St Nicholas Way is served by 12 bus routes, says the mayor

Building the illuminated bus stop and "covered walkway" at St Nicholas Way in Sutton, south-west London, took about 15 months, due to engineering problems.

But Transport for London (TfL), which provided �530,000, says it was "integral" to town centre improvements.

The council has denied reports the new shelter lets in the rain.

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow told BBC London many of his constituents felt it was a waste of money and had taken too long.

It is an enormous improvement on the previous bus shelter Sutton Council spokesman

"It took longer to build the bus shelter than it took to complete the building of a new Asda supermarket in Sutton.

"�600,000 of council tax payers' money has been invested in what is effectively a glorified bus shelter."

The shelter, which serves 12 routes, and walkway are described as "state-of-the-art" by Sutton Council, which provided �70,000.

A spokesman said it was delayed by difficulties building so close to a busy main road and school.

There were also problems with the foundations and changes to the layout due to a "risk analysis on buses accessing the stop".

But he said the "innovative lighting" made the state-of-the-art shelter safer for people using the buses at night.

"It is an enormous improvement on the previous bus shelter," he added.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said the walkway provided shelter from the weather for passengers as well as making it easier to get onto buses.