Bus Stops and Shelters

Bus Stops and Shelters
In addition to picking up and setting down passengers at off-street terminals and bus stations, most buses also stop for this purpose at the roadside along the route.

In most countries it is normal practice to permit buses to stop only at designated stops in urban areas, although in some countries buses stop at any point, even on busy city streets.

The need for designated bus stops is determined largely by usage. If there are very few passengers, investment in bus stop infrastructure may be unnecessary. But if there are many passengers, it’s not practical to allow them to board or alight from the bus anywhere at their own convenience. This could result in buses stopping every few meters, which would increase journey times to an unacceptable extent and cause serious obstruction to other traffic.

On most urban routes where the volume of traffic is sufficiently high, waiting passengers should therefore be formed into groups at suitable points. These should be indicated by a sign on a pole or passenger shelter, or other item of street furniture such as a lamp standard; the signs should be clearly visible by approaching drivers, and ideally should be illuminated at night.

Ask stakeholders to help choose bus stops
The location of bus stops involves a number of considerations, including those affecting the safety and convenience of bus passengers and other road users. Ideally stops should be picked through consultation between all parties concerned, including the highway authorities, bus operators, police and possibly representatives of the passengers.

Bus stops must obviously be located conveniently to points where passengers wish to join or leave buses, and where it’s safe to do so. They should be close to a point where it is safe for pedestrians to cross the road, preferably near to a pedestrian crossing. But they should be located so as to minimize obstruction to other traffic, or danger to other road users, caused by stationary buses or buses stopping or leaving stops.

Bus stops should normally be located not less than 30 meters from a main road junction, in order to minimize obstruction of turning traffic. On the other hand, if passengers are to connect with buses on intersecting routes, it’s desirable for buses to stop within easy walking distance of junctions. In residential developments where there are pedestrian routes that are separate from the road system, bus stops should be located where these intersect the roads used by buses.

Distances between bus stops must also be given careful consideration. If stops are spaced too far apart, walking distances for passengers will be excessive. On the other hand, stops which are too close together may cause unnecessary delay to other traffic, and result in increased bus journey times through additional time lost in decelerating and accelerating. This also increases operating costs through higher fuel consumption, and wear and tear on vehicles.

Space stops between 300 and 600 meters
For city bus services, an appropriate distance between stops is normally between 300 and 600 meters. Although other considerations must also be applied in determining the precise locations. Spacing stops at rigidly regular intervals will inevitably result in some being located in inconvenient, unnecessary or dangerous positions.

Separating stops for high-frequency routes
Where a number of different bus routes serve the same location, providing a high combined frequency, it may be necessary to provide separate stops for different destinations or groups of destinations in order to reduce congestion at stops caused by several buses loading simultaneously. As a general rule, if it is a regular occurrence throughout the day for more than two buses to different destinations to be loading simultaneously at a stop, it will be advantageous to separate them.

Routes should be grouped so that where several different routes serve the same intermediate points or operate for a significant distance along a common corridor, all use the same stop. It’s unsatisfactory if passengers have a choice of bus routes but cannot know which stop to wait at for the next bus to their destination.

Separating stops for different bus services and types
It’s also usually appropriate, particularly at busy points, to segregate stops for standard and premium quality or air-conditioned buses, even if they are operating on the same route, since the two markets are usually quite separate.

Problems may arise if buses of different configurations, for example buses with entrances in different positions, use the same bus stop. All buses should stop with their entrance doors at the head of the passenger queue. A bus with its entrance at the front should stop with its front at the head of the queue. But one with its entrance at the rear should stop with its front anything up to 15 meters forward of this position. This obviously has implications for any parking restrictions adjacent to the stop.

Similarly, if safety barriers are placed to prevent passengers from entering the road other than at the head of the queue, these may obstruct one of the entrances of a bus that has more than one entrance, or an exit door of a bus that has a separate entrance and exit. If a change is made to the standard bus configuration, it may be necessary to make alterations at all bus stops on the routes affected.

Prohibit non-bus parking at stops
Vehicles other than buses should be prohibited from parking at bus stops. This should be for a distance of at least half a bus length on either side of the bus stop sign, to allow buses to pull into and away from the curb and avoid undue obstruction of other traffic, as well as for passengers’ convenience.

Bus stop lay-bys can trap buses
Bus stop lay-bys are often provided, to enable buses to stop out of the traffic stream, and eliminate obstruction of other traffic by stationary buses. However, on busy roads, particularly where traffic is moving constantly, it’s often difficult for buses to re-enter the traffic stream. There is a common tendency for drivers not to pull fully into the lay-by. This can cause inconvenience to passengers, particularly during heavy rain when curbside gutters may be running with water.

In recognition of this, some bus stop lay-bys are constructed to only half a bus width, provided that there is sufficient road width for other traffic to pass a stationary bus safely. An advantage of this arrangement is that less of the footpath width is lost, and the length of the lay-by can be reduced to approximately two bus lengths for a single bus stop.

Shelters increase passenger comfort and can provide revenue
Where possible, it’s desirable to provide shelters for passengers waiting at bus stops. They should be designed to accommodate the maximum number of passengers normally waiting, and to provide adequate protection from the weather. They should be well lit and ventilated, and approaching buses should be visible from inside the shelter. Where waiting times may be long it may be desirable to provide seating.

Requirements differ depending on the length and frequency of journeys. Shelters at busy stops may incorporate such facilities as kiosks for newsvendors or refreshments, which may provide useful revenue.