Trivia: Worst Bus Station

[Andyh82]

Bradford Interchange must be one of the most uninviting of Bus stations I've ever visited

Are you able to expand on why?

 

[peterblue]

Do any airports in the U.K. do much better though? Just look at Gatwick, the bus stops for the south terminal are hidden away on the A23 down a dingy staircase.

I think Manchester Airport's bus station (and nearby train/tram station underground) is pretty decent

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think Manchester Airport's bus station (and nearby train/tram station underground) is pretty decent

Luton was rubbish but since the rebuild to a sawtooth layout it seems reasonable. There isn't any cover, but you can stand in arrivals and watch for your bus out of the window.

 

[Whistler40145]

Are you able to expand on why?

Just looks like a city dungeon

 

[py_megapixel]

Luton was rubbish but since the rebuild to a sawtooth layout it seems reasonable. There isn't any cover, but you can stand in arrivals and watch for your bus out of the window.

By a "sawtooth layout" do you mean DIRO (Drive in - reverse out)?

 

[Hardcastle]

Skipton is awful

I would tend to agree with that. I've only ever used it in the summer i can imagine its freezing in the winter.

 

[Bletchleyite]

By a "sawtooth layout" do you mean DIRO (Drive in - reverse out)?

Yes, correct. Though those aren't always "sawtooth" layout (called that because the kerb at the nose end is shaped like saw teeth with the buses at a 45 ish degree angle to the building), they can (e.g. Oxford) just be straight parallel bays.

You can also have a sort-of-sawtooth drive-in drive-out layout which you get in London to accommodate the rear doors.

Edit: I stand corrected, the bays are parallel (give or take going round a corner) not sawtooth:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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Bedford by contrast has an actual sawtooth layout:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

As do Preston, Lancaster and Chorley - but I can't seem to find one where the shape of the kerb is visible on the aerial view.

 

[py_megapixel]

Yes, correct. Though those aren't always "sawtooth" layout (called that because the kerb at the nose end is shaped like saw teeth with the buses at a 45 ish degree angle to the building), they can (e.g. Oxford) just be straight parallel bays.

You can also have a sort-of-sawtooth drive-in drive-out layout which you get in London to accommodate the rear doors.

Edit: I stand corrected, the bays are parallel (give or take going round a corner) not sawtooth:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Bedford by contrast has an actual sawtooth layout:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

As do Preston, Lancaster and Chorley - but I can't seem to find one where the shape of the kerb is visible on the aerial view.

In Manchester, the Trafford Centre has a bus station of its own in the layout you describe, and while you can't see the actual kerb layout, it seems to be marked out on the road surface as well, behind where the buses stop, presumably for the convenience of the drivers.

Edit: you can actually see the kerb layout, but it's not very clear.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Bletchleyite]

In Manchester, the Trafford Centre has a bus station of its own in the layout you describe, and while you can't see the actual kerb layout, it seems to be marked out on the road surface as well, behind where the buses stop, presumably for the convenience of the drivers.

Edit: you can actually see the kerb layout, but it's not very clear.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Carlisle appears to be "perfect" sawtooth (45 degree angle) and is visible:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[leedslad82]

Pudsey bus station in leeds. Its 6 stands but its grander than it needs to be and has ruined the market by taking over more space than it needed.
It could have been as useful and practical for less money and less space.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Anyone mentioned Watford (Junction) - ?

For such a vibrant economic location , with considerable (or used to be) Warner Brother business and good local services , the information and general "feel" of the place is awful , and as for the taxi hailing system.

For all these fine words about seamless interchange and multi-modal interface espoused by various well paid consultants etc , a reality check is very much needed. A good clean up would be a start.

On the other hand , years ago I used the bus Porthcawl to Bridgend and the latter had a very decent place, - it can be done.

 

[Contains Nuts]

Good to see some regeneration work is happening, though, it's needed. Though it will always suffer from the "unconnectivity" problem of Preston as far as buses go because the railway station isn't in the town centre or indeed anywhere near it, something I don't quite understand given that it grew up to the size it is as a railway town. At least if you did shift Preston bus station down the other end of Fishergate and repurpose the old one in some way, it wouldn't be any further from the shops, just at the other end.

Crewe town was built around the former railway works which was a much larger employer than the station. The works were to the north west of the station, hence the location of the town centre.

There has been a long-standing difficulty with buses serving the railway station due to almost everyone setting down in a car thinking it’s acceptable to use the bus lay-by, often meaning buses are unable to pull in so have to block the road. This has led to the station being removed as a timing point on most services which does little to build patronage.

The bus station in Crewe has been earmarked for redevelopment for as long as I can remember. The plan is to put the new facility on the south-western corner of the current site but so far there has been no work done on the ground. If Crewe is left without a bus station it will cause huge issues with services as there are very few other stops in the town centre, and those that would need to be utilised would cause traffic congestion and are further from the shops.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Liverpool One bus station.

I know, let's build a modern bus station that's going to be next to the Mersey in one of the windiest cities in the country and not completley cover it. We'll do this by not connecting the roof to the walls and having 10ft gaps everywhere to let wind and rain soak and freeze every poor sod waiting for their bus.

Let's also make the next stop display screens really hard to read so you can't tell if they're actually turned on or not (usually broken).

Let's not have one large real time display like those losers in West Yorkshire, which tells you when each bus is and what stand it goes from. Who needs that eh?

Let's not put automatic doors on each stand and just have people walking across the carriageway all day long, hardly ever to be challenged by security.

All that being said; Runcorn bus station is the worst I've been to. There was absolutely no indication of where each bus went from, and when I did evenultually find a small timetable; the bus I wanted pulled up on the opposite side of the carriageway.

 

[Roverebbw]

Cardiff when they finish it

 

[PaulWC]

Crewe town was built around the former railway works which was a much larger employer than the station. The works were to the north west of the station, hence the location of the town centre.

There has been a long-standing difficulty with buses serving the railway station due to almost everyone setting down in a car thinking it’s acceptable to use the bus lay-by, often meaning buses are unable to pull in so have to block the road. This has led to the station being removed as a timing point on most services which does little to build patronage.

The bus station in Crewe has been earmarked for redevelopment for as long as I can remember. The plan is to put the new facility on the south-western corner of the current site but so far there has been no work done on the ground. If Crewe is left without a bus station it will cause huge issues with services as there are very few other stops in the town centre, and those that would need to be utilised would cause traffic congestion and are further from the shops.

The demolition of the shops down Queensway is just starting. I've always thought a series of bus stops down Delamere Street alongside the old garage would suffice as a temporary measure as there's quite a bit of room down there. Hopefully whatever the new bus station does eventually look like, its not similar to Macclesfield which is a pretty cold and soulless place.

 

[Daniel740]

Wetherby. Their ‘bus station’ is an utter joke...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Wetherby. Their ‘bus station’ is an utter joke...

There are bus stations, and then there's a couple of bus shelters that are "badged" as a bus station. Wetherby is the latter.

The old Wetherby bus station was a much more substantial affair and acted as the local depot (though without maintenance facilities). I remember going there a few times before it was demolished and the current buildings/bus station built (not my photos)

Wetherby

A view of the West Yorkshire Road Car garage and bus station from across the River Wharfe in April 1986. Pentax K1000/135mm Fujichrome 100

www.flickr.com

WETHERBY BUS STATION

Explore Neil.VR4's 2637 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

There are bus stations, and then there's a couple of bus shelters that are "badged" as a bus station. Wetherby is the latter.

The old Wetherby bus station was a much more substantial affair and acted as the local depot (though without maintenance facilities). I remember going there a few times before it was demolished and the current buildings/bus station built (not my photos)

Wetherby

A view of the West Yorkshire Road Car garage and bus station from across the River Wharfe in April 1986. Pentax K1000/135mm Fujichrome 100

www.flickr.com

WETHERBY BUS STATION

Explore Neil.VR4's 2637 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

That's really interesting, thanks for posting. I never knew there had been a garage and bus station on the site before the current one.

 

[CBlue]

Drummer St Bus Station in Cambridge is pretty awful. Basically a grossly oversized kerbside shelter that doesn't keep the wind and rain out, leaks like a sieve and is filthy everywhere all year round.

The layout never took longer buses into account, so a bus backing off stands into a bollard isn't particularly infrequent with the narrow bays- and to top it all off it isn't even big enough for the services that terminate in the city centre. Council decided to dump National Express and the 905 long distance (formerly X5) stops a short walk away on the edge of Parkers Piece.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Drummer St Bus Station in Cambridge is pretty awful. Basically a grossly oversized kerbside shelter that doesn't keep the wind and rain out, leaks like a sieve and is filthy everywhere all year round.

Yep, agreed, though I expect finding enough space for a larger one in central Cambridge would be difficult. I would say Cambridge is probably lucky it has one at all, really; it's a city where I'd more expect cross-city operation (or lapping of the ring road) due to the land not being available for one. Does need cleaning up, though.

To throw another rubbish one in, Bletchley. Faults with it include:

1. It is an oversized kerbside shelter (though the layout of the bays is nose-in sawtooth) - it's actually of exactly the same construction as the Council's standard kerbside shelter.
2. It isn't adequately cleaned (though not as bad as it was).
3. It's a long walk from the railway station (though that's more caused by the failure over the years to build an entrance to the railway station on that side, which EWR is set to resolve).
4. It's surrounded by an abandoned former Kwik Save/Aldi on one side which is literally falling to bits (there's a big subsidence crack in the building), and on the other a pig-ugly converted social housing tower block which is covered in filthy blue cladding which is no doubt of the flammable kind. A slight improvement on the building when it was abandoned with smashed windows from stone throwing, though.

The one thing it seems to avoid is too much antisocial behaviour.

 

[317 forever]

Reading through the old pages, so much has happened in 8 years

Blackburn now has a new bus station, as does Castleford, and Lincoln

Preston was refurbished

Nottingham Broadmarsh is no more

And I’m not sure of the current status, Exeter has either gone or is going

I haven't been to Blackburn for 12 years so haven't seen the new bus station yet. I understand there is now a Premier Inn on the site of the former bus station.

Northampton Greyfriars was blown up back in March 2015 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-31889521

I went to Northampton in 2016 and saw the open space where the old bus station was. The new one seemed too small for the numbers of buses and passengers that Saturday afternoon.

Horsham is rather cramped too.

Liverpool One bus station.

I know, let's build a modern bus station that's going to be next to the Mersey in one of the windiest cities in the country and not completley cover it. We'll do this by not connecting the roof to the walls and having 10ft gaps everywhere to let wind and rain soak and freeze every poor sod waiting for their bus.

Let's also make the next stop display screens really hard to read so you can't tell if they're actually turned on or not (usually broken).

Let's not have one large real time display like those losers in West Yorkshire, which tells you when each bus is and what stand it goes from. Who needs that eh?

Let's not put automatic doors on each stand and just have people walking across the carriageway all day long, hardly ever to be challenged by security.

All that being said; Runcorn bus station is the worst I've been to. There was absolutely no indication of where each bus went from, and when I did evenultually find a small timetable; the bus I wanted pulled up on the opposite side of the carriageway.

Also Liverpool One was built before it was decided to move National Express services there. So now, buses often have to drop people off just outside the bus station, partly defeating the object of having it in the first place.

 

[philthetube]

Liverpool One bus station.

I know, let's build a modern bus station that's going to be next to the Mersey in one of the windiest cities in the country and not completley cover it. We'll do this by not connecting the roof to the walls and having 10ft gaps everywhere to let wind and rain soak and freeze every poor sod waiting for their bus.

Let's also make the next stop display screens really hard to read so you can't tell if they're actually turned on or not (usually broken).

Let's not have one large real time display like those losers in West Yorkshire, which tells you when each bus is and what stand it goes from. Who needs that eh?

Let's not put automatic doors on each stand and just have people walking across the carriageway all day long, hardly ever to be challenged by security.

All that being said; Runcorn bus station is the worst I've been to. There was absolutely no indication of where each bus went from, and when I did evenultually find a small timetable; the bus I wanted pulled up on the opposite side of the carriageway.

You could do it like Nelson and install decent ones and then turn them off to save electricity, (honest)

 

[Ianno87]

Drummer St Bus Station in Cambridge is pretty awful. Basically a grossly oversized kerbside shelter that doesn't keep the wind and rain out, leaks like a sieve and is filthy everywhere all year round.

The layout never took longer buses into account, so a bus backing off stands into a bollard isn't particularly infrequent with the narrow bays- and to top it all off it isn't even big enough for the services that terminate in the city centre. Council decided to dump National Express and the 905 long distance (formerly X5) stops a short walk away on the edge of Parkers Piece.

Seconded. In its favour, however, is its superb central location - hard to get much better placed.

 

[317 forever]

Swindon bus station looks as though it's about to be demolished. Even Fleming Way is poor for having 2 sets of stand, 1 on either side of a bus only road. If someone is on the wrong side of the road then sees their bus they will probably miss it by the time they reach the stop.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Seconded. In its favour, however, is its superb central location - hard to get much better placed.

Bar cleaning it up a bit, it's probably about the best that can be done in a city which basically has no spare land.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I'm not a fan of the new multi million pound bus station they opened in Wigan last year. It just feels dull and lifeless.

I still have no idea why the previous one was demolished as it was only 30 years old.

For me - the original bus station where the current indoor market building sits was the best and should never have been moved.

What makes me chuckle is the fact the town centre in Wigan is now completely on its a**e but they have built a new bus station as the gateway to the retail hub.

Its like putting a Rockstorm door on a garden shed!!!

CJ

 

[radamfi]

I'm not a fan of the new multi million pound bus station they opened in Wigan last year. It just feels dull and lifeless.

I still have no idea why the previous one was demolished as it was only 30 years old.

For me - the original bus station where the current indoor market building sits was the best and should never have been moved.

What makes me chuckle is the fact the town centre in Wigan is now completely on its a**e but they have built a new bus station as the gateway to the retail hub.

Its like putting a Rockstorm door on a garden shed!!!

CJ

There must be strong evidence that expensive bus stations generate a lot of new custom. Otherwise, why would they get built?

 

[Bletchleyite]

There must be strong evidence that expensive bus stations generate a lot of new custom. Otherwise, why would they get built?

Civic pride? They are normally (almost always) built by public bodies, not bus companies.

 

[radamfi]

Civic pride? They are normally (almost always) built by public bodies, not bus companies.

So there is little or no evidence of generated custom? That's pretty outrageous if that's the case.

 

[Robertj21a]

So there is little or no evidence of generated custom? That's pretty outrageous if that's the case.

I certainly don't recall any objective study that indicated increased custom.