(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. 

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.

Durham Bus Station is too small in every sense, not enough room for buses and there is not enough room for passengers to move or queue.

There is certainly not enough room for buses with there not being enough stands and there isn't a great deal of space to layover, although there is markings for two buses on that drop off stand, there is only realistically room for one and when a bus pulls in behind it can block the entrance causing traffic queuing onto the roundabout. I was in Durham on a weekday morning during the October half term so buses were arriving earlier than normal so buses had to find somewhere to wait time and there wasn't anywhere in the bus station, so buses were waiting in all sorts of different places including North Road, Millburngate and the stop by the County Hospital (21's frequently seem to layover there).

I have a few issues being in a crowded environment and Durham Bus Station certainly makes me feel on edge at times, on Friday when I was stood right at the front of the queue for service 7 and in typical fashion the 24 pulled onto the 7's stand so I ended up with the large queue for the 24 plus the people waiting for the 7 crowding round me and smashing into myself and my camera bag so I was in a bit of a mess until I managed to get on the 7. Somedays you are queuing for the 7 outside the bus station with all the scum who hang around there inhaling their smoke.