A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus . The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters , seating, and possibly electronic passenger information systems ; less busy stops may use a simple pole and flag to mark the location. Bus stops are, in some locations, clustered together into transport hubs allowing interchange between routes from nearby stops and with other public transport modes to maximise convenience.
50-408: A bus stop is a place, other than a terminal, established for buses to pick up and drop off passengers Bus Stop may also refer to: Bus stop For operational purposes, there are three main kinds of stops: Scheduled stops, at which the bus should stop irrespective of demand; request stops (or flag stop), at which the vehicle will stop only on request; and hail and ride stops, at which
100-418: A Bus Safety Act which contains performance-based duties of care which apply to all industry participants who are in a position to influence the safety of bus operations - what is called the " chain of responsibility ". The safety duties apply to all bus services, both commercial and non-commercial, and to all buses regardless of seating capacity . Breach of the duty is a serious criminal offence which carries
150-407: A trash receptacle . Individual bus stops may simply be placed on the sidewalk next to the roadway, although they can also be placed to facilitate use of a busway . More complex installations can include construction of a bus turnout or a bus bulb , for traffic management reasons, although use of a bus lane can make these unnecessary. A 'floating bus stop' or 'bus stop bypass' is located between
200-613: A bus lane in the center of Washington Street, a five lane one-way street downtown. The first bus lanes in Europe were established in 1963 in the German city of Hamburg , when the tram system was closed and the former dedicated tram tracks were converted for bus travel. Other large German cities soon followed, and the implementation of bus lanes was officially sanctioned in the German highway code in 1970. Many experts from other countries ( Japan among
250-427: A bus rapid transit line may also have a more complex construction allowing level boarding platforms , and doors separating the enclosure from the bus until ready to board. The bus stop flag (bus stop pole) is usually not only a carrier of information for passengers, but it also fulfills the role of a road sign that indicates the beginning (front) of the stop. Somewhere they prevail more archaic or informal practices, so
300-552: A heavy penalty. The primary duty holder under the Bus Safety Act is the operator of the bus service, as the person who has effective responsibility and control over the whole operation. However, the Act also contains a safety duty covering "people with responsibility for bus stops", including people who design, build, or maintain the stop, plus those who decide on its location. This duty was introduced in response to research showing that
350-418: A metal sign attached to a pole or light standard. Some stops are plastic strips strapped on to poles and others involve a sign attached to a bus shelter. The signs are often identified with a picture of a bus and/or with the words "bus stop" (or similar in non-English-speaking places). The bus stop "flag" (a panel usually projecting from the top of a bus stop pole) will sometimes contain the route numbers of all
400-500: A number of urban arterials with bus and transit lanes, noncompliance rates were approaching 90%. Following enhanced enforcement of the lanes, noncompliance rates dropped and overall efficiency of the bus and transit lanes improved with an up to 12% increase in total passenger throughput in the lane. Average bus journey times dropped, in some cases, by up to 19%. Some cities, including San Francisco and New York, employ automated camera enforcement, using either stationary cameras adjacent to
450-657: A number of ways: In countries with hot climates , air-conditioned bus stop shelters are sometimes used, for example in Dubai in United Arab Emirates , Hyderabad in India , Eilat in Israel , Ashgabat in Turkmenistan . As an alternative to air conditioning, passive daytime radiative cooling has been used to cool bus stop shelters. Bus stops at Arizona State University and
500-622: A pub - The Yorkshire Stingo ) and the Bank of England to a designated route and timetable. By the mid 19th Century guides were available to London bus routes including maps with routes and the main stops. In the UK National National Public Transport Access Node database of all UK stops, developed by the Department of Transport in 2001, stops are classified as marked or custom and usage (i.e. unmarked stops where
550-502: A road and a cycle lane, so that passengers must cross the cycle lane in order to reach it. They are 'ubiquitous in the Netherlands, and common across Europe'. Several bus stops may be grouped together to facilitate easy transfer between routes. These may be arranged in a simple row along the street, or in parallel or diagonal rows of multiple stops. Groups of bus stops may be integral to transportation hubs . With extra facilities such as
SECTION 10
#1732851557243600-413: A roadway which also has lanes serving general automotive traffic; in contrast to a transit mall which is a pedestrianized roadway also served by transit. The first bus lane is often erroneously attributed to Chicago , where in 1939 Sheridan Road was installed with reversible lanes north of Foster Avenue. The setup consisted of three-lanes towards the peak direction (south in the morning; north in
650-533: A rule, the design of roads and the placement of road signs are subject to detailed technical standards, the requirements of which should ensure the safety of local traffic regulation, and is subject to official approval. As a rule, it is permissible to place a stop of a bus line only in a place that is approved and marked as a bus stop. Bus stop capacity is often an important consideration in the planning of bus stops serving multiple routes within urban centers. Limited capacity may mean buses queue up behind each other at
700-457: A sense of familiarity. The residents will sit at the bus stop waiting for a bus to take them to their imagined destination. After some time, a staff member comes to escort the clients back to the home. Bus stops are common tropes in popular culture. In 1956, there was a Marilyn Monroe film called Bus Stop . A famous scene in the movie Forrest Gump takes place at a bus stop and almost all episodes of South Park series start by presenting
750-462: A single bus stop is modeled as a "Stop Point", and a grouping of nearby bus stops as a "Stop Area" or "Stop Place". The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) standard, originally developed by Google and TriMet , defines a simple and widely used data interchange standard for public transport schedules. GTFS also includes a table of stop locations which for each stop gives a name, identifier, location, and identification with any larger station that
800-494: A vehicle will stop anywhere along the designated section of road on request. Certain stops may be restricted to "discharge/set-down only" or "pick-up only". Some stops may be designated as "timing points", and if the vehicle is ahead of schedule it will wait there to ensure correct synchronization with the timetable . In dense urban areas where bus volumes are high, skip-stops are sometimes used to increase efficiency and reduce delays at bus stops. Fare stages may also be defined by
850-410: A waiting room or ticket office, outside groupings of bus stops can be classed as a rudimentary bus station . Convention is usually for the bus to draw level with the 'flag', although in areas of mixed front and rear entrance buses, such as London, a head stop, and more rarely a tail stop, indicates to the driver whether they should stop the bus with either the rear platform or the drivers cab level with
900-488: A way to improve service cheaply and easily . Bus stop consolidation evaluates the bus stops along an established bus route and develops a new pattern for optimal bus stop placement. Bus stop consolidation has been proven to improve operating efficiency and ridership on bus routes . Some nursing homes and hospitals have built fake, imitation bus stops for their residents who have dementia . Some of these bus stops are even fitted with old advertisements and timetables to give
950-527: Is a lane restricted to buses , generally to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion . The related term busway describes a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses, whilst bus gate describes a short bus lane often used as a short cut for public transport. Bus lanes are a key component of a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) network, improving bus travel speeds and reliability by reducing delay caused by other traffic. A dedicated bus lane may occupy only part of
1000-518: The Bus Safety Act to ensure that, in carrying out their activities, they eliminate risks to health and safety if 'practicable' - or work to reduce those risks 'so far as is reasonably practicable'. This familiar practicability formula is borrowed from Victoria's Rail Safety Act (and a subsequent national model Rail Safety Bill) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. In Europe, as
1050-589: The Netherlands mixed bus/cycle lanes are uncommon. According to the Sustainable Safety guidelines they would violate the principle of homogeneity and put road users of very different masses and speed behaviour into the same lane, which is generally discouraged. Some locations have allowed access to bus lanes to electric cars and/or hybrid cars . Oslo removed one such exception in 2017 following protests due to congestion in bus lanes. The large number of electric vehicles on Norwegian roads slowed buses, defeating
SECTION 20
#17328515572431100-485: The Netherlands, buses are allowed to use reserved tram tracks , usually laid in the middle of the road and marked with the text "Lijnbus". In the United Kingdom bus gates are common in towns and cities. A bus gate consists of a short section of road that only buses and authorised vehicles (typically taxis) can pass through. They are normally marked with the same street signage as bus lanes, but have "BUS GATE" marked on
1150-764: The United States is the Lincoln Tunnel XBL (exclusive bus lane) along the Lincoln Tunnel Approach and Helix in Hudson County, New Jersey , which carries approximately 700 buses per hour during morning peak times an average of one bus every 5.1 seconds. In contrast, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong carries 14,500 buses per day, or an average of about 605 an hour all day (not just peak times), but
1200-628: The bus lane, or cameras on the front of buses to automatically issue citations to vehicles obstructing the bus lane. Bus lanes give priority to buses, cutting down on journey times where roads are congested with other traffic and increasing the reliability of buses. The introduction of bus lanes can significantly assist in the reduction of air pollution . Bus lanes marked with colored pavement have been shown to reduce intrusions into bus lanes, speeding travel time and increasing bus reliability. Some network lengths of bus lanes in major cities, listed by buses per km of bus lane): The busiest bus lane in
1250-438: The bus stop, or a sign prohibiting from going around the bus in the bus stop, etc. In rare cases, traffic signals may also be placed to allow the bus to exit the stop lane or to stop traffic while the bus is at the stop. The mutual position of the opposite stops and their position in relation to the pedestrian crossing should be designed in such a way that the danger to pedestrians is minimized. Most bus stops are identified with
1300-734: The bus stop, which can cause traffic blockages or delays. Bus stop capacity is typically measured in terms of buses/hour that can reliably use the bus stop . The main factors that affect bus stop capacity are: Detailed procedures for calculating bus stop capacity and bus lane capacity using skip stops are outlined in Part 4 of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual , published by the US Transportation Research Board . Transit agencies are increasingly looking at consolidation of possibly previously haphazardly placed bus stops as
1350-461: The buses calling at the stop, optionally distinguishing frequent, infrequent, 24-hour, and night services. The flag may also show the logo of the dominant bus operator, or the logo of a local transit authority with responsibility for bus services in the area. Additional information may include an unambiguous, unique name for the stop, and the direction/common destination of most calling routes. Bus stops will often include timetable information, either
1400-836: The driver will stop the vehicle on request). Use of a marked stop may be changed - the bus will always stop, or by request only. Bus stop infrastructure ranges from a simple pole and sign, to a rudimentary shelter, to sophisticated structures. The usual minimum is a pole mounted flag with suitable name/symbol. Bus stop shelters may have a full or partial roof, supported by a two, three or four sided construction. Modern stops are mere steel and glass/perspex constructions, although in other places, such as rural Britain, stops may be wooden brick or concrete built. The construction may include small inbuilt seats. The construction may feature advertising , from simple posters, to complex illuminated, changeable or animated displays. Some installations have also included interactive advertising. Advertising may be
1450-559: The evening), and one contraflow lane . None of the lanes exclusively carried buses, but were designed to facilitate bus operations. In 1948, the East Side Trolley Tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island was converted to bus-only use and became the first dedicated busway in the United States, continuing to operate to this day. In 1956 Nashville became the first city to implement on-street bus lanes. Later that year, Chicago implemented
1500-757: The first stop on the route from London to York , was a noted example of such an inn. A seat in a Stage coach usually had to be booked in advance. John Greenwood opened the first bus line in Britain in Manchester in 1824, running a fixed route and allowing passengers to board on request along the way without a reservation. Landmarks such as Public houses, rail stations and road junctions became customary stopping points. Regular Horse drawn buses started in Paris in 1828. George Shillibeer started his London horse Omnibus service in 1829, running between stops at Paddington (at
1550-593: The first) studied the German example and implemented similar solutions. On 15 January 1964 the first bus lane in France was designated along the quai du Louvre in Paris and the first contraflow lane was established on the old pont de l’Alma on 15 June 1966. On 26 February 1968 the first bus lane in London was put into service on Vauxhall Bridge . The first contraflow bus lane in the UK
Bus stop (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-457: The flag may not indicate exactly the front of the stop, but is placed anywhere within the stop area. In some countries (e.g. Czechia and Slovakia), there is also a different road sign that is intended to mark the end of the stop and thus indicate its length. The use of such a sign may be limited to only certain types of stops, for example only to stops located in a continuous traffic lane, or only to stops that can be used by more than one vehicle at
1650-498: The flag. In certain areas, the area of road next the bus stop may be specially marked, and protected in law. Often, car drivers can be unaware of the legal implications of stopping or parking in a bus-stop. In bus rapid transit systems, bus stops may be more elaborate than street bus stops, and can be termed 'stations' to reflect this difference. These may have enclosed areas to allow off-bus fare collection for rapid boarding, and be spaced further apart like tram stops. Bus stops on
1700-439: The full timetable, or for busier routes, the times or frequency that a bus will call at the specific stop. Route maps and tariff information may also be provided, and telephone numbers to relevant travel information services. The stop may also incorporate, or have nearby, real time information displays with the arrival times of the next buses. Increasingly, mobile phone technology is being referenced on more remote stops, allowing
1750-456: The location of certain stops in distance or zone-based fare collection systems. Sunday stops are close to a church and used only on Sundays. From the 17th to the 19th century, horse drawn stage coaches ran regular services between many European towns, starting and stopping at designated Coaching inns where the horses could be changed and passengers board or alight, in effect constituting the earliest form of bus stop. The Angel Inn, Islington ,
1800-519: The main characters in a bus stop. In Japanese culture, the movie My Neighbor Totoro featured a bus stop, both for ordinary buses and a cat bus. The opening scene of the anime Air shows the main character getting off at a bus stop. The Japanese movie Summer Wars features a rural bus stop. Renowned rabbis have taught lessons in Judaism from their interaction and experience with bus stops. Bus lane A bus lane or bus-only lane
1850-582: The main direction of travel, such as towards a downtown during morning rush hour traffic, with the buses using general purpose lanes in the other direction. Entire streets can be designated as bus lanes (such as Oxford Street in London, Princes Street in Edinburgh, or Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn ), allowing buses, taxis and delivery vehicles only, or a contra-flow bus lane can allow buses to travel in
1900-402: The most serious hazard associated with bus travel occurs when passengers, especially children, are crossing the road after alighting from the bus. The location and layout of a bus stop is therefore a factor in the level of risk. Safety duties are also imposed by the Bus Safety Act on a range of other people including - All of these persons can clearly affect bus safety. They are required by
1950-501: The next bus times to be sent to a passenger's handset based on the stop location and the real time information. Automated ticket machines may be provided at busy stops. Modern passenger information systems and journey planners require a detailed digital representation of stops and stations. The CEN Transmodel data model, and the related IFOPT data interchange standard, define how transport systems, including bus stops, should be described for use in computer models. In Transmodel,
2000-442: The opposite direction to other vehicles. Some locations allow bicyclists or taxis to use bus lanes, however where bus or bicycle volumes are high, mixed traffic operations may result in uncomfortable conditions or delays. Certain other vehicles may also be permitted in bus lanes, such as taxis , high occupancy vehicles , motorcycles , or bicycles . Police , ambulance services and fire brigades can also use these lanes. In
2050-401: The primary reason for the shelter and the advertising pays for the bus shelter. Design and construction may be uniform to reflect a large corporate or local authority provider, or installations may be more personal or distinctive where a small local authority such as a parish council is responsible for the stop. The stop may include separate street furniture such as a bench , lighting and
Bus stop (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-621: The purpose of bus lanes. Bus lanes can become ineffective if weak enforcement allows use by unauthorized vehicles or illegal parking . Center-running bus lanes avoid the problem of private vehicles blocking the lane by double parking for loading of passengers or cargo. Evidence from the operation of urban arterials in Brisbane shows that a properly enforced bus lane, operating as designed without interference, can increase passenger throughput. In 2009 and 2010 traffic surveys showed that in Brisbane on
2150-493: The road surface, particularly at the beginning and end. Some cities use a diamond-shaped pavement marking to indicate an exclusive bus lane. The road surface may have a distinctive color, usually red, which has been shown to reduce prohibited vehicles from entering bus lanes. Road signs may communicate when a bus lane is in effect. Bus lanes may also be physically separated from other traffic using bollards, curbs, or other raised elements. In some cities, such as The Hague in
2200-470: The road surface. Bus gates are normally used as "short cuts" for public transport at junctions , roundabouts or through one-way systems . Bus lanes may have separate sets of dedicated traffic signals , to allow transit signal priority at intersections. Peak-only bus lanes are enforced only at certain times of the day, usually during rush hour , reverting to a general purpose or parking lane at other times. Peak-only bus lanes may be in effect only in
2250-450: The same time, or if the stop is located in an interruption of the parking lane. There are also various types of horizontal traffic markings of bus stops on the road. Some consist only of writings that draw attention to a stop or a dedicated stop lane, some can precisely define the space and length of the stop, including the space designated for entering and exiting the stop. In dangerous places, another warning sign can be placed in front of
2300-482: The stop may be a part of. OpenStreetMap also has a modelling standard for bus stops. The United Kingdom has collected a complete database of its public transport access points, including bus stops, into the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) database with details of 350,000 nodes and which is available as open Data from data.gov.uk . Bus stops enhance passenger safety in
2350-401: The surrounding areas of Tempe, Arizona used a 3M film to lower shelter temperatures by 4 °C. A bus shelter in a mid-rise area of Tehran used passive cooling to cool a bus shelter by up to 10 °C. Some jurisdictions have introduced particularised legislative controls to foster safer bus stop design and management. The State of Victoria , Australia , for example, has enacted
2400-508: The world's first bus rapid transitway . Upon opening, the 7-mile (11 km) busway featured specialized stations, signal priority , grade separation , and was expanded to 14 miles (23 km) by 1980. By 1972 there were over 140 kilometres (87 mi) of with-flow bus lanes in 100 cities within OECD member countries, and the network grew substantially in the following decades. The El Monte Busway between El Monte and Downtown Los Angeles
2450-451: Was introduced in King's Road, Reading as a temporary measure when the road was made one-way (eastwards to Cemetery Junction) on 16 June 1968. The initial reason was to save the expense of rerouting the trolleybus , which was due to be scrapped on 3 November of that year. However the experiment proved so successful that it was made permanent for use by motor buses. In October 1971 Runcorn opened
2500-513: Was the first dedicated busway in the US, constructed in 1974. Bus lanes may be located in different locations on a street, such as on the sides of a street near the curb, or down the center. They may be long, continuous networks, or short segments used to allow buses to bypass bottlenecks or reduce route complexity, such as in a contraflow bus lane. Bus lanes may be demarcated in several ways. Descriptive text such as "BUS LANE" may be marked prominently on
#242757