• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Trivia. Largest place without a bus station

Status
Not open for further replies.

Eyersey468

Established Member
Joined
14 Sep 2018
Messages
2,135
Which is the largest town or city in the UK that doesn't have a purpose built bus station. Roadside stops spread out round the centre do not count. I would say probably York but can anyone think of anywhere larger?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Chris 76

Member
Joined
21 Jul 2017
Messages
62
Location
Moseley, Birmingham
Birmingham hasn't had a central bus station since the old Bull Ring Bus Station closed in the 1990s (I'm sure someone here knows the exact year).
The National Express Coach station at Digbeth is exactly that-a coach station.
 

Dai Corner

Established Member
Joined
20 Jul 2015
Messages
6,316
Not as large as Birmingham of course but Cardiff hasn't since the old one outside Central Station was demolished in favour of a new building for the BBC. A new one is, at last, under construction though.
 

Cambus731

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2013
Messages
1,121
I believe both Southampton and Bournemouth, both substantial places, have been without a bus station for over 30 years
 

GusB

Established Member
Associate Staff
Buses & Coaches
Joined
9 Jul 2016
Messages
6,543
Location
Elginshire
We had a similar thread not too long ago:
 

neilmc

Member
Joined
23 Oct 2011
Messages
1,028
Not a large place at all but on visiting the Wordsworth museum in Cockermouth this week I was told that the grand Georgian house where William Wordsworth was born was once under threat because Cumberland (the bus company) wanted to build a bus station there. I was the only one present who seemed to think that might have been a good idea!
 

cnjb8

Established Member
Joined
26 Feb 2019
Messages
2,113
Location
Nottingham
I think Ashbourne and Burton-upon-Trent do not have one. Loughborough used to have one until the council decided to sell it.
 

TheGrandWazoo

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Feb 2013
Messages
19,966
Location
Somerset with international travel (e.g. across th
AFAIK, York has never had a bus station, with the nearest thing to it being Rougier Street where there were stops, a small layover area and the West Yorkshire travel office.

On the ones above:

  • Brighton had Pool Valley for Southdown services until they vacated it and it became a coach station.
  • Burton on Trent had a bus station on Wetmore Road (now housing) adjacent to the Trent Bridge but think it went during the mid 1980s.
  • Ashbourne does have a bus station - the bus stops on King Edward Road are listed as such, having also had public toilets and it was a throwback to when the depot was there
  • Southampton bus station was famously sold by Stagecoach, paying for Hampshire Bus in the process, in 1987
  • Bournemouth bus station was also notorious having been the scene of a fire that consumed the depot beneath and was left structurally unsafe in 1976; however, it does have the bus station at the rail station which used to be called Bournemouth Interchange but is now called Bournemouth rail station (but is undoubtedly a bus station)
  • Central London does have a bus station - it's in Aldgate! I'd also argue London Bridge also has a bus station, and TfL still refer to the stops outside Victoria as Victoria Bus Station
  • Birmingham lost the Bull Ring (no loss there) in 1999/2000 and so nothing in the centre. In fact, the Birmingham City Council area has nothing designated as a bus station with Chelmsley Wood (Solihull) and Bearwood (Sandwell) bus stations being outside the limits. However, the One Stop Centre at Perry Barr has got something that is a really poor bus station, if not in name.
Another place that never had a bus station (that I know of) is Stockton on Tees.

Other major places without bus stations are Plymouth and Reading - again, like Brum, they have lost them but they were terrible.
 

cnjb8

Established Member
Joined
26 Feb 2019
Messages
2,113
Location
Nottingham
AFAIK, York has never had a bus station, with the nearest thing to it being Rougier Street where there were stops, a small layover area and the West Yorkshire travel office.

On the ones above:

  • Brighton had Pool Valley for Southdown services until they vacated it and it became a coach station.
  • Burton on Trent had a bus station on Wetmore Road (now housing) adjacent to the Trent Bridge but think it went during the mid 1980s.
  • Ashbourne does have a bus station - the bus stops on King Edward Road are listed as such, having also had public toilets and it was a throwback to when the depot was there
  • Southampton bus station was famously sold by Stagecoach, paying for Hampshire Bus in the process, in 1987
  • Bournemouth bus station was also notorious having been the scene of a fire that consumed the depot beneath and was left structurally unsafe in 1976; however, it does have the bus station at the rail station which used to be called Bournemouth Interchange but is now called Bournemouth rail station (but is undoubtedly a bus station)
  • Central London does have a bus station - it's in Aldgate! I'd also argue London Bridge also has a bus station, and TfL still refer to the stops outside Victoria as Victoria Bus Station
  • Birmingham lost the Bull Ring (no loss there) in 1999/2000 and so nothing in the centre. In fact, the Birmingham City Council area has nothing designated as a bus station with Chelmsley Wood (Solihull) and Bearwood (Sandwell) bus stations being outside the limits. However, the One Stop Centre at Perry Barr has got something that is a really poor bus station, if not in name.
Another place that never had a bus station (that I know of) is Stockton on Tees.

Other major places without bus stations are Plymouth and Reading - again, like Brum, they have lost them but they were terrible.
Ah thank you for the clarification :)
 

GrimsbyPacer

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2014
Messages
2,256
Location
Grimsby
Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Fleetwood, all lack a bus station, I know none are larger than Brighton, but for central/northern areas they are largest not mentioned I can think of.
 

WM Bus

Member
Joined
28 Jul 2018
Messages
255
Birmingham lost the Bull Ring (no loss there) in 1999/2000 and so nothing in the centre. In fact, the Birmingham City Council area has nothing designated as a bus station with Chelmsley Wood (Solihull) and Bearwood (Sandwell) bus stations being outside the limits. However, the One Stop Centre at Perry Barr has got something that is a really poor bus station, if not in name.
Reason Birmingham City Centre doesn't have one is probably because of how much space would be needed that it would take up.
Birmingham International (Solihull) has a sort of bus station thing, enclosed waiting area, etc I think.

Chelmsley is just a collection of on street stops (like at Sutton, Solihull Town Centre & Solihull Station) and standard bus shelters, normally referred to as Chelmsley Interchange, so not sure if its a "purpose built bus station" and likewise for Sutton and Solihull Town/Station..
 
Last edited:

TheGrandWazoo

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Feb 2013
Messages
19,966
Location
Somerset with international travel (e.g. across th
Birmingham International (Solihull) has a sort of bus station thing, enclosed waiting area, etc I think.

Chelmsley is just a collection of street stops (like at Solihull Town Centre & Solihull Station) and standard bus shelters, normally referred to as Chelmsley Interchange, so not sure if its a "purpose built bus station" and likewise for Solihull Town/Station..
Yeah - Chelmsley Wood is advertised as such but it's not much of an interchange!

Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Fleetwood, all lack a bus station, I know none are larger than Brighton, but for central/northern areas they are largest not mentioned I can think of.
To think that Grimsby used to have TWO bus stations!

Scarborough is one of those places that could and should have something for the interurban work - Westwood coach park? And of course, Valley Bridge is still there.
 

Statto

Established Member
Joined
8 Feb 2011
Messages
3,208
Location
At home or at the pub
Victoria Coach station being the nearest equivalent.
There must be bus stations in the suburbs such as West Croydon bus station

There is a small bus station outside Victoria Station, & other bus stations in Central London at Euston, London Bridge, Liverpool Street, Aldgate
 

TheGrandWazoo

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Feb 2013
Messages
19,966
Location
Somerset with international travel (e.g. across th
Reading? The town centre is a bit of a nightmare, though Reading Buses seems to have gotten the hang of the "loop".
As I said.... :D

Other major places without bus stations are Plymouth and Reading - again, like Brum, they have lost them but they were terrible
Reading had a god awful bus station that closed about 30 years ago but was reopened for a short period and then demolished as part of the redevelopment near the station.
 

Busaholic

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Jun 2014
Messages
14,029
Victoria Coach station being the nearest equivalent.
There must be bus stations in the suburbs such as West Croydon bus station
Euston bus station
Liverpool Street bus station
Hammersmith bus station
White City bus station
Stratford bus station(s)
Canning Town bus station
Vauxhall bus station
North Greenwich bus station

but no Waterloo Bus Station despite erroneous descriptions of such a place on various internet sights!
 

RM-Taylor

Member
Joined
7 Mar 2013
Messages
103
Location
Grimsby
Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Fleetwood, all lack a bus station, I know none are larger than Brighton, but for central/northern areas they are largest not mentioned I can think of.
Grimsby does have a bus station, as Riverhead Interchange as it’s officially named but never actually called is classed as a bus station. The locals just don’t like it because it’s different layout to what it was 15 years ago. Cleethorpes being as small as it is doesn’t require a bus station
 

Cambus731

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2013
Messages
1,121
Other bus stations in outer London that I know of are:
Hounslow
North Finchley (or is it closed now?)
Kingston upon Thames
Stratford
Harrow
Edgware
Walthamstow
Chingford (if it counts)
Turnpike Lane

Streatham has a kind of bus terminal where the garage used to be. Not sure if it's considered a bus station or not.
 

Busaholic

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Jun 2014
Messages
14,029
Other bus stations in outer London that I know of are:
Hounslow
North Finchley (or is it closed now?)
Kingston upon Thames
Stratford
Harrow
Edgware
Walthamstow
Chingford (if it counts)
Turnpike Lane

Streatham has a kind of bus terminal where the garage used to be. Not sure if it's considered a bus station or not.
Edgware had two, not sure if that is still the case. Golders Green has a famous and longstanding one, plus another offroad stand that was originally used for turning late running trolleybuses and was used as a photo/video opportunity by a certain Mayor to promote the 'New Routemaster.' Becontree Heath had one for donkeys, at one time very busy, and please don't forget Eltham Station which replaced the much-loved (by me from toddler age) bus station at Eltham, Well Hall Station. One of Richmond's many terminal points used to be regarded as a bus station, and why's no-one mentioned Kingston, which most decidedly had two (one incorporating a bus garage), of which one survives? Lewisham's has had a chequered history, Bromley North's terminal arrangements seem never to have been regarded as a bus station, but these days the relatively new Crystal Palace bus station must see both more buses and routes than almost any. A case can be made for Morden too. Romford is another Bromley North as far as the terminal arrangements go, but there is a sort of bus station for buses passing through in a northbound direction right next to Romford Station.
 
Last edited:

randyrippley

Established Member
Joined
21 Feb 2016
Messages
5,079
Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Fleetwood, all lack a bus station, I know none are larger than Brighton, but for central/northern areas they are largest not mentioned I can think of.
you can add Blackpool to that list
 

GrimsbyPacer

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2014
Messages
2,256
Location
Grimsby
Grimsby does have a bus station, as Riverhead Interchange as it’s officially named but never actually called is classed as a bus station. The locals just don’t like it because it’s different layout to what it was 15 years ago. Cleethorpes being as small as it is doesn’t require a bus station
The first post in this thread says bus stops spread around a town centre don't count as a bus station, The stops are on 4 different streets and the exchange building was closed by the council. I'm a local and I don't like the "bus station" as every time I need to wait for the Number 4 to Cleethorpes there are drunken thugs practically living there every day, had been threatened with violence by one of them, the layout was my original criticism but think it could work if it had decent security. Louth has a nice bus station layout for a small town that others like Cleethorpes (on empty land by the train staton) should copy.
you can add Blackpool to that list
Never knew it closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top