As the National Mobile Service Provider, Mobitel, has established a strong takes its corporate stewardship seriously and in its latest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) innovation, Mobitel has embarked on ‘Shelter in Our Hands’, a project to install bus shelters in remote rural areas via upcycling. A well-designed, comfortable and conveniently located bus shelter is essential to protect against the harsh sun, inclement weather and long waits, making travel a stress-free experience. Many routes have inadequate bus shelters. Responding to this need, Mobitel conceptualized the ‘Shelter in our Hands’ project to benefit both the community and the environment.
The National Mobile Service Provider regularly upgrades its transmission tower sheds, which are made of metal. Instead of discarding the unwanted material, Mobitel has conceptualized a brilliant initiative to upcycle it to build bus shelters. Five bus shelters have already been built in strategic locations in the country’s rural areas, while 60 requests from diverse geographical regions such as Nuwara Eliya, Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Moneragala, Ella, Badulla, Baduraliya, Matara, Peradeniya and Polonnaruwa are being evaluated presently. Mobitel envisions 200 such bus shelters around the country’s rural areas to bring comfort to travelers and reduce their hardship.