Do you know when the new Bus Station in Bath opens.?
There was to be a link butI think that comes later..

Less of walk to the bus station.

 
This coming June.

 
 
      I asked a member of Bath station staff yesterday, he said probably 2010. Take into consideration the upside carpark has not yet been replaced with the stsation to station access    quite a large job one would imagine......

 
I was think that was well no station to station access built yet.

 
I predict that when the new Bath Bus Station does open, it'll close again within weeks on health and safety grounds. Every time I see those steel "monkey bars" on the street-facing wall which serve, I assume, as some form of decoration, I shiver to think of the drunken idiots climbing them and jumping off...

 
Is the new bus station located on Manvers Street in the same place as the old one? The journey from railway to current temporary bus station is about the only one I can manage on foot in the centre of Bath at the moment without getting irredeemably lost amongst building sites, roadworks and hoardings...

 
The new bus station will be alongside the railway station as part of a new transport interchange. Where the old bus station used to be is where the new shopping centre is being built. Believe me, as a Bath resident we've been waiting a very very long time for this new shopping area so are gladly putting up with the centre of Bath being a building site. The next phase will see major work going on at Bath Spa railway station as part of the new transport interchange.

 
Some Pictures of the new Bus Station Can be found here:
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/galleries/New-Bath-bus-station-gallery-920030-detail/gallery.html

 
Like I said, it's not going to be long before some drunk climbs up that and jumps off into the oncoming traffic.

Stupid, short-sighted design. Ugly, too.

 
First Buses in Bath are now carrying posters saying that the new bus stationw ill open on 7 June 2009.

It will be next to the rail station which is good and although it isn't the prettiest building it is better than the old one and the passenger facilities will be better (automatic doors and electronic departure boards)

I was surprised to see that tarmac has been laid on the "bus apron".  Presumably this is cheaper than laying a concrete surface but I predict that it will wear out very quickly.

 

I'm on the First Bath Bus User Customer Panel - meeting every couple of months, providing feedback into the bus operation and receiving feedback in return. Although the bus station was only opened less than 10 years ago, there are a number of issues that arise making elements of its operation less that ideal. In no particular order, grumbles include:
* Mobile phone / WiFi dead zone
* Awkward to manoeuvre buses out at times
* Road network jams getting buses in and out
* High bus mileage in area due to one way systems
* Use of bus station as a though route for some buses (pass through do not call!)
* Lack of maps
* Lack of bays
* Lack of seating
* Lack of customer ambassadors
* Information area out of way
* Screens distant and show limited infomation (typically only destination)
* Screens do not include buses just outside

We should note it's not all negative ...
Solved ... pidgeons and their droppings
Good ... location for town and for railway connections

The bus station address is 10 Dorchester St. But buses stopping in front of it on Dorchester Street aren't show on the departure boards. "Bath bus station serves as part of an integrated transport interchange for the city of Bath, Somerset, England."

You have a glorious mixture of bus station landlord, bus operators and BaNES all with various responsibilities and a need to interface ... and with multiple bus operators the need to co-ordinate for use of facilities, yet not allowed to talk too much or they'll be accused of having a cartel. Co-ordination from BaNES is somewhat lacking as they're manpower short - they have a Strong team of one as I understand it with a job that really needs multiple people.

Teething troubles, growing pains, elements not fit for purpose, or unreasonable expectations?   Both passngers and operators are distinctly frustrated by some of the items I list above.

 
was at bus station a few days ago and the enquiry office was not in operation and looked very closed.

Hope its only for a short time.

 
Covid? Christmas holidays early closing?

 

When I went past there on 10th, Chris, it looked closed and cleared at that point and past conversations would suggest that this is not short term.  The finances of information centres have been badly knocked by the loss of commission on National Express tickets now that most people book them online and I would not be at al surprised should that unit be commercially let.

 
I happened to have to visit the First Bus offices in Bath last April. The Information Desk was unmanned, neglected and certainly looked closed even then.

 

Yes, it felt neglected even before the pandemic hit, and since the first lockdown it has looked forlorn. I suspect the first lockdown finally did for it. Over the years I have relied on it a few times to get information (though not always successfully) so am not pleased to see it close, and when I have used it, there were always tourists waiting there for information, so it cannot just be a lack of demand.

 

Indeed. But it doesn't "make money" or even pay for its staff by giving out information.  You could argue that good passenger information helps generate more bus income and goodwill, and provides a service, but that's not how the accountants have seen it.  With the loss of commission because so many sales have gone online, it ceased to be viable ... see my comment just up thread, which is not just a guess.

 

Yes I quite agree, and also that good passenger information would generate more bus income (especially as tourists, at least those from overseas, are far more likely to be fare paying than local residents, of which senior bus pass holders will make up a large proportion).

Sadly bus information centres do seem to be on the way out, but I don't think it is completely inevitable. As it happens, I was in a very different type of town a few months ago, Mansfield, which has almost no tourism to rely on, and its bus information centre was thriving (and the bus station a much more pleasant building to be in than Bath's).

 
Has anyone experienced Bath bus station's new passenger information screens?

The good: they're of a more appropriate size for the bus station, though given the length of the building, anything's going to be a challenge.

The challenging: three screens, one of which is devoted to rail information (despite several of Bath's bus routes having been altered and no longer serve the bus and rail stations...)

The curious: the rationale for the order of display of services isn't clear - and the fact that the screens change frequently and without warning means that it's difficult to scan them for the service in which one is interested as the screen will likely change while the passenger is still part way through it.

The very challenging: the bus screens scroll at slightly random intervals with a maximum display time of around 10 seconds but sometimes very much less.

The peculiar: within the 10 second complete rewrite, a screen's individual fields will sometimes update and that's very disruptive.

While the screens are initially attractive, it's difficult to gather useful information from them.

My suggestion would be:

*Ditch the rail information. Use that third screen for bus info.

*Given the additional real estate provided by the third screen, on all three, cease switching the pages: just provide a list of times for upcoming services with an orderly right to left progression, dropping 'em off the top of the first screen as they depart.

Oh and lose the plastic owl, as the pigeons aren't bothered.

Mark

 

I had a look at it the other week.

FoSBR is currently campaigning for better bus/train integration - making it easier for people to switch modes. We had a meeting with WECA a month or so back to discuss this, and Bath Bus Station was mentioned as one of the few places in the region where real-time train information is made available to bus users. It's actually fairly cheap and easy to set up, and we think it should be made available at other interchanges. As well as giving useful information to people who already swap modes, it also raises awareness of travel options for people who may not realise that a train may get them where they want to go quicker.

Someone travelling from Radstock to Swindon, for example, would probably change from bus to train at Bath, whereas someone travelling from Keynsham to Box might start on the train and finish their journey by bus. Both would presumably welcome this additional real-time information.

However, when I pointed out the display at Bath to my teenage daughter, she said she though it was just confusing: 'How do you know which ones are trains and which ones are buses' was her main observation! So there is clearly scope for improvement.

At our meeting with WECA, one of the main issues they raised was a lack of space for information. This, along with clear presentation, costs money. And there's not much of that about at the moment.

 
>>FoSBR» is currently campaigning for better bus/train integration - making it easier for people to switch modes.

Good, bus/train integration is a bit of a dirty word locally, since earlier this year when First changed the route of Bath's 6 and 7 bus to terminate at Bath's Guildhall rather than at the bus and rail stations. The local authority has a little say in this as they fund the last three services of the day and those *do* run from the bus station, but being hourly, it's very fortunate if, eg. trains connect.

Something I didn't expect for 2022 that we'd have another cycle in which the government would be so good at talking up public transport while at the same time taking steps to grind it into the dust.

Mark

 
From Wikipedia ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_bus_station


Well - does it work well for YOU or do you still hanker after the old bus station?

 
I opted for "not thrilled" but I thought that I'd better add why.  At first it seemed just the (bus) ticket.  Built adjacent to the railway station to form a transport hub, sensible layout with all the required facilities associated with an important transport centre.....what wasn't to like?
Sadly, the high aspirations of the bus station seem to have evaporated over the years.  On my more recent visits it's seemed to look increasingly tired with parts of it put out of use...all classic signs of decline.  Maybe I went there at a bad time but that was the impression that I was left with.

 
"Take it or leave it". Firstly, I barely remember the old bus station. Secondly, I do remember enough to say that IMO the new one is better, both as a building and especially in terms of location. The new (ie. current) building isn't particularly attractive but it works and I suppose I have low expectations of bus stations – by their nature they tend to be grimy places of transit and unwilling waiting. At least they don't smell of stale cigarettes nowadays!

 
Not thrilled.

* As soon as it gets busy it doesn't work well, as queues conflict with circulation.

* The continuous deep eaves, combined with the building's glass means that it needs (but doesn't receive) frequent window cleaning.

* It's difficult to identify the entrances from Dorchester Street from the rest of the glass frontage - though it has to be said that the pigeons do not have a problem with this - and the interior has built-in bird roosts for them to enjoy after they've fed on the bird seed that a local well meaning but misguided person scatters round the building (in addition to the entire city centre).

* It's not big enough to include all of the city's services - and for services that do not use the bus station, information on and directions to where those services *do* terminate is poor - and in any case some are ten minutes walk away. (This is something that it shares with Bristol's bus station where various services from and to Wales aren't able to use the current station - not sure if they were able to use the previous one, mind).

Was the objection to keeping the 30s-but-in-keeping-with-its-surroundings Churchill House was that its retention meant that the site wouldn't be able to accommodate bendy buses? Not sure how the current bus station would cope with those either, and looking at the comparative footprints on maps.nls.uk, the corner block of the former electricity offices were a gift for reuse.

I also seem to recall that the bus station cost £28 million rather than the £14 as stated by Wikipedia with reference to a vanished first group web page.

Mark

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.5&lat=51.37778&lon=-2.35923&layers=193&b=1

 
I had to vote 'Never used it'. Which slightly surprises me. I've been a fairly regular visitor to Bristol's second-nicest suburb for the last five decades, and for all that time I've almost always used public transport. In my teens and twenties, I always used the No.339 bus, sometimes changing for Trowbridge, Devizes and other mysterious places.

For the last twenty years, since I've been living within walking distance of Montpelier station, I've only ever used the bus for the last leg of the journey home, and only then if I've missed the last Beach line train.

I did poke my head around the door last year just to see what it was like though. It was a hot day, and it seemed pretty badly ventilated.

 
Thank you for the various inputs - amongst those who have used it, a clear majority are not thrilled and it doesn't have a loving fan club.  Personally, I think the best things about it are the catering outlet and the places the buses go.

 
Has the information desk re-opened yet?

 

No, and I don't think it is planned to happen. There are now some leaflets in racks.

 

It is very sad seeing how this lobby area, with what was the information desk, has been left to become unused. The door into it from the bus station is currently blocked off, so you have to go out into the street to back into it to look at the desultory set of leaflets. Only when inside the lobby do you find a sign to tell you the toilets are through a further door into the noodle bar cafe. These toilets aren't always available though, as the people running the cafe have blocked access when it is full.

Getting any useful information beyond what is shown on the screens is almost impossible now. I have spent many an hour trying to find out what is happening with buses I've waited for there, looking for somebody who might know, and having to ask random drivers as there is nobody else to ask.

Given that not all First buses now use the bus station, and there is no information on where others go from (both First and others), and that Bath does attract a lot of visitors, I think the desertion of the information desk is a disgrace, and the dowdy look of that lobby area just as bad.

 

Another sign sign of decline, designed to put people off using them by making access as uneasy as possible, casting doubt on if you are actually supposed to be using them.

 
Using it today, a passenger in a (small) mobility scooter was boarding: the bus station bay layout was not cooperating with this as once the bus ramp was out the concrete high kerb deflector by the boarding area didn't allow them to take a straight approach to the ramp.

Mark

 
The way the screens work now: they display bus departures out to a ~90 minute horizon. The screens rotate up to four pages of bus times and for the more frequent buses, several different departures. As the screens do so they do not display a timer and it's not quick or straightforward to check departure times for a particular bus as the only one that's relevant is on the first screen and passengers need to hang about until that's displayed once more.

This isn't the best practice - passengers do not need to know future departures, they're already at the bus station so they are looking for the next bus departure on any particular route. If the screens displayed only the next bus for any particular route, it might even be possible to eliminate the screen rotations which would be a big win for usability.

Thinking that First must run the screens I dropped them a tweet about it, they've responded saying it's actually the local authority that runs the bus station. I asked which local authority and they've responded that it's Bath and North East Somerset.

The screens... there's more... last year I raised the issue that some of the displays are misconfigured - the image being displaced horizontally to the extent that on a couple, the first column displaying the service numbers is part hidden leaving people who aren't local to Bath guessing.

And then the new acid etch graffiti - having raised that as an issue, to be fair, someone quickly came around to attempt to remove it. Unfortunately they were equipped only with a damp sponge or similar, so, for now, the graffiti survives and is encouraging more.

Mark

 
The display screens in Cornwall are the responsibility of the Cornwall Council.
Individual operators may be given access, but unlikely.

The problem occurs when vehicles are on diversion, the Council rarely put that on the screens.

 
Hmm. This is more of a maze than many people would suspect.

Back to Bath and if it's the case that the council runs Bath bus station and funds it by charging the bus companies for access, it's funny that with council-subsidised services such as the 6a, the subsidy doesn't extend to use of the bus station by its own subsidised services - the 6a turning at the bus station and laying over in one of the bays, but is not permitted to pick up passengers there, they have to go up the road and around the corner to the stop in Manvers Street.

Mark

 

I have spoken with the odd contact ;-) on this thread as originated and understand "it's WECA" ... personal message to follow with an email address.

 

Operators in Cornwall do have access to the system, are able to update there own journeys and add messages to displays.

The problem is bus disruption information is there are simply too many systems in place.  The process needs a single point of input for disruption which creates a data source that can then be used by the multitude of data outputs to give consistent information to passengers.

 
Continuing on the screens at Bath Bus Station - having one screen with its scrolling display for bays 1-8 and another for 9 -16 (the actual split may be different)is also very user unfriendly as well t requires you to search two screens, which are not necessarily in synch. One screen should show “page 1” for all bats permanently and have pages 2 - 5 scrolling on the other. No need to show buses that leave in more than about 30 minutes at all. Also need a third bank of screens in the middle- if you’re in a queue at bays 9 or 10 both sets of screens are too far away to read.

 

Some major issues were dealt with as these new screens were brought in, but in my view you are correct in suggesting that the system remains awkward and could be much, much better.  As part of a public transport interchange and reception point for visitors, Bath Bus Station leaves a lot to be desired.

 
One of the things I have noticed that the arrival boards in any location seem to be shown longer in my opinion (time wise) than departures.

I think most persons that visit travel hubs are departing and not arriving.

 

I have not noticed arrivals boards in Bath Bus Station at all ... what I DID notice on my mainland European Journeys on trains was the very high prominence (equal in prominence) of arrival as well as departure boards - electronic and paper - at many stations.

Logic would suggest that arrival and departure numbers are balanced at most places. However, with bus stops where they are both sides of the road and on suburban railways with multiple platforms, the individual situation at stops and platforms will vary and you'll see far better waiting facilities at the departure side where people spend time than at the arrival side where people pass quickly.  I can find plenty of local bus examples (and indeed at one or two places I have  been involved in making suggestions which have been followed though) for a bus shelter on one side of the road but not the other.

Bath Bus Station DOES have more departures than arrivals ... certainly on our Faresaver routes into there.  Lots of people decamp off the incoming vehicles at Grand Parade and at Manvers Street just across the road from the Railway Station to connect with trains, and the bus sometimes terminates in Dorchester Street rather than continuing into the bus station.   However, many of the returning passengers board in the bus station.  From Grand Parade / Guildhall, some do their business through the city and join the bus at the bottom / bus station,  and the outbound buses on many routes don't even call at the Manvers Street stop opposite the station - irritating if there's a fast connection to be made as on a number of occasions I have dashed off the train and the short distance to the bus station, passing the bus I wanted as it pulls out and along Dorchester Street.

 
https://www.chuffed.org/project/new-home-for-climate-hub-banes?fbclid=IwY2xjawGX6yxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXi9vPPWWyTzvucT_iRKdibzUhYB8SvgKSmQPR8Dvfh2XyiZNrDe0FrCBw_aem_JXoQ2365255j9IRxwI_AWA

 


The elephant in the room of climate change is the effect of travel and transport, and one of the key improvers is using mass (public) transit.   One of the big sticking blocks of using public transport is the difficulty people have in navigating their way around a complex system about which information is not always easy to find. Will this nw hub help people use the public transport that it's so close to as well as looking after the nature and green environment?

 
Just hope those who volunteer/work at the new hub want to do THE job and not just do A job.

 
I've merged a few historic posts here - as ever, in the interests of continuity, clarity and ease of reference.

CfN. 

 
If every bus heading up Manvers Street from Bath bus station called at the Manvers Street bus stop this would much improve things for passengers - presumably the reason they do not is down to the potential for congestion at the stop.

In the evenings, congestion ceases to be a concern as the bus service thins out - is there any other reason that all buses could not call there? It would transform the connectivity for anyone changing from train to bus there as it would eliminate the slog to the bus station, a game of 'Hunt the bus' and the likelihood that as the passenger is walking to the bus station, they see the bus they need heading past them and away.

Mark

 

I believe so ... inputs are that (a) it would slow down bus routes and (b) lead to congestion both on the road and on the pavement.  It would also be excellent for those of us looking to connect from trains to buses at Bath, especially those of us who are in danger of having our blood pressure expose as we rush along Dorchester Street to the Bus station to be passed by the bus we wanted to catch on its way to Manvers street where the connection would have been made.

It could be solved by the UK adopting the fare system used in Luxembourg, which would cut pick up bus stop dwell times; set down time is clearly not a problem, as inbound buses do all stop in Manvers Street.

 
Thanks for this - that's me heading down there in a bit with a tape measure - the pavement isn't an ordinary one as it's tucked beneath the ex-Debenhams and future M&S collonade, so, plenty of width and of course it's sheltered too. In the evening it can be an uneasy place to wait though as the sightlines aren't good and there's little company as so few buses call there. Then there's the layby for the buses... not sure but I think it can accomodate three - as long as a tour bus hasn't popped into it for an extended nap.

WECA are now in receipt of an email about this.

Mark

 
Soo... has this been discussed before with the powers, who have rejected it on grounds of slowing down the buses + congestion at the stop? Especially in the evening, it could be said that both of those arguments are paper tigers.

Mark

 
I make the trip from Bath train to bus station every now again, typically when the Chippenham-Melksham train has been cancelled so take the 271 bus instead. And I've never thought "I wish I could catch the bus in Manvers Street instead of the bus station"; in fact it hadn't occurred to me that there might be an alternative until I read this topic.

Google Earth tells me it's about 100m from the train station side exit to the bus station, compared to about 70m from the front exit to the Manvers Street stop. I appreciate I'm lucky enough to be fully mobile so an extra 30m bothers me less than others, but it still seems like a small difference. Or am I missing something?

 

1. Bus transit time from closing doors in the bus station thought waiting for a gap in other buses to push back then queuing as other push back too perhaps, but waiting at the traffic lights to exit the bus station, and driving along and past the lights at the railway station as it turns into Manvers Street. I haven't done a series of observations on this, but I estimate it's typically 2 or 3 minutes.      And with the train arriving in from Bristol at :11 and the bus leaving at :15 ...

2. Bus Station pedestrian congestion from walking in the door of the bus station through to the 'gate' from which your bus leaves ... OK, perhaps just another 30 seconds but it all counts.

 
Actually in my experience the train is usually later than that, and my "sprinting" isn't what it used to be
Yes you're correct of course, which is why if I know far enough in advance that I'm going to have to take the bus I take an earlier train (Portsmouth?). I did moan at Faresaver once when the bus departed about 30 secs early, which was enough for me to miss it.

 
Yup....

It's ~60 metres from the station exit and one pelican crossing to the start of the Manvers Street bus bay. If you'd reached the start of the bay and had your hand out as a bus turned the corner the driver would likely stop for you as by the time they'd come to a halt you'd be at the door of the bus.

Comparing this with the bus station. The far end, from which the buses that are routed via Manvers Street depart, is ~150 metres from the station exit, and again, one pelican crossing. Alternatively, the traveller may need to cross the road to check both sides of Dorchester Street to see if anything useful is leaving - the 6a, the 20, and the frequent University services leave not from the bus station but from the north side of the street, so the traveller will need to keep an eye on both the bus station and the bus stops across the road from it.

Then, factor in the journey the bus makes from the bus station to the Manvers Street stop. For the bus, it's slow. Two sets of traffic lights, the first at the exit from the bus station (where someone on foot may need to wait as the bus they might have caught departs), and then a 90 degree left turn at the second, which owing to the traffic light phasing is I think guaranteed to be red when the bus arrives at the lights.

Put this together and Manvers Street stop has the potential to accelerate journeys for people changing between train and bus - firstly (and especially) in the evenings when the bus timetable is sparse enough for buses to stop there without causing congestion at the stop or increasing overall journey times while offering a big improvement in the service for travellers.

Mark

 
Regarding the change of tenant from Debenhams to M&S I've deleted a couple of my posts as I'd picked up the wrong end of the wrong stick. tl:dr M&S will be closing the Manvers Street entrance and unmasking the glazing there.

A relevant planning application is 24/02890/FUL, covering M&S's changes to entrances and to the Manvers Street Collonades - including the closure of the Manvers Street entrance and its replacement with glazing to match the rest, and changing the lighting beneath the collonade there.

The police commented, flagging that the sightlines into the collonade aren't good which makes the area not feel safe, they refer to the columns as a 'Crime generator' and suggest mitigations, particularly since the closure of the store entrance will reduce footfall.

The planning officer observed that the black vinyl applied to the windows there by the previous tenant does not have planning permission and a condition of the decision to permit the application is that the windows must be clear-glazed with sightlines to and from the store interior, which will very much change the appearance of the Manvers-Street-facing collonade for the better - which will be  further enhanced as M&S intend to improve the lighting too. The area is already covered by CCTV.

Mark

 
For any services running late on Sundays, they won't be stopping in any event.

Manvers Street will be closed between 20:00 and 05:00 on Sunday 5th, Sunday 12th and Sunday 19th October to facilitate carriageway works.

 

For anyone looking to connect into th 271/2/3 to Box, Atworth, Melksham, Bowerhill and Devizes - grouriously immaterial as there id no service on a Sunday evening  And the first bus on a Monday morning doesn't pass the Manvers Street stop (but not stop) until 07:47.    A Sunday evening service would be very useful indeed; an early morning service really not on the "would be used" radar!

 
I must admit as I was posting that comment I thought I was leaving myself open for that comment. 

With changing trends I wonder how long it will be before Sunday services come closer to the rest of the week bar some peak hour runs.   

 

Sunday buses have massively changed over the last couple of years for the better.  In Melksham during the day, we now have roughly 4 departures an hour - one each to Bath, Devizes, Chippenham and Trowbridge.  Which is different to 1 an hour - alternately to Devizes and Bath.  And I hear reports of full-and-standing.

Extra SATURDAY evening services on Devizes to Bath and I have used a couple of them - not the one I expect to be busiest, but never the less decent loading.

To come next (in no particular order)
* Sunday evening on 273
* All evenings on x34
* Sunday x34 to extend to Trinity Church
* Melksham second town bus for "route 16" - Railway Station to Police Station (and important places between!!)

 
At this end of their travels, the healthy loadings on many Sunday services both inbound and outbound, is very visible.

I wrote to WECA about the Manvers Street stop service patterns, they replied saying that it's one for the local authority, so I've flagged it with Bathnes.

Mark

 
... and a local authority transport chap has responded in the negative - 'owing to capacity constraints they're unable to accommodate further services at the Manvers Street stop, also safety concerns raised by the police - and also the bus drivers saying that passengers waiting there can feel unsafe particularly during evening hours - these remain unresolved.'

Also: While the distance between Manvers Street and the Bus Station is minimal, the Bus Station offers passengers greater flexibility, including access to alternative services if a connection is missed, something that isn’t possible at Manvers Street. - not sure if that makes sense.

It's good to get a response, but I'm do not feel that anyone's gone into listening mode on what would be a great improvement for passengers, particularly in the evenings.

One concern might be people from the shelter for the homeless across the road. On that, it's anecdote not data, but the afternoon I fell over the leg of a fallen road sign there (the reverse of those things is helpfully 'painted pavement colour grey') various homeward bound people stepped round me and walked on and it was one of the homeless lot waiting outside the shelter who got to his feet pronto, hurried across the road to see if I was ok.

Still, it's curious to know that the police and also Bath's local authority view a pavement route to the city's station is so dangerous that they're concerned for the safety of people on foot at that location.

Mark

Off topic, but this Sunday some city centre road or other is shut, buses diverted south of the river, and there are notices on that bus stop directing people who need certain services to go to the bus station (sensible, it's close at hand) or the Snow Hill bus stop in the London Road (not so sensible as it must be a good mile away...)