Plymouth’s bus shelters will be removed soon, with new ones planned but delays expected
Plymouth: So, here’s the scoop. The bus shelters in Royal Parade are getting taken down this month. It’s happening from January 13 to January 28, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mess.
JCDecaux, the company that put them up, lost the contract. Now, Clear Channel is stepping in to put up 15 new, bigger shelters. They’ll have better seating and more room for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Sounds good, right?
But here’s the kicker: the council said the talks about the new shelters haven’t gone well. So, for a while, there won’t be any shelters between Courtenay Street and St Andrews Cross. Not ideal at all.
The council is really sorry about the hassle. They’re trying to find some temporary shelters with seating, but nothing’s confirmed yet. Each shelter removal will take just a day, starting with the ones near Courtenay Street.
While they’re doing this, buses that usually stop there will be moved to a big stainless steel shelter at Derry’s Cross roundabout. Citybus says they’ll finish each removal by 4 PM the same day.
They’ll put up posters in the existing shelters to let folks know where to catch their buses during the work. Plus, the Plymotion Team will be around to help passengers find their way.
Once the old shelters are gone, buses will go back to their usual spots. There’ll be a temporary bus stop flag with service numbers and a timetable, but no actual shelter.
There’s some shelter under shop canopies along Royal Parade, but if you want a proper seat, you might have to wait at the next stop. The council is still looking for other temporary options.
Citybus mentioned that shelters will still be available at the next stops, depending on the service. They’re trying to keep things as smooth as possible.
As soon as the plans for the new shelters are ready, the council will share all the details about the temporary bus arrangements during the main construction phase.
They thought about putting up the new shelters while finishing the improvement scheme, but that would confuse passengers. It would also cost a lot to keep moving them around.
This whole removal thing is part of a bigger project that started in 2023 to save costs. They’re taking down about 600 shelters citywide, but only replacing around 400.
When they first announced this plan, the council said Plymouth had too many shelters for its size, and maintaining them was costly. The Royal Parade shelters were on the list for replacement.
The final plan aims to cut delays and make bus services more reliable, which is a win for everyone. They want to encourage more people to use public transport instead of cars.
Cllr Mark Coker, the transport cabinet member, acknowledged the timing isn’t great for removing shelters. He’s asking everyone to be patient while they sort this out.
He’s aware it’s chilly out there and is pushing for a plan B to provide some temporary shelter with seating. The goal is to reduce congestion and improve bus service reliability in the city center.
