(24 Nov 2015, 10:14 pm)Adrian wrote With Eldon Square, you can probably have about 6-7 buses queueing to get into the bus station. At Durham you can have 2, before you're overhanging on to the roundabout.It's chaotic enough off peak.
The other difference is that Eldon Square is fully managed. Two Nexus clowns, and a GNE supervisor during the day. Give Nexus their credit, as they seem to communicate stand changes straight away, and it runs as clockwork. There's also a lot more space inside too, which allows queues to flow better.
Durham on the other hand is unmanaged, at least as far as I'm concerned. I know they have staff on, but they couldn't make it more obvious that it's the last place they want to be. They offer absolutely no knowledge about the bus network, and generally hide away in their little cupboard at the top. Not great, when you have buses being dumped into stands, and buses due off those stands having to find alternatives. It causes chaos at peak times.
Staff who aren't drivers wondering which stand their next bus will land on only seem to emerge when there's tetchy drunks to clear out, while they're waiting for the police to arrive. It can get a bit lairy mid afternoon, sometimes.