Trivia: UK bus stations not fit for purpose

[Citistar]

I might get accused of political axe grinding here, but in for a penny...

Weston-super-Mare's current incarnation (opened 2022, i think) of a "bus station" is abysmal. The already bleak town centre has died on it's backside since it opened because buses no longer stop anywhere near the main high street shops. It takes up an astonshing amount of room, yet has still had problems with vehicle/bus shelter collisions because of the layout where nothing is straight. It's advertised as an "interchange" despite being the wrong side of Tesco's sizeable car park to be adjacent to the railway station. In the evenings it is far enough away from any significant civilisation to become a hub for the town's miscreant youths which makes it an unpleasant place to wait for a service. For a town where almost the entire network is propped up by ever more precarious subsidies, it is yet another bit of public transport infrastructure in the town which looks dangerously likely to attain white elephant status already achieved by various abandoned bus only roads, suburban interchanges where no services stop and impenetrable new housing estates. Perhaps i ought to start a tour of Weston's failed bus infrastructure...

 

[Dwarfer1979]

It doesn't quite fit the OP's criteria as it doesn't exist anymore, but Greyfriars bus station in Northampton truly was the tenth circle of hell

But at least it was big enough for all the buses and passengers, the replacement Northgate bus station is much too small as Bletchleyite & Grand Wazoo said. It is neither big enough for all the buses, has almost no parking for laying over buses and the waiting area for passengers has issues at about half the stands with there being no queuing space.

I always wonder how much of that is operators preferring not to pay the bus station access fees.

Northampton North Gate Bus Station was not designed to accommodate all buses, the stops on the Drapery (the road outside) was considered part of the bus station when stops were allocated and operators didn't particularly get to choose on whether they ran from the bus station or the Drapery - allocation was done by the council based on which direction they were going out of the centre.

Recalling the controversy at the time it was very much not that but the congestion that was being caused when more routes served the bus station causing severe delays and the much more significant cost of increased peak vehicle requirements. It's not only too small but has an unsuitable road layout, though some changes were made to make it less bad (I think saying that is fair) shortly after its disastrous opening, which despite having been on a Sunday with a much-reduced service frequency basically caused a near complete collapse of service and delays for car drivers too.

To be fair Greyfriars was an awkwardly located dump, but the replacement really isn't very good either.

The opening was wonderful, the exit of the bus station was into the exit of the multi-storey car park but because the road outside was mostly bus only the cars had to turn left and exit passed the entrance of the bus station. So what you had was buses being unable to exit the bus station as they were blocked by exiting cars but the cars couldn't get out as they were blocked by buses that couldn't get onto their bus stands as the buses couldn't leave. They did ultimately retime the lights pretty quickly to avoid the clashes but I think that risk is still sitting there.

More generally my big gripe with modern bus stations is the designers limit the amount of waiting space for each stand, I suspect to have a nice clean concourse which looks good on their artists impressions but then end up with waiting passengers queueing for buses blocking people trying to get to other stands. They often also lack enough layover space for buses which can create issues around stand clashes as buses are left on stand as there is no where to park or buses driving round and round blocking things up.

Derby is still a little tight for stands, it used to really struggle before COVID to be able to cope with all the buses needed but with some of the service reductions (like YourBus ceasing) mean it is now just about coping. This does suffer from limited queueing space at stands and has limited parking.
Leicester Haymarket is a bit tight on passenger space and has limited parking but are a big improvement on what was there before and are probably the best you could do with the space available. Both of the Leicester bus stations are pretty packed on stand usage but that is a deliberate choice by the council and I think there are only a couple of routes that don't go into one of the two bus stations which was never the case before.
Nottingham Victoria is too small but that is a function of the space available than a design failure. Broadmarsh would probably struggle if all the buses that used to serve the old one moved into the new one but it is coping with what is serving it now.
Luton Interchange is really struggling to cope with service levels and could really do with more stands that could be used by buses terminating having come from the west, I think in some ways this one is a victim of its own success as it has more services into it than used to serve the old station stops and lots of routes have moved in from on street stops elsewhere - exacerbated by the growth of the Busway which feeds directly into the Interchange.
Cambridge Drummer Street is small, has almost no vehicle manoeuvring area, no layover spaces and limited passenger waiting areas.

There are a few that are just pretty rubbish, if for no other reason than that they are old and have no real facilities. Grantham, Stamford, Bourne & Boston in Lincolnshire are all a bit meh at best and all of us can list many in that category across the country that have just received no love in years and just amount to little more than a few stops off the road.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

More generally my big gripe with modern bus stations is the designers limit the amount of waiting space for each stand, I suspect to have a nice clean concourse which looks good on their artists impressions but then end up with waiting passengers queueing for buses blocking people trying to get to other stands. They often also lack enough layover space for buses which can create issues around stand clashes as buses are left on stand as there is no where to park or buses driving round and round blocking things up.

Another one for this is Exeter.

The old one had 16 stands and 7 layover spots (as well as the large coach station and the adjacent depot). The new bus station has 12 stands and 5 layover bays.

And yes, Boston is a dive - a number of stands with islands but no shelters. The only shelter is a single one at one end; according to Streetview, the islands did have shelters in 2014 which may have needed replacing. However, they appear just to have been removed. There is strangely a large sawtooth coach station/park opposite it.

 

[LancasterRed]

Lancaster's is pretty bad - not in the worst location but Common Garden Street probably sees more footfall! Inconvenient, unwelcoming, not somewhere you want to spend long.

Through services are becoming a thing in Preston gradually - the 19 a few months ago, the 23 this coming March, officially the 43/48, rumours of the 31 and 45 merging have come up. Although the 23 extension to Bamber Bridge feels like a desperate grab at another market rather than being strategic.

Edit: not the 31/45 merging, but the 31 extending to Blackburn

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Maybe an honourable mention for Slough, for demonstrating why at least a modicum of fireproofing of the bus station buildings is a good idea?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Lancaster's is pretty bad - not in the worst location but Common Garden Street probably sees more footfall! Inconvenient, unwelcoming, not somewhere you want to spend long.

It's a modern building but has been allowed to get a bit scruffy inside, yes. Not in a very useful location but I'd struggle to think of a better one, bar just getting rid of it and calling the stops on Common Garden St the bus station instead, which wouldn't be an utterly terrible idea as it is more convenient for most users than the actual bus station (this is starting to sound a bit like Preston?). If there's demand for more student flats perhaps selling it off for that wouldn't be all that bad a thing, or maybe a developer could be given it for a knock down price on condition that they build a replacement under said student flats.

If you did close it you'd probably need to find some other place for the longer layovers the likes of the 555 need, but that shouldn't be too hard.

 

[LancasterRed]

It's a modern building but has been allowed to get a bit scruffy inside, yes. Not in a very useful location but I'd struggle to think of a better one, bar just getting rid of it and calling the stops on Common Garden St the bus station instead, which wouldn't be an utterly terrible idea as it is more convenient for most users than the actual bus station. If there's demand for more student flats perhaps selling it off for that wouldn't be all that bad a thing, or maybe a developer could be given it for a knock down price on condition that they build a replacement under said student flats.

At the very least I'd spin more 1s at Common Garden Street, usually only done during peak times and disruption. Maybe a few select 100s during peak times as the buildup of traffic can be a real problem down that way.

 

[py_megapixel]

Piccadilly Gardens is much maligned - and rightly so! But the mess of on-street stops along a busy road in Sheffield that laughably calls itself Arundel Gate "Interchange" surely deserves a mention for being almost as bad.

 

[Bletchleyite]

At the very least I'd spin more 1s at Common Garden Street, usually only done during peak times and disruption. Maybe a few select 100s during peak times as the buildup of traffic can be a real problem down that way.

It looks like it would be fairly easy to provide layover capacity on Spring Garden St for terminating services, then they could easily loop back round to Common Garden St for departure.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It's a modern building but has been allowed to get a bit scruffy inside, yes.

This is also a common problem. They get the money to build a bus station (in terms of grants) but not money to operate/maintain them. The newish Merthyr bus station is already getting a bit grubby despite only opening 5 years ago.

Actually, Merthyr is another very generously proportioned bus station. 14 stands (!) and a huge apron and laying over area, so it's bigger than Exeter! In addition, the building itself has very high ceilings - there's a Roger French article on it https://busandtrainuser.com/2021/06/15/merthyrs-new-bus-station/ though both cafes/kiosks have since closed and have been for some while.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This is also a common problem. They get the money to build a bus station (in terms of grants) but not money to operate/maintain them. The newish Merthyr bus station is already getting a bit grubby despite only opening 5 years ago.

Bedford is similar - it's a reasonably decent looking modern building from the outside, but the inside is utterly filthy and stinks. Not from vandalism, just general detritus and dirt.

While indoor facilities are nice for keeping warm and dry while waiting, I'm not convinced they're a sensible thing to build if you've not got the funds to keep them nice.

Mind you that can also apply to normal stops. The ones at St Ives Park and Ride near Cambridge on the Busway (surely an item of civic pride?) are covered in cobwebs that must have been spun the day it opened given the amount of dirt caked into them.

 

[341o2]

Poole bus station has been described as a dump. Dirty, dingy, and feral youths hanging around

The station is currently in a state of chaotic mess. From poorly labelled signs making it hard for people to find their bus, to buses regularly getting in the wrong lane leading to bus riders getting on the wrong buses and inadequate seating and waiting areas making the whole bus riding experience distressing. Especially in these cold winter months.

https://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/2023/01/poole-bus-station-renovation-needed/

 

[High Dyke]

...Newark - huge for a small town with few services

The current one actually has fewer stands than its predecessor (currently 5, was 6). That said, until some time ago, not all of the town bus services used the bus station.

Many places have seen an amalgamation of bus stations, I'm thinking of Doncaster (previously North & South), Lincoln (St Marks and City) or reductions on the same site, Nottingham Victoria. In the case of Nottingham and Lincoln St Marks, the building also doubled as the bus garage.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The current one actually has fewer stands than its predecessor (currently 5, was 6). That said, until some time ago, not all of the town bus services used the bus station.

I remember that one - the one huge island heading down to the depot at the end. The new one has one fewer bay and the footprint smaller but the actual building is a lot more impressive.



In fairness, Notts and Lancs are very good with bus station provision for shire counties.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Poole bus station has been described as a dump. Dirty, dingy, and feral youths hanging around

It's wholly in keeping with the centre of Poole which is one of the nastiest places I've had the misfortune to visit in recent years. It has all the charm of a 1960s Brutalist New Town despite the rest of the place being reasonably OK. The railway station, despite being modern, isn't up to much either.

Have we mentioned Swindon? It's recently closed in favour of a "bus street" i.e. slightly enhanced on street stops, but I don't think I've been to quite as nasty a bus station as that in recent years. Again wholly in keeping though!

 

[Hophead]

I'll be honest, I'd assumed this whole thread was inspired by a recent reference elsewhere to Guildford Bus Station, tacked onto the side of a shopping centre, all concrete and cobwebs, more popular with pigeons than passengers, though the birds have to contend with spikes along their most popular perches.

There's not enough room to queue, which is a particular problem as many of the Stagecoach services only start loading at departure time.

Fortunately, the council have plans to replace it with something less squalid nearby.

 

[Wawanesa]

Two Essex ones deserve a mention. Chelmsford, which opened in 2007, but is on the site of earlier ones dating back to the 1920s, was designed by somebody who hadn't troubled to check the size of modern buses so that vehicles do multiple shunts to get round the horseshoe layout. Colchester's current Bus Station is a collection of inadequate bus stops which replaced a perfectly good one in 2014.

 

[overthewater]

The two that comes to mind is

* Cumbernauld which is hell on earth even on the nicest days of summer. Anyone who has had the displeasure of using the place will know what I mean, plus its real challenge to get the other side.

* Edinburgh: The biggest problem is the traffic management, Just trying to get in the place is bad enough.

 

[Bletchleyite]

* Edinburgh: The biggest problem is the traffic management, Just trying to get in the place is bad enough.

One wonders how much Edinburgh is actually needed. In my observation (though I've not used it often) a lot of people board away from it anyway given the "regional express" nature of most Citylink coaches. A run up Princes St serving selected stops before heading out is probably more useful really.

 

[JKP]

One wonders how much Edinburgh is actually needed. In my observation (though I've not used it often) a lot of people board away from it anyway given the "regional express" nature of most Citylink coaches. A run up Princes St serving selected stops before heading out is probably more useful really.

When buses from the Borders terminated at Waterloo Place, there were a great number of complaints due to inadequate shelters and lack of toilet facilities. Buses running southwards e.g. Borders Buses 51, X62 and X95 would require additional buses if extended along Princes Street.

 

[Andyh82]

One wonders how much Edinburgh is actually needed. In my observation (though I've not used it often) a lot of people board away from it anyway given the "regional express" nature of most Citylink coaches. A run up Princes St serving selected stops before heading out is probably more useful really.

Why do you keep suggesting loads of bus stations are closed? How can forcing people to wait for a coach at the side of the road be better than waiting in a bus station?

Some choose to do that, probably locals/regulars, but why would you want everyone to do that?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Feb 2026 ==

Poole bus station has been described as a dump. Dirty, dingy, and feral youths hanging around



https://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/2023/01/poole-bus-station-renovation-needed/

Poole would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for Morebus maintaining it well with modern clean signage, advertising, timetables etc.

I can imagine it being a bit feral after dark though

 

[xydancer]

Poole bus station has been described as a dump. Dirty, dingy, and feral youths hanging around



https://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/2023/01/poole-bus-station-renovation-needed/

It is a bit grubby but, according the More website, refurbishment has started - both on the bus station itself and the immediate area outside. An article on their News pages reads:

We are working alongside BCP Council, using money from the Government's Bus Service Improvement Plan, to help deliver a host of improvements to Poole Bus Station throughout 2026/27.

Works will include: redecoration and improved flooring, lighting, signage and seating. This builds on earlier investment in electronic information displays with CCTV at each bus stand and Transport Safety Officers are employed to regularly patrol the area.

Work is already underway on the unused tarmac area between Seldown Car Park and the bus station, to turn the area into a greener, more welcoming space for everyone to use.

Future plans include a garden space, sheltered seating, murals, improved access, cycle facilities, better connections, wildlife-friendly planting and new fencing.

https://www.morebus.co.uk/work-enhance-poole-bus-station-has-begun

 

[satters]

A lack of facilities (lavatories) information and just shelters for protection is a problem in many towns, some places have adequate bus stations with facilities, whilst others are not pleasant to use at all, Kidderminster fits the latter, and Bridgnorth is a joke

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Two Essex ones deserve a mention. Chelmsford, which opened in 2007, but is on the site of earlier ones dating back to the 1920s, was designed by somebody who hadn't troubled to check the size of modern buses so that vehicles do multiple shunts to get round the horseshoe layout. Colchester's current Bus Station is a collection of inadequate bus stops which replaced a perfectly good one in 2014.

Absolutely agree with both of these. Chelmsford is a terrible design. The horseshoe design is too tight but that's hindered by buses parking on stands because of insufficient layover spaces (5?), buses have to get into any stand they can at times (not the one allocated) and it's cold and open to the elements apart from a bizarre waiting room near the vehicle exit often inhabited by a person consuming their bodyweight in strong Polish lager.

As for Colchester, that's just bedlam on a street or two.

A lack of facilities (lavatories) information and just shelters for protection is a problem in many towns, some places have adequate bus stations with facilities, whilst others are not pleasant to use at all, Kidderminster fits the latter, and Bridgnorth is a joke

Bridgnorth might need a better shelter etc but not certain it needs a bus station. As for Kiddy, I find that a bleak place to wait for a bus. There is, at least, a Coffee #1 by it to grab a latte.

 

[Man of Kent]

I'll be honest, I'd assumed this whole thread was inspired by a recent reference elsewhere to Guildford Bus Station, tacked onto the side of a shopping centre, all concrete and cobwebs, more popular with pigeons than passengers, though the birds have to contend with spikes along their most popular perches.

There's not enough room to queue, which is a particular problem as many of the Stagecoach services only start loading at departure time.

Fortunately, the council have plans to replace it with something less squalid nearby.

Fairly certain that it's the existing site that is being refurbished, and becoming slightly smaller into the bargain. According to https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/27349/Find-out-about-North-Street-Regeneration

The project will deliver:

• 477 highly sustainable new homes, including 47 affordable homes in the town centre
• 2.2 acres of public realm featuring a wellness garden and a new town square
• a newly refurbished bus station
• the pedestrianisation of North Street between Leapale Road and Commercial Road
• the planting of 115 new trees, boosting local biodiversity
• new medical centre premises available to serve the community's needs

 

[E B]

Birmingham, doesn't even have a Bus station anymore since the Midland Red "bullring" bus station was closed years ago, only a coach station, the local buses stop at various places, to interchange you have to find where the other buses stop and walk across the city, totally not fit for purpose

Disappointing for a city of it’s size. Thankfully I have never had to change buses but the amount of different places I have boarded/alighted buses from is ridiculous.

 

[ACBest]

Oversized - […] Newark - huge for a small town with few services

On the contrary, Newark’s bus station is too small in terms of the number of bays provided, and it’s very a frequent occurrence that buses end up having to use alternative bays.

It doesn’t help that one of the stands is reserved exclusively for the NottsBus On Demand DRT service, so the number of stands available for use is reduced to just four.

 

[Megafuss]

Keswick Bus Station. No shelters...in the Lake District! Due to the "surge" timetabling, it can get very very busy with buses and passengers. Really needs to expand, but I doubt Booths would allow that....

I'd also say Carlisle Bus Station. It's absolutely disgusting and too small for the number of departures...buses regularly using the incorrect atands

 

[Bletchleyite]

Keswick Bus Station. No shelters...in the Lake District! Due to the "surge" timetabling, it can get very very busy with buses and passengers. Really needs to expand, but I doubt Booths would allow that....

The bus station itself is rubbish, but the Booths next to it, like Windermere station, gives it excellent facilities.

If the taxi bit could be removed it could be turned into a sawtooth, which might be better?

 

[Revilo]

I might get accused of political axe grinding here, but in for a penny...

Weston-super-Mare's current incarnation (opened 2022, i think) of a "bus station" is abysmal. The already bleak town centre has died on it's backside since it opened because buses no longer stop anywhere near the main high street shops. It takes up an astonshing amount of room, yet has still had problems with vehicle/bus shelter collisions because of the layout where nothing is straight. It's advertised as an "interchange" despite being the wrong side of Tesco's sizeable car park to be adjacent to the railway station. In the evenings it is far enough away from any significant civilisation to become a hub for the town's miscreant youths which makes it an unpleasant place to wait for a service. For a town where almost the entire network is propped up by ever more precarious subsidies, it is yet another bit of public transport infrastructure in the town which looks dangerously likely to attain white elephant status already achieved by various abandoned bus only roads, suburban interchanges where no services stop and impenetrable new housing estates. Perhaps i ought to start a tour of Weston's failed bus infrastructure...

As well as being away from the town centre, it’s also further from the sea front (the main if not sole attraction of Weston). The buses used to terminate at Marine Parade on the sea front (and before that the bus station proper), but now stop well short of it.