Coach Station but no Bus Station

[DanTrain]

Yes, Sheffield Interchange is a huge white elephant, very few buses use it and very few passengers too! The only way to improve patronage is possibly let bus operators use it without paying departure charges and close down some of the bus stops in the city centre.

May not be so convenient for passengers though - especially the elderly or infirm.

Indeed, it suffers from the double blow of being a) not very near the centre and b) very few local buses use it so it's not actually very useful as an interchange. Some of the buses even stop on the road outside the interchange, which says something...!

 

[carlberry]

Indeed, it suffers from the double blow of being a) not very near the centre and b) very few local buses use it so it's not actually very useful as an interchange. Some of the buses even stop on the road outside the interchange, which says something...!

As it's next to a railway station it must be perfect and all those passengers who do use it just havent been educated yet!.

In truth buses that stop outside a bus station are nearly as good as stopping within it as they're available from a common point which is good for those passengers that do want to interchange and often (by not entering the bus station) they save time, reduce risk (if the bus station is reverse out - not the case in Sheffield) and save the departure costs (which shouldn't really be the main reason but often is).

 

[DanTrain]

As it's next to a railway station it must be perfect and all those passengers who do use it just havent been educated yet!.

In truth buses that stop outside a bus station are nearly as good as stopping within it as they're available from a common point which is good for those passengers that do want to interchange and often (by not entering the bus station) they save time, reduce risk (if the bus station is reverse out - not the case in Sheffield) and save the departure costs (which shouldn't really be the main reason but often is).

That is very true, and in fairness the optimal solution would be for all buses to serve the interchange as part of their route through the centre (as they all stop 4 or 5 times in the central zone). This would allow easy access to the centre of town whilst also simplifying the system for those who don't know it. Not that that'll ever happen...

 

[Andyh82]

I'd hardly say Sheffield was a 'white elephant', that suggests something that was built very recently and never used.

The current Sheffield Interchange has been there since the 1990s, and it replaced a bus station on the same site that had been there for at least about 40 years prior, so its more that travel habits have moved on, than it being in the wrong place all the time.

Buses pick up and set down in completely different places in Sheffield due to the city centre basically being a big one way system, out of the 4 sides of the box, there is only one side that accomodates two way traffic.

 

[johnnychips]

Didn’t there used to be a free bus circulating Sheffield, serving the interchange, which has now ceased? It’s a little bit too far from the central area, but still is very near the station and the longer-distance routes use it, so not a white elephant.

 

[DanTrain]

Didn’t there used to be a free bus circulating Sheffield, serving the interchange, which has now ceased? It’s a little bit too far from the central area, but still is very near the station and the longer-distance routes use it, so not a white elephant.

There did, back when the council had money... don't expect that back any time soon!

 

[Llandudno]

There are numerous free buses running around Manchester City Centre even though it boasts an extensive tram network and now trains between Victoria and Piccadilly.
I think there are even free buses in Stockport!

Surely, if Sheffield wants to be a major city (population circa 500k) and reduce congestion/pollution then some money can be found for a city link bus service!

 

[Andyh82]

There are numerous free buses running around Manchester City Centre even though it boasts an extensive tram network and now trains between Victoria and Piccadilly.
I think there are even free buses in Stockport!

Surely, if Sheffield wants to be a major city (population circa 500k) and reduce congestion/pollution then some money can be found for a city link bus service!

Councils balance the books in different ways

For example the free bus was axed Bradford, converted to a paid for bus in Leeds, there was never one introduced in Halifax, but a free bus remains in Huddersfield and also in Dewsbury of all places.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are numerous free buses running around Manchester City Centre even though it boasts an extensive tram network and now trains between Victoria and Piccadilly.
I think there are even free buses in Stockport!

Surely, if Sheffield wants to be a major city (population circa 500k) and reduce congestion/pollution then some money can be found for a city link bus service!

Manchester city centre is relatively big and spread out (though obviously not to anything like the extent London is). Sheffield is more like Liverpool - much smaller and much more walkable.

 

[route101]

Edinburgh has St. Andrew Square Bus Station (it is officially called a bus station, not a coach station) and can be used by any bus/coach operator (willing to pay the price!)
However, due to the cost per vehicle to use it, First use Waterloo Place*, Lothian (Country) service 43 uses St. Andrew Square itself, not thebus station, Lothian Buses have never used the Bus station as a terminal point (possible exception in the days of the old bus station where the joint Eastern Scottish/Lothian service 61 ran from there to Balerno)
Stagecoach and Borders Bus both use the Bus Station. Admittedly SC services tend to use more coach like vehicles than buses, but technically I think are still bus services. I can't comment on what Borders Bus mainly use, but again I'd say they are running bus services not coach services.

* First moved to use Waterloo Place whilst old bus station was demolished and rebuilt, they never moved back refusing to pay the associated costs in using the Bus station.

Im sure the first 43 service used the bus station .and the borders services

 

[adrock1976]

I'm not sure if I'm right here or not, but I do not recall there ever being a "London Bus Station".

The closest to a coach station in London is Victoria Coach Station, which is (although I am splitting hairs here) is not really in the City of London, but in the City of Westminster.

 

[Darklord8899]

Im sure the first 43 service used the bus station .and the borders services

I was trying to remember about FB 43, I *think* it remained at Waterloo Place (would seem to make sense to me as that was run out of Livingston (after Linlithgow was closed) and none of the West Lothian services returned to using bus station) FB border services certainly did (thank you, I had forgotten about that) but those were the only services from FB that did after the new bus station was opened.

 

[Darklord8899]

I'm not sure if I'm right here or not, but I do not recall there ever being a "London Bus Station".

The closest to a coach station in London is Victoria Coach Station, which is (although I am splitting hairs here) is not really in the City of London, but in the City of Westminster.

London is kind of different, I think there are local bus stations (areas that were once not part of London but have been swallowed up by a growing London) but I agree, I've never heard of a "London Bus Station"

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

London is kind of different, I think there are local bus stations (areas that were once not part of London but have been swallowed up by a growing London) but I agree, I've never heard of a "London Bus Station"

Plenty of bus stations in Greater London but most central..... Aldgate?

 

[Darklord8899]

Plenty of bus stations in Greater London but most central..... Aldgate?

I was sure there was bus stations, just not their geographical locations, thank you for that

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Plenty of bus stations in Greater London but most central..... Aldgate?

Two in Kingston alone!

 

[route101]

I was trying to remember about FB 43, I *think* it remained at Waterloo Place (would seem to make sense to me as that was run out of Livingston (after Linlithgow was closed) and none of the West Lothian services returned to using bus station) FB border services certainly did (thank you, I had forgotten about that) but those were the only services from FB that did after the new bus station was opened.

Not 100 percent sure but have an image of a gemini on a 43 in the Bus Station . Maybe wrong .

 

[Cesarcollie]

Plenty of bus stations in Greater London but most central..... Aldgate?

Victoria? Euston? Hammersmith is a bit further out. Liverpool Street (now closed). Plus as TGW says - loads in Greater London.

 

[Deerfold]

Councils balance the books in different ways

For example the free bus was axed Bradford, converted to a paid for bus in Leeds, there was never one introduced in Halifax, but a free bus remains in Huddersfield and also in Dewsbury of all places.

The free bus in Bradford also became paid-for then reduced frequency and disappeared when its operator did.

Haifax had a paid-for every 6 minute service operated by Arriva in the late 90s, linking the rail station and the town centre using 2 buses but it was withdrawn after a row about payments from season tickets.

TJ Walsh operate a less frequent service which links the rail station and the town centre on some 600s.

 

[Deerfold]

Well I have only been though there in the daytime. Traveline South East shows the X5 as a coach service, I have never had a need to check an itinary including the X9.

I assume that, technically, the Oxford Tube is a bus service as well between Oxford and Lewknor.

That still leaves the 66, S2 and S3.

When I was there a couple of months ago there were several service buses present in the early afternoon.

 

[Busaholic]

Plenty of bus stations in Greater London but most central..... Aldgate?

It depends on your definition of 'bus station'. Personally, I'd only include areas that are accessible to the general public, where you can get on or off buses. If you include areas that are sometimes referred to by a bus operator as a 'bus station' then, imo, the most central London one was at Waterloo, now the site of London General's garage that operates only the electric-bussed Red Arrow routes. It's in Cornwell Road, and in pre-TfL days was known at times as both Waterloo Bus Station and Waterloo Bus Stand for internal purposes by the generic London Transport. Planning and other restrictions would have hampered LT wanting to make it into a proper bus station, should LT have wished to do so: I must say I'm not aware that they ever wanted to.

The Kingsway tram subway that linked a smattering of North and South London routes featured an underground tram station for passengers. If the centre of Central London is Charing Cross, then that would have been the nearest if only visionaries had allowed it to continue and be converted to a bus station. Of course, far more visionary would have been to foresee the rebirth of the tram, but that would have been a stretch!!

Regarding Aldgate, I'd put the older-established London Bridge as being a tad more central, but that's nitpicking!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

<snip>
The Kingsway tram subway that linked a smattering of North and South London routes featured an underground tram station for passengers. If the centre of Central London is Charing Cross, then that would have been the nearest if only visionaries had allowed it to continue and be converted to a bus station. Of course, far more visionary would have been to foresee the rebirth of the tram, but that would have been a stretch!!

Regarding Aldgate, I'd put the older-established London Bridge as being a tad more central, but that's nitpicking!

Of course in many other countries (and in Blackpool of all places!), the tram never died!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It depends on your definition of 'bus station'. Personally, I'd only include areas that are accessible to the general public, where you can get on or off buses. If you include areas that are sometimes referred to by a bus operator as a 'bus station' then, imo, the most central London one was at Waterloo, now the site of London General's garage that operates only the electric-bussed Red Arrow routes. It's in Cornwell Road, and in pre-TfL days was known at times as both Waterloo Bus Station and Waterloo Bus Stand for internal purposes by the generic London Transport. Planning and other restrictions would have hampered LT wanting to make it into a proper bus station, should LT have wished to do so: I must say I'm not aware that they ever wanted to.

The Kingsway tram subway that linked a smattering of North and South London routes featured an underground tram station for passengers. If the centre of Central London is Charing Cross, then that would have been the nearest if only visionaries had allowed it to continue and be converted to a bus station. Of course, far more visionary would have been to foresee the rebirth of the tram, but that would have been a stretch!!

Regarding Aldgate, I'd put the older-established London Bridge as being a tad more central, but that's nitpicking!

Depends on your definition of London London Bridge isn't in the City of London but I think Aldgate is......just! However, probably difficult to provide a definitive answer so happy to go with London Bridge!

 

[Busaholic]

Depends on your definition of London London Bridge isn't in the City of London but I think Aldgate is......just! However, probably difficult to provide a definitive answer so happy to go with London Bridge!

Ooh, don't get me on the subject of the City of London! A medieval, totally undemocratic state within the United Kingdom. Anyway, that's not for this thread.
You're probably not alone in thinking Aldgate Bus Station is within the City of London, because part of it is I believe, BUT it was created as the Aldgate Bus and Trolleybus Station when trolleybuses replaced trams in the area precisely because the City of London Corporation refused to allow either trams or trolleybuses into their jurisdiction, other than a very few yards in a couple of places. At least trams could arrive at a terminus, then the driver/controller would switch ends, but trolleybuses required turning circles, hence Aldgate. I can just remember (I think!) the tram from my local South London route reversing at the southern end of Southwark Bridge for this reason: the replacement bus route continued over the bridge to Cannon Street Station, in the City of London.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ooh, don't get me on the subject of the City of London! A medieval, totally undemocratic state within the United Kingdom. Anyway, that's not for this thread.
You're probably not alone in thinking Aldgate Bus Station is within the City of London, because part of it is I believe, BUT it was created as the Aldgate Bus and Trolleybus Station when trolleybuses replaced trams in the area precisely because the City of London Corporation refused to allow either trams or trolleybuses into their jurisdiction, other than a very few yards in a couple of places. At least trams could arrive at a terminus, then the driver/controller would switch ends, but trolleybuses required turning circles, hence Aldgate. I can just remember (I think!) the tram from my local South London route reversing at the southern end of Southwark Bridge for this reason: the replacement bus route continued over the bridge to Cannon Street Station, in the City of London.

Good history nugget there