Why are a lot of bus stations now called 'Interchanges'

[Simon75]

Is there a reason why a lot of bus stations that have been rebuild on the same site, like Stockport, is now called an Interchange?

 

[Hyebone]

The definition of "Interchange" is often stretched, especially in South Yorkshire. My favourite example being Grimethorpe interchange, which is simply 4 bus stops on a street (2 either side).

You could argue Swinton Interchange is even more ridiculous, being simply a bus stop next to the train station.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

One would think "Interchange" would be for the ability to change between different modes of transport. For example, in Wolverhampton although the Bus Station is called simply that - a bus station - the project that led to it's construction was designed as an interchange. The large bus station, the tram, taxi ranks and the railway station are all in close proximity.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is there a reason why a lot of bus stations that have been rebuild on the same site, like Stockport, is now called an Interchange?

"Bus interchange" has been used as a synonym for "bus station" for years, it's not new, it's more a regional difference. In Stockport's case though I think the idea is to emphasise that it's trains as well (and probably trams in future), not just buses, as there's now a direct path to the railway station.

 

[ALEMASTER]

To some extent I think it is whatever language is fashionable in public sector organisations that fund such things. The current buzzword seems to be "hub".

I would say an interchange is somewhere geared up for making connections and most relevant if it is a multi-modal facility where you can change from bus to tram, train or coach. It might also be somewhere where you can cycle to and use secure cycle storage whilst completing the journey by public transport.

Of the South Yorkshire examples Doncaster, Barnsley, Meadowhall, Sheffield and Hillsborough are reasonable examples of multi-modal interchanges. Rotherham is a bit of a stretch as the trains and trams are up the road on the other side of the river although interchange between different buses is good. Arundel Gate I think is really pushing it as they've simply put a building up at the side of the road (containing ticket vending machines and a customer service desk) and called it an interchange!

 

[Llandudno]

Matlock (population 12000) has a Bus Station AND an Interchange!

 

[D1511]

I'd say it's a better description of what happens there than 'station'

 

[mangad]

In Greater Manchester interchange has long been used to mark a point where you can change travel modes. The very long established Bury Interchange where tram and bus can be found. Similar in Ashton-under-Lyne which has buses and trams, with the added bonus of the railway station being reasonably close. Stockport currently is probably pushing it a bit. It is a bit of a trek from the buses to the trains. But also it's a statement of intent for the proposed extension of the Metrolink.

There is always a clear difference. If it's bus only, in Greater Manchester, they call them bus stations instead.

 

[Simon75]

Northwich Interchange is just a lay-by . It replaced the bus station/garage in the early 1990s, which was nearer to the railway station

Chester Interchange, quite away from the bus station, replaced the bus exchange and Delamere Street bus station

 

[YorkRailFan]

Bradford Interchange and Hull Interchange are two examples that come to mind which are definitely interchanges and act as hubs for bus and rail services in their respective areas.

 

[AndrewE]

Bradford Interchange and Hull Interchange are two examples that come to mind which are definitely interchanges and act as hubs for bus and rail services in their respective areas.

Stourbridge town station could well be renamed Stourbridge Interchange, as a) it's not the original Town station, and b) is close to the bus station (which is called "Interchange.")
The Bradford (bus) interchange says on its webpage https://www.wymetro.com/buses/bus-stations/bradford-interchange/

Bradford Interchange Rail Station is 60 metres away

But I still think of it as Bradford Exchange! Luckily the two words are almost interchangeable, and any mis-speaking is easily understood!

 

[JKP]

Galashiels Transport Interchange opened 2015. Replaced the bus station and is situated across the road from the railway station on the Borders Railway opened the same year. There also are secure cycle racks.

 

[The exile]

The phrase “bus station” will conjure up to many a combination of the following: stink of diesel fumes, semi-dereliction, noise, cold, dank dinginess, weirdos (and what they leave behind them). There were plenty of exceptions, I’m sure (and the railways built New Street to get in on the act) but an image refresh is probably no bad thing.

 

[Gloster]

Ryde now calls itself a Transport Interchange and it does have three modes of transport: bus, train (when it isn’t closed for more engineering work) and, just over the footbridge, the hovercraft to Southsea. I think that they did try to call Yarmouth an Interchange at one point, presumably on the basis that the ferry is within walking distance.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

The definition of "Interchange" is often stretched, especially in South Yorkshire. My favourite example being Grimethorpe interchange, which is simply 4 bus stops on a street (2 either side).

You could argue Swinton Interchange is even more ridiculous, being simply a bus stop next to the train station.

Probably the most bonkers was (and may still be, although I haven't been recently) the bus stop next to Adwick station which described itself as "Adwick Interchange". In ten years of working through the railway station I never saw a bus there!

 

[Ze Random One]

In Greater Manchester interchange has long been used to mark a point where you can change travel modes. The very long established Bury Interchange where tram and bus can be found. Similar in Ashton-under-Lyne which has buses and trams, with the added bonus of the railway station being reasonably close. Stockport currently is probably pushing it a bit. It is a bit of a trek from the buses to the trains. But also it's a statement of intent for the proposed extension of the Metrolink.

There is always a clear difference. If it's bus only, in Greater Manchester, they call them bus stations instead.

Same is true in Tyne and Wear. If it's a multimodal facility, it's an Interchange, whereas if it's just buses it's a bus station. If the bus station is separated from the rail/metro station even by having to walk across a single road or alleyway, that's a bus station. The only 3 exceptions I can think of are the Airport, Central Station (since the name of thosd two render "interchange" redundant), and North Shields Transport Hub, because marketing.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I guess it's a question of fashion although as @D1511 says, it is perhaps a better reflection of their role in that people may interchange between either the same or different modes.

Interesting that @Ze Random One states that the rule is multi-modal in Tyne and Wear - it's a bit more complex than that.

• Jarrow has a bus station separate but adjacent to the metro station - that's a bus station.
• Meanwhile, Hetton le Hole has an Interchange but it's just an L shaped road with 4 bus shelters!
• Blaydon has a bus station that is 5 mins walk from the train station whilst MetroCentre is an interchange that has a two min walk between the two modes (but maybe as it's more direct, that feels more appropriate

It's quite amusing when you get somewhere like Hetton le Hole or the new Blackheath (West Mids- consists of three bus shelters plus two more about 100m up the main road) being referred to as an Interchange.

 

[tbtc]

I don't mind 'Interchange' as a description

Few places still have a 'traditional' bus station any more , and calling somewhere 'Interchange' leaves scope for potentially introducing other modes of transport at a later date (or at least pretensions of doing so!)

It's also a useful way of understanding which the 'central' stop is, when looking at a timetable (since not every place has a "High Street", and pedestrianisation means that the High Street might not be accessible to buses anyway) - you'd expect "Interchange" to be convenient for the shops or whatever

Probably the most bonkers was (and may still be, although I haven't been recently) the bus stop next to Adwick station which described itself as "Adwick Interchange". In ten years of working through the railway station I never saw a bus there!

https://bustimes.org/stops/370046789?date=2025-10-02&time=10:35 there's currently four departures an hour from the bus stop directly outside the station (three train departures an hour), which seems reasonable for a suburban station - however it feels surprising that it's an Interchange

(I can't comment on what the bus frequency was different in previous years though)

If Adwick qualifies then why not Woodhouse (twelve bus services an hour, two train services an hour)? Maybe it might have qualified for the status of the proposed First Group service to Kings Cross every happened

 

[AndrewE]

I'm sure that Llandudno Junction showed the bus stop outside as "Platform 5." I thought it was excellent and would have sworn that it was on the departure boards too. However I can't see it on any website now, not even NR..

Maybe that was only when we had a RRB from there onwards to Bangor... (Which was done briliantly: an express departure to Bangor - and /on to Holyhead? - plus a stopping bus for all stations to Bangor, both clearly signed and stewarded.)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In Greater Manchester interchange has long been used to mark a point where you can change travel modes.

That's certainly the case at Altrincham Interchange, where you can switch between Metrolink trams, heavy rail (to Stockport / Chester) and local buses. Think there's also a taxi stand there.

 

[Llandudno]

I'm sure that Llandudno Junction showed the bus stop outside as "Platform 5." I thought it was excellent and would have sworn that it was on the departure boards too. However I can't see it on any website now, not even NR..

Maybe that was only when we had a RRB from there onwards to Bangor... (Which was done briliantly: an express departure to Bangor - and /on to Holyhead? - plus a stopping bus for all stations to Bangor, both clearly signed and stewarded.)

There are no commercial Arriva buses calling at Llandudno Junction any more and no signage at the station or on ‘Platform(!) 5’ advising would be passengers where the nearest bus stops are, not helped by the fact that there are buses to/from Llandudno picking up at totally different stops within a couple of minutes walk from the station!

 

[andyb87]

Just to prove there is always an exception that proves the rule….
Hucknall in Nottinghamshire has a two track tram terminus flanked on one side by a single platform heavy rail platform and on the other by stops for a town circular feeder bus (4 buses per hour) and two other routes. All are inter-accessible without steps or crossing the lines. A road bridge above has steps down from adjacent stops for another bus route. This whole complex is usefully known as “Railway Station”. P.S. even more usefully, the bus route crossing above has no official timing point here, indeed there are no timing points anywhere in the town area for this route, a journey across the town of 11-15 minutes!

 

[johncrossley]

In several other countries, there is often no special label for the bus station if it happens to be next to the railway station. In timetables it will simply be referred to as "bahnhof", "gare", "station" etc. When looking at British bus stations from that perspective, you then realise that is kind of embarrassing that we actually have to point out that a bus station has other modes in the vicinity, as if it is something special.

 

[mangad]

In several other countries, there is often no special label for the bus station if it happens to be next to the railway station. In timetables it will simply be referred to as "bahnhof", "gare", "station" etc. When looking at British bus stations from that perspective, you then realise that is kind of embarrassing that we actually have to point out that a bus station has other modes in the vicinity, as if it is something special.

I read that and wondered how many of those countries have a system where the bus is the feeder to the train. Which happens a lot in regulated, organised public transport systems. Which we in the UK, (mostly) don't have.

Many years ago I did a journey in Scandinavia which was bus then ferry then bus, with everything coordinated. So much so that when the bus left late (due to a passenger issue!) there was a major race to make sure we connected with the ferry. The bus and ferry were the same company.

In Britain it would have been different companies and the bus would probably have been timed to arrive ten minutes after the ferry had left because the bus company would have gone "well why should I have to change MY timings to suit the ferry, they should change for me!"

In an integrated system we'd have more interchanges because it makes sense for the passenger.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Probably the most bonkers was (and may still be, although I haven't been recently) the bus stop next to Adwick station which described itself as "Adwick Interchange". In ten years of working through the railway station I never saw a bus there!

Just over the border in West Yorkshire (and reachable on SYPTE tickets) is Denby Dale Interchange. A single platform railway station and one bus stop on a turning circle! There was a second bus stop at one point, but that was removed a while back.
There was also Waterloo Interchange, which was a collection of bus stops near the (now) Team Pennine bus depot. It's a good few years since I had cause to catch a bus there but last time I was there it included a very outdated "service guide" which listed long-discontinued routes to Barnsley and beyond, all with numbers in the 2xx range which were discontinued (apart from the Wakefield runs) when Stagecoach purchased Yorkshire Traction!

 

[Simon75]

In several other countries, there is often no special label for the bus station if it happens to be next to the railway station. In timetables it will simply be referred to as "bahnhof", "gare", "station" etc. When looking at British bus stations from that perspective, you then realise that is kind of embarrassing that we actually have to point out that a bus station has other modes in the vicinity, as if it is something special.

I lived in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1990s, and your right . A 'bus station ' at a shopping centre/railway station was and still call that

 

[Ballyheigue]

The thing is though, bus stations really aren't safe or even pleasant places to wait for a bus after dark, or in the case of some places even during the daytime, an Interchange if done right suddenly makes things safer. Taking Leeds as an example, you really wouldn't want to be down Leeds Bus Station on a night, where as the train station feels a lot safer. Now if both the bus station and the train station were built together with the same high level of staffing for both and called something different like an Interchange, the bus station part suddenly seems and would be more appealing.

Over in the Irish Republic, there are several examples of bus and train stations built right next to each other but for some reason they're referred as individual units rather than one common one such as an interchange. Tralee, Killarney, Limerick to name a few, it's a pity especially in the case of Tralee and Limerick as there are some great connections to be made from both modes of transport.

 

[johncrossley]

The thing is though, bus stations really aren't safe or even pleasant places to wait for a bus after dark, or in the case of some places even during the daytime, an Interchange if done right suddenly makes things safer. Taking Leeds as an example, you really wouldn't want to be down Leeds Bus Station on a night, where as the train station feels a lot safer. Now if both the bus station and the train station were built together with the same high level of staffing for both and called something different like an Interchange, the bus station part suddenly seems and would be more appealing.

Over in the Irish Republic, there are several examples of bus and train stations built right next to each other but for some reason they're referred as individual units rather than one common one such as an interchange. Tralee, Killarney, Limerick to name a few, it's a pity especially in the case of Tralee and Limerick as there are some great connections to be made from both modes of transport.

That's why I don't get why local authorities are so keen on bus stations. They cost a lot of money to build, require their own staff, yet they feel less safe than waiting at a roadside bus stop, where you probably have lots of people walking past to provide a sense of relative safety. A bus station is inevitably going to be a lonelier place, especially late at night. If you look at comparable town/city centre stations in some other European countries, buses will often stop right outside the railway station with no separate building. Possibly almost right next to the platform. Of course, a lot of the time city transport is provided by trams with only some routes operated by buses. Buses might even drive on the tram lines so a bus station would make zero sense here.

 

[duncombec]

In several other countries, there is often no special label for the bus station if it happens to be next to the railway station. In timetables it will simply be referred to as "bahnhof", "gare", "station" etc. When looking at British bus stations from that perspective, you then realise that is kind of embarrassing that we actually have to point out that a bus station has other modes in the vicinity, as if it is something special.

Surely it's little more than a buzzword - does anyone really care whether a location is called "Interchange" or "Rail Station"? Certainly the latter is what we call it in my home town, to separate it from the actual bus station, sensibly placed vastly closer to the entirety of the town that isn't the rail station. By contrast, the town I lived in in Germany had precisely 0 buses stopping at the Rail Station - they stopped at the bus station 5 minutes walk away, vastly closer to the entirety of the town that wasn't the rail station...

With respect, the comment seems largely based around the 3000th attempt at shoehorning in "everything is better abroad"...

The thing is though, bus stations really aren't safe or even pleasant places to wait for a bus after dark, or in the case of some places even during the daytime, an Interchange if done right suddenly makes things safer. Taking Leeds as an example, you really wouldn't want to be down Leeds Bus Station on a night, where as the train station feels a lot safer. Now if both the bus station and the train station were built together with the same high level of staffing for both and called something different like an Interchange, the bus station part suddenly seems and would be more appealing.

That may be the case om your town, but not in mine. I'd much rather wait at the bus station (open air, well lit, if a bit cold) than I would at some random roadside stop. It's site specific, rather than bus stations as a whole.

 

[johncrossley]

By contrast, the town I lived in in Germany had precisely 0 buses stopping at the Rail Station - they stopped at the bus station 5 minutes walk away, vastly closer to the entirety of the town that wasn't the rail station...

With respect, the comment seems largely based around the 3000th attempt at shoehorning in "everything is better abroad"...

I don't think I claimed that buses go to the station everywhere outside the UK. However your old place in Germany is probably quite unusual for the country as a whole. From what I've seen in various places, where the station is not near the town centre, which is often the case, buses typically serve both the town centre and station.