Bus Stations in Birmingham

[Rachvince53]

How would you reopen that without demolishing the whole new Bullring?

That, even in it's heyday only served about 10% of Birmingham's buses, so you would need about 10 times that amount of land.

Exactly. Wolverhampton bus station (or interchange) can't accommodate all the bus services in the city and it doesn't have even half the services in Birmingham. 

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Exactly. Wolverhampton bus station (or interchange) can't accommodate all the bus services in the city and it doesn't have even half the services in Birmingham.

Didn't it use to, or am I imagining that. The 1 used to serve the new bus station and it doesn't anymore used to serve the stand the 10 does H I think

[Mayfield]

As a matter of interest how's the progress going with Dudley bus station

[Ronnoc]

The Priory Queensway, Moor Street (not Queensway) and Colmore Row aren't the old inner ring road

Oops, I forgot Priory Queensway wasn't part of the old ring road. 

However, I still stand on the point that using many parts of the inner ring-road as the terminus for many routes is much better than a bus station.

[Tony]

Oops, I forgot Priory Queensway wasn't part of the old ring road.

However, I still stand on the point that using many parts of the inner ring-road as the terminus for many routes is much better than a bus station.

The only buses that terminate on the old ring road are the Stratford Road services and the X21/2

[Straightlines]

Not sure why anyone would even think Bus Stations are a good idea given the white elephants that are Wolverhampton Bus Station and Coventry Pool Meadow!

[BBS]

Define 'bus station' then.

Although they tend to get called 'interchanges' now , there's definitely what you would consider 'bus stations' at Solihull station and town centre, Chelmsley Wood shopping centre, Marston Green station, Shirley station, and possibly others.

By bus stations I mean how there's Pool meadow,  Wolverhampton bus station & Walsall. And how is Shirley station even considered as a bus station, when there's only 2 services serving it 

[2206]

And how is Shirley station even considered as a bus station, when there's only 2 services serving it

I guess you could include the stops at Birmingham International. With the indoor seating/waiting area, access to rail services/air rail link/toilets on the upper level.
Currently 4 services from there 96, 97A, X1, X12.

Then you have the likes of Kidderminster bus station. where it's basically just a collection of bus shelters.

[Justin Tyme]

I have to say Solihull doesn't need a bus station, as the town centre stops are close enough together and on a buses-only road.

Chelmsley Wood Interchange looks like it could have been made a bus station, but it seems to work well enough as it is.

There are too many bus services in Birmingham city centre to make a centrally-located bus station possible.  There's no point in having an off-centre bus station.

[GoldenSquid]

The only buses that terminate on the old ring road are the Stratford Road services and the X21/2

and the 61/63?

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Darlaston used to be listed as Darlaston Bus Station it has a collection of Stands all used to be mismatched for years the two Walsall Stands were The Old Blue and Orange the two 79's stands were Centro Yellow and Green, Now it's all shelters apart from DA which had that new Advert Board fitted so lost it's Shelter Wall so now is open facing the Road, I believe it is now called Darlaston Interchange 6 services serve it 4 from NX running every 6 minutes combined and every 10 minutes or so and two hourly services one from Diamond and one from Walsall Community Transport.

Other large cities in the UK don't have Bus Stations either I may be wrong but Leeds doesn't appear to have a Bus Station, Edinburgh or Glasgow don't either, York doesn't, Norwich doesn't some of these are smaller than Birmingham, not sure about Newcastle, Manchester has two but even then I'm not sure if all of it's services terminate there. Liverpool has one at least but again not sure if all of the services there use it.

Birmingham doesn't need a bus station all the service that go the same way or to the same place but serving different areas are all near each other. Coventry Road X1, X2, 60 all stop near each other, Walsall Road/PB/Walsall buses all stop near each other 51, X51, 997, 934, 935, 936, 997, 52, 907, X3, X4, X5, X14, 33. Services that served Hockley stop near each other 16, 16A 74, 101, 7 I think stops near them to. Then I think the 80, 82, 87 Stop near each other. It's actually fairly easy to get to where your going more than in say Wolverhampton Bus Station

At Wolverhampton Bus Station none of the services that stop near each other go to the same place for example Stand R is the 8/X8 Birmingham and Dudley, Stand S is the 79 to West Bromwich, Via Bilston, Darlaston and Wednesbury, Stand T is the 32/33 Northwood Park then Stand Q is the 529 to Walsall, opposite is the 59 the stand behind makes sense as the 9 and 69 serve the area as the 59, but then opposite them is the 82 on the other side by the Codsall Services is the 25 which follows the 82 at times.

To make it easier the Bilston Services should be together the 79, 25 and 82, The Dudley services should be together 27, 27A, 81, 8, X8, The 529 should be kept where it is as it's in a good location near the other Walsall services. The 15 and 16 share a stand the 2 should go with the 32 and 33 as they serve Bushbury. The 5 and 6 serve the same areas before spliting so there fine that leaves the 11, 10/10A, Arriva 9, 53, 63/64/65 all to serve the other side of the Bus Station the 11 could probably be paired with a route if I thought about it.

If you were new to Wolverhampton and you wanted to go to say Moseley or Willenhall you would expect the two Willenhall Buses the 25 and 529 to be near each other or if a local said you want a bus going through Bilston well you would see the 79 but you actually want the 82 which stops no where near the 79 eventhough they go through Bilston and even when I think about it The 82 could be put with the 529 and 25 as the 82 crosses the 529 Route near Portobello. It's all confusing if you don't know the layout or the maps.

Birmingham makes more sense as if I needed to go to Perry Barr and was New I would know the 51, 33, 907, 52 all serve there and stop near each other even the 997, 934 and 935 are around the corner so I would know if I saw a bus to Walsall that wasn't the X51 then I should go through Perry Barr or that a Perry Barr Service stops near that one so I would know that's where I wait.

[Rachvince53]

The 25 serves Goldthorn Park which is why its with the 27/27A services as they serve the same estate. (The 61 should be moved there too but I believe there is a timetable clash).

There is also the practicality of congestion caused by buses blocking stands which is why the 2 was moved away from by the 32/33 stands although now Lets Go don't operate the 32/33 things should be easier.

The 82 can't share the 529 stand as it would cause too much congestion.

[Smethwickian]

Regarding Black Country Bus Spotter's assertion about other cities, above, several of those cited do, in fact, have such facilities.
Leeds Bus & Coach Station, Dyer Street, is served by more than 30 bus services plus NX and Megabus coaches.
Edinburgh Bus Station, Elder Street, is served by NX, City link and other longer-distance buses by Stagecoach, Border etc.
Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station has 57 departure stands for Flixbus, NX, Citylink, Hannon and Megabus coaches and more than 40 bus services.
Norwich Bus Station, Surrey Street, serves NX, Megabus and out-of-town services of First, Konectbus and Sanders.
Newcastle has almost adjoining bus stations at Eldon Square and Haymarket served by Arriva and Go North East.

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

The 25 serves Goldthorn Park which is why its with the 27/27A services as they serve the same estate. (The 61 should be moved there too but I believe there is a timetable clash).

There is also the practicality of congestion caused by buses blocking stands which is why the 2 was moved away from by the 32/33 stands although now Lets Go don't operate the 32/33 things should be easier.

The 82 can't share the 529 stand as it would cause too much congestion.

Not stand sharing just in the same area which it already does but you could rearrange it 25, 27/27A, 81, 8/X8 on that side Serving Dudley moving the 5, 6/6A and maybe 9 and 891 to a different side. The 25 should be close to the 529 as well as the services that serve Goldthorn Park, the 82 could also stop near there and the 79. The 529 kept near the 9 and 69, 11 kept where it is maybe, 2, 32 and 33 possibly share a stand. 15/16 kept where they are any spare stands is where the other buses move, the 5, 6/6A kept together the Arriva 9, 10/10A could share a stand as the Compton Road Services maybe the 891 could be paired with the 5/5A as they go similar routes once out of Wolverhampton. 57 could be paired with 82 and the 63/64/65 and 53 moved somewhere else

[Tony]

To put Birmingham into perspective, there's more than 250 departures an hour from the city centre. No bus station anywhere would ever cope with that sort of numbers