Phototherapy lights installed at bus stops

UMEA, Sweden, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Swedish energy company has installed phototherapy lights at Umea bus stops to help energize residents and combat seasonal depression.

Umea Energi said it installed the lights at 30 bus stops to combat seasonal affective disorder -- a form of depression thought to be partially caused by a lack of sunlight -- as the area receives only about five hours of sunlight a day, Swedish news agency TT reported Tuesday.

"At this dark time of the year, people need to be re-energized and we want to give Umea residents a real energy source," said Goran Ernstson, chief executive officer of Umea Energi.

"We want to show that we care about Umea residents -- who both own us and are our customers. We believe that we all need more light and energy during the darkest time of the year," Ernstson said.

However, some residents have already complained the lights are too bright. Locals say the lights are so dazzling, it's almost a struggle moving past them.

"The light is quite bright indeed and directed to the street outside the bus stops, and I don't really like them," resident Tomas Helleborg told The Local.se. "They're simply too bright when you're biking or driving past in the dark!"