The bus station being designed for Utopia - 21 principles

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Taking my lead from another thread in which there was universal criticism of most bus stations ... I came up with a list of what (as a passenger) I would like to see included in the new bus station at Exeter Utopia.   In alphabetic order to avoid arguments ...

A bus station that is a pleasure for staff to work
A nearby railway station and a nearby taxi rank
Accouncements that are clear and not overdone ("mind the gap between the bus and the stand")
Cafe and / or direction to a 24 hour one just outside (can it have a bus station departure feed in there?)
Clean - litter, pigeon and rat free and an air of being well cared for
Departure boards to include local buses that call just outside but do not come in to the station
Direction signs as you get OFF a bus pointing to key locations and connection information
Electronic "next departure" boards visisble from the whole waiting area
Enough seating
Enough vehicle capacity for all logical services to use it, and with layover space if things go wrong
Large clear and working clock (also wanted on the transfer deck at Reading railway station)
Located where there is efficient access off the road network - no going round and round in congestion
Map and times of the routes served
Map of the immediate area
"Next bus to ..." or other electronic gizmo for places not (yet) shown on main boards
Personal attention / call / emergency button and / or member of staff at a usually fixed point
Place to buy tickets or clear information that you do so on the bus
Shelter that works in the wind and rain
Smoker / Vaper's area away from the entrance doors
Well lit to be and to feel safe
Well maintained

Anything you would add?   Any of these not required as design principles to be implemented?

[Bob_Blakey]

None of the nonsense - unfortunately in force at the Utopia that is Exeter Bus Station - where the designated lead operator is permitted by the Local Authority to deny access to other service providers. (Doesn't apply so much at present as the existing Bus Station has been partly demolished and many services are using temporary stands on adjacent roads, e.g. Sidwell Street, anyway.)

[grahame]

None of the nonsense - unfortunately in force at the Utopia that is Exeter Bus Station - where the designated lead operator is permitted by the Local Authority to deny access to other service providers. (Doesn't apply so much at present as the existing Bus Station has been partly demolished and many services are using temporary stands on adjacent roads, e.g. Sidwell Street, anyway.)

OK - let's add "Bus station space available to all operators who wish to use it" as our 22nd principle - it'll come in the middle of the list because I have arranged them alphabetically, so it's not subservient to anything else

[Reading General]

Ideally, if space is available, a bus station could be like a rail station with through platforms and terminal (reverse out) platforms. This would save the delay of reversal on the more frequent routes possibly passing through. 

[johnneyw]

Personally, the most off putting aspect of bus stations is the sense of a lack of security in some of them. With larger, busier railway stations there tends to be ticket access to the platforms from where you await your train. No such thing at busy coach stations which can attract and allow access to individuals with an agenda that does not involve getting on a coach.

[grahame]

Here's an excellent example ... took me rather by pleasant surprise yesterday



From the Noodle Bar in the end of Bath Bus Station - a chance for a quick lunch for Lisa and me as we changed buses.  I have wondered about the place - round beyond the information / sales desk.  Wow - the food was fantastic,  most of the tables were taken. I suspect it's very authentic. A high proportion of customers, I suspect, find it bringing them memories of their homes, ancestral origins, or earlier life.

[martyjon]

Here's an excellent example ... took me rather by pleasant surprise yesterday



From the Noodle Bar in the end of Bath Bus Station - a chance for a quick lunch for Lisa and me as we changed buses.  I have wondered about the place - round beyond the information / sales desk.  Wow - the food was fantastic,  most of the tables were taken. I suspect it's very authentic. A high proportion of customers, I suspect, find it bringing them memories of their homes, ancestral origins, or earlier life.

I confirm Grahame's post and recommend this tucked away eatery, the last time I was in Bath I walked through the place to use the 'bathroom' there was hardly a free table to be had and by the looks of it most of the clientele looked of 'an oriental' ethnic origin.