Words used to label bus stops within bus stations.

[stadler]

Why is there so much variation of what the bus stops within bus stations and coach stations get called.

We have at least six terms in use depending on the bus station or coach station:

Bay
Gate
Platform
Stance
Stand
Stop

The terms "Bay" and "Stand" and "Stop" are all equally as common and in use at dozens of bus stations.

The terms "Gate" and "Platform" are quite rare and only used at a couple coach stations.

The term "Stance" is an odd one that seems to be used commonly in Scotland but is unheard of elsewhere.

I wonder where the term "Stance" came from. When i first saw this in Scotland i remember thinking that they must have misspellt "Stand" by accident. But it is an actual term. The only use of the word "Stance" i have heard of is to state your opinion or your position on something. I guess it is one of those unique Scottish words like "Outwith" and a few others.

My question is whether the use of so many terms to describe stops in British bus stations has always existed? Or was it more standardised if you go back decades ago before deregulation? I presume back then all the bus stations would have been owned by NBC (National Bus Company) and the wording was more standardised? I am just wondering if anyone knows the history of how so many terms came to be used?

 

[PeterC]

High Wycombe has 17 bays where buses can stand but, I think, only 7 gates (doors) from the enclosed waiting area.

I think that drive in - reverse out layouts are more likely to have bays while drive in - drive out layouts have stops or stands

 

[JKP]

Not all bus stations were owned by NBC, SBG, or their predecessors. The local authority owned bus stations as well. Plymouth and Ipswich come to mind but no doubt there are or were others.

 

[318266]

Stance - in that use - is unique to Scotland and used across, to my knowledge, all of our bus stations.

Curiously, Edinburgh Bus Station also has "gates", which are just the automatic doors leading you to the stances. I question the need for them to be stated often, they are more confusing than they are helpful.

 

[Andyh82]

The usage of ‘gate’ seems to be when there are less doors than stands, so one gate leads to multiple bays.

As mentioned above Edinburgh and High Wycombe is like this, as is Burnley

 

[MarlowDonkey]

As mentioned above Edinburgh and High Wycombe is like this, as is Burnley

High Wycombe is a relatively recent design. The original 1960s bus station was demolished as part of the building of the Eden shopping centre.

Drive in, reverse out wouldn't have made sense in the days of the rear entrance bus which would use reverse in, drive out if that was the design of the bus station or facility.

 

[The exile]

I wonder where the term "Stance" came from. When i first saw this in Scotland i remember thinking that they must have misspellt "Stand" by accident. But it is an actual term. The only use of the word "Stance" i have heard of is to state your opinion or your position on something. I guess it is one of those unique Scottish words like "Outwith" and a few others.

Your “stance” being “where you stand” on an issue - so the link is pretty clear! Hadn’t occurred to me that it was a word not used furth of Scotland (there’s another one!)

 

[hexagon789]

I wonder where the term "Stance" came from. When i first saw this in Scotland i remember thinking that they must have misspellt "Stand" by accident. But it is an actual term. The only use of the word "Stance" i have heard of is to state your opinion or your position on something. I guess it is one of those unique Scottish words like "Outwith" and a few others.

It originates from the place where markets were held and cattle and other animals would be 'stanced', awaiting sale.

You also get taxi stances, but that usage is less common.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Not all bus stations were owned by NBC, SBG, or their predecessors. The local authority owned bus stations as well. Plymouth and Ipswich come to mind but no doubt there are or were others.

There were many, many bus stations that weren't NBC or SBG owned. Many of the ones in PTE areas weren't e.g. Leeds Central, Huddersfield, Newcastle Eldon Square (the old one) but also in many other spots like Preston, Middlesbrough or Hull (where there were major municipal operations). Even in some small towns, like Penzance, they were provided by the local council. In others, they were part of a shopping centre development - the awful Guildford one being such an example.

I think there were examples of bus stations being built on land where the NBC operated them but the land was leased on a peppercorn rent. Darlington was definitely in this category and would suspect others like Bath and Gloucester were similarly so where the bus company built it on land which wasn't legally theirs.

 

[markymark2000]

The terms "Bay" and "Stand" and "Stop" are all equally as common and in use at dozens of bus stations.

It's interesting to see how some of these terms are used and I think it comes down to local authority naming conventions (which also covers how stops are named). For example West Yorkshire seems to work off 'stand' being inside a proper bus station (such as Pudsey), but 'stop' is for any interchange which is just a collection of little bus stop shelters (ie Ilkley). Whereas Merseyside seems to class all 'bus stations' at 'stands' even in places like Prescot where it is hardly a bus station.

'Bay' doesn't feel like it's used that much. It has a few local authorities which use it religiously but I think it's a bit outdated in general and most places are now using stop or stand.