Preston bus station

[WestCoast]

To be fair, the bus station is central and the railway station isn't.

Which was there first though? The bus station may be technically more central, but the rail station is more convenient for Fishergate's shopping!

 

[exile]

It's got a better bus station than either Southport or Widnes - but they don't have one!

 

[WestCoast]

It's got a better bus station than either Southport or Widnes - but they don't have one!

Well, that's a given. I wouldn't knock it down, I was just questioning the convenience of the location, which the 1960s transport planners chose (arguably focused on cars).

 

[Whistler40145]

Burnley has a good Bus Station.

 

[shinkansen1966]

Back in April, I changes buses in Preston bus station. It summed up much bus use outside the capital: buses often used by the young, the poor, the disabled and the elderly. It was a Friday evening, with the last bus of the day returning to Skipton at 17:15. The last bus. I must have been about the only white middle aged man in the bus station.

Of course, I missed the 17:15 bus to Skipton, because my Stagecoach bus from Blackpool was stuck in car traffic. Not only that, but despite this delay, we had to pick up passengers at several stops coming into Preston, because the Competition Commission insists Preston area tickets being operator specific (unlike London).

I ended up on the later 18:05 bus from Preston to Barnoldswick. The last bus of the day on on Friday evening. There was 5 of us on the bus. We crawled out of Preston passed the usual range of car orientated drive through shopping centres, car parks and pubs.

This is Britain in 2011. Politicians don't care about the dysfunctional bus network because they don't bother listening to the poor, young or infirm. There are no votes in bus passengers. There are votes in motoring.

 

[robertclark125]

This is the key question for both Stagecoach and Rotala. If the issue of the bus station is not resolved, what do they do? Do they pump in money to do it up, on a make do and mend basis? Or, do they pull out of it altogether?

 

[Blindtraveler]

fix the leaks in the roof and get rid of the neds and you gotta happy megabus punter who uses it occasionally wen megabus is cheeper to blackpool than Train

 

[rmt-driver]

Isn't it the biggest busstation innthe world?

 

[PRBusStation]

This is the key question for both Stagecoach and Rotala. If the issue of the bus station is not resolved, what do they do? Do they pump in money to do it up, on a make do and mend basis? Or, do they pull out of it altogether?

And Fishwick & Sons, Blue Bus, National Express, Lancashire United - although the bus station is council owned and I believe buses are charged per use of the bus station so they contribute that way.

fix the leaks in the roof and get rid of the neds and you gotta happy megabus punter who uses it occasionally wen megabus is cheeper to blackpool than Train

I often get emails or comments on the Facebook group from people beyond Preston who use the bus station and rate it quite highly compared to other stops on their travels; they freely admit it needs improvement but prefer it to the alternative (there is no planned replacement for Preston Bus Station). I believe Preston should play on its strength as a regional transport hub and capitalise on its connections to the West Coast Main Line, the M6 and regional motorway network and really encourage more bus services to operate through the city.

Isn't it the biggest busstation innthe world?

I hear a lot of variations on this! The biggest in Europe, the 2nd biggest in Europe, the biggest in the world at the time of construction, etc!

I've not found anything to back this up in anyway at all, but there's no denying that it's big. There was a rumour flying around that it had an exact copy in Iran, unfortunately the truth was rather less exciting although perhaps there is a *slight* similarity.

 

[PRBusStation]

This is the key question for both Stagecoach and Rotala. If the issue of the bus station is not resolved, what do they do? Do they pump in money to do it up, on a make do and mend basis? Or, do they pull out of it altogether?

And Fishwick & Sons, Blue Bus, National Express, Lancashire United - although the bus station is council owned and I believe buses are charged per use of the bus station so they contribute that way.

fix the leaks in the roof and get rid of the neds and you gotta happy megabus punter who uses it occasionally wen megabus is cheeper to blackpool than Train

I often get emails or comments on the Facebook group from people beyond Preston who use the bus station and rate it quite highly compared to other stops on their travels; they freely admit it needs improvement but prefer it to the alternative (there is no planned replacement for Preston Bus Station). I believe Preston should play on its strength as a regional transport hub and capitalise on its connections to the West Coast Main Line, the M6 and regional motorway network and really encourage more bus services to operate through the city.

Isn't it the biggest busstation innthe world?

I hear a lot of variations on this! The biggest in Europe, the 2nd biggest in Europe, the biggest in the world at the time of construction, etc!

I've not found anything to back this up in anyway at all, but there's no denying that it's big. There was a rumour flying around that it had an exact copy in Iran, unfortunately the truth was rather less exciting although perhaps there is a *slight* similarity.

 

[exile]

Isn't it the biggest busstation innthe world?

No. Port Authority in New York is certainly bigger but I suspect there may be even bigger ones in China and India.

 

[WatcherZero]

The current biggest is in South America (Brazil, handles the long distance coach trips to neighbouring countries), could have been biggest when built though.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Burnley has a good Bus Station.

Indeed it has, with a varied list of served destinations in the local East Lancashire region, which makes it a good transport hub. It also offers direct services to Manchester, Skipton and Preston on a wider-regional area basis.

 

[Blindtraveler]

@PR Bus Station, what would you say are the major improvements that should be done to it to make it more user friendly?

 

[Whistler40145]

It doesn't have an appealing look, very 1960/1970s, needs modernising.

Also, the addition of an Arrivals/Departures Electronic Display on each side of the Bus Station would be nice.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It doesn't have an appealing look, very 1960/1970s, needs modernising.

It would look good as part of a "Cold War" film set which was supposed to be in East Germany in the 1960's.

 

[robertclark125]

My basis for Rotala Preston Bus and stagecoach North West pumping money into it was they're the two biggest local bus service providers. Then I forgot, the competition commission, in their ruling, would probably not allow both firms to work together on it.

 

[GNERman]

I've only been to the Bus Station twice, when having a day at Preston Station, getting the 280 from Skipton to Preston. All I can say is, it is a hole.

Dark, grotty, outdated, but busy, and should be in a much better state than that it is in now.

 

[cainebj]

It badly needs the investment. The car park above it is very well used, but the lifts often break, leaving the disabled stuck upstairs, or meaning people have to carry pushchairs down the dark, cold stairwells.
I've often said to people that all it needs is a good refurbishment. Get rid of the outdated faded white tiled walls, and paint them a nice pale apple green. Replace the flooring with new heavy duty vinyl, replace all of the stand signs with new, easier to read electronic equipment, remove the current wood & metal stand dividers and put in brick walls to the same height, plastered over and in the same pale apple green, with usable seating at each stand. Upstairs in the car park, replace the pay & display system with a more modern "pay on departure" system, removing the need for traffic wardens to monitor the car park at all times, issuing tickets to cars whose owner may be stuck in a broken lift, or is struggling to get a pushchair and shopping up the steep stairwells because a lift has broken. New lifts installed too, replace the highly unreliable current ones.
All comes to money though. As mentioned, Stagecoach and Rotala could donate towards it, as well as Transdev, National Express (provide a better facility for passengers waiting for heavily delayed NatEx services) and Fishwicks, as could the owners of the hairdressers, newsagents, and the cafe that are all in the bus station. It would surely be cheaper to carry out modernisation work on the current 90 stand bus station, than build a new smaller bus station (I believe the latest plans were for 25 stands).

 

[Whistler40145]

I agree with everything cainebj has said. The only impression it gives is that you want to get out as soon as possible!

If travelling by National Express, passengers can't wait anywhere, no lounge facilities.

 

[cainebj]

I visited Preston Bus Station today. Since my last visit, the exterior poles at the modified stands used by Preston Bus have been re-painted blue and yellow, replacing the faded and peeled red, which is still in place at the stands not used by Preston Bus. Some stands have also been repainted on the exterior.

 

[robertclark125]

The problem you have with knocking it down and rebuilding it is providing temporary facilities. Where can they be based?

 

[Invincibles]

I would consider using just one side of it (the north) and building the south side into a square as part of the Tithebarn development. This would remove any need for passengers to cross the apron and give a sensibly sized station suitable for the future.

Naturally the whole thing needs to be cleaned up, but with a sensible use of the land and better access into Tithebarn the units in the station would let better.

Just needs to be well thought about because like it or not it is an iconic building and we should not be too quick to condemn such things.

 

[Statto]

I would consider using just one side of it (the north) and building the south side into a square as part of the Tithebarn development. This would remove any need for passengers to cross the apron and give a sensibly sized station suitable for the future.

Naturally the whole thing needs to be cleaned up, but with a sensible use of the land and better access into Tithebarn the units in the station would let better.

Just needs to be well thought about because like it or not it is an iconic building and we should not be too quick to condemn such things.

I agree, it's not as if all the stands are being used[just under half the stands are currently used], but it does depend in the buildings infrastructure whether it can be done that way, if not i'd demolish the bus station & rebuild it something like Huddersfield Bus Station[without the separate arrivals hall though]. You can still have a car park above the bus station if it's needed

 

[phil8715]

I was born and bred in Preston. I've always thought of Preston Bus Station as being iconic. It would be a shame to knock it down.

My parents live in Northern Ireland and most stations in the province are rail and bus interchanges.

Burnley Bus Station is a great station but not an interchange, think the nearest station is Burnley Central a good 10 minutes walk. Chorley Bus station is an interchange and so is Nelson. In fact so is a Blackburn bus station.

 

[trentside]

Apparently Preston bus station has been place on the World Monument Funds "at risk" list. I've never visited it, but it does appear to be an interesting piece of architecture - what's it like inside?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15180978

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Apparently Preston bus station has been place on the World Monument Funds "at risk" list. I've never visited it, but it does appear to be an interesting piece of architecture - what's it like inside?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15180978

It's nice for what it is.

This describes it better then I can:

http://www.whereintheworldisgarry.com/assets/Images/bus_line.jpg

It's like that down the other side too, and there are quite a few little shops down the middle. That photo is from a while ago though, the information TV screens aren't there anymore.

This:

http://blogpreston.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/last-bus-700w.jpg

(And another entrance / exit) used to be the only safe means of access, but don't use them unless you want to be relieved of your wallet. I think the one in the photo leads to the Guild Hall shopping area, and I only ever use it if I've got nothing of value on me! I'll try and remember where the other subway is...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Preston Bus Station had mention of it in the BBC North-West News at 1830 tonight, with some external and internal views, and they asked some bus users what they thought of it.

 

[phil8715]

My Father used to drive for Preston Brough Transport now Preston Bus. I would go upto the outdoor carpark right at the top of bus station to watch the last departures, all buses would go out in order like a formation dance.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Tapatalk

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Preston Bus Station also made the local TV news on Friday morning. Its meda profile has certainly been raised .... that's twice in a week now.