Umbrella Dispensers at Stations

Getting ready for wet weather

Some of may remember that I blogged in February this year about some umbrella dispensing machines that were supposed to be making their way onto some London Underground platforms.

"The company will sell its umbrellas for £ 2 (bargain), compared with the £ 15 that commuters are used to paying when suddenly confronted with a downpour.

In trials at Fulham and Hammersmith tube stations this year, Technography sold an average of 200 umbrellas a month.

The UK umbrella market is worth more than £ 87m a year and is benefiting from an increasing number of rainy days.

There were 194 wet days in the UK in 2003, up from 176 in 2000."



Well, I've still never seen any on the Tube myself but on Saturday I saw my first ever umbrella dispensing machine at Windsor Central station. Myself and Neil were having a day out in Windsor and he insisted on showing me the shopping centre where now only a tiny single track line of Windsor Central exists, with most people, tourists and shoppers to Windsor visiting using the Windsor & Eton Riverside Station (the station we arrived at).

Neil has started blogging some of the Windsor station pictures but the umbrella vending machine certainly needs a mention here.

It's very similar to the Umbrolly prototype



and the umbrellas seem quite reasonably priced too, £ 3.50:



These Weather Station machines also seem to be set for all types of English weather too as they include sun wipes, and fresh wipes for the occasional heatwave



Wonder if the Umbrolly thing though ever got off the ground with the London Underground or did they think the outfit was a right shower? (sorry it's Monday, I can't come up with anything better)

Update - ah, ha further digging and I find this on Weather Station's website "WEATHERstation machines are being sited in city shopping centres, theme parks and tourist & transport locations across the UK, and are scheduled for installation at core London Underground stations during 2005." So will there be a race between Umbrollys and Weather Station to see who covers the Tube first or will they form an umbrella organisation?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, October 03, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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