to a user's home through a mobile telephone or computer - making it possible for a last-minute dash to catch the bus.

The new bus stops have their genesis in the first Bus Industry summit at which it was agreed that to persuade people out of their cars it was necessary to improve the waiting environment.

The new stops will also have circular perch seats