Changes to bus departure points on Royal Parade

Departure points for some of the bus services operating from Royal Parade will be changing from Sunday 5 May.

The changes, which will spread services out more evenly across the bus stops, are being made by Plymouth City Council and local bus companies to reduce congestion and improve safety.

Royal Parade is the city’s busiest bus interchange and there are often problems with ‘double banking’ at stops, with passengers sometimes needing to walk into the road to board their buses. These problems have become worse over the years as the number of buses has increased and longer vehicles used.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We have been working with local bus companies to address concerns about safety at these stops and help services run smoothly through this key route. The changes support the aims of the Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnership, which are to promote bus travel by ensuring services are reliable and on time. Most importantly, they will help to keep bus passengers, drivers and other road users safe.”

Robbie Lamerton, General Manager for First Devon & Cornwall, said: “These new changes to the Royal Parade departure points are a great outcome for bus users in Plymouth. It will make it easier for customers to find and board their bus, as bus services operating similar routes have now been grouped together. It will also mean greater safety for customers, who should be able to stay safely on the pavement.

“Finally, by addressing the on-going congestion problems at the Royal Parade the new system will also offer operators the capacity to grow services in the area should we need to in the future.”

Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus said: "I believe these changes are an essential step forward in improving the safety for all users of Royal Parade. This is not just for buses and their passengers; the changes should also improve traffic and pedestrian flows as well."

Key changes:

• All services currently operating from stop A1 (St Andrew’s Church) will move to stop A5 (Theatre Royal). This will create extra space at stop A2 (Catherine Street) for buses serving the busy corridor through Devonport and St Budeaux.
• Service 20 will move from stop A11 (Poundland) to stop A14 (Friary Mill), next to the stop for services 8 and 9. This will bring services running through Lipson Vale and Old Laira Road closer together.
• Services using stops A15 to A18 (between Antics and Debenhams) are being rearranged, to link stops with specific bus operators and routes.
• Megabus services will move from stop A6 (Theatre Royal) to Bretonside bus station from Monday 20 May.

Bus passengers are being asked to check in advance whether services they use are affected by the changes. A map showing all services and their new stops is available on the Council’s website at www.plymouth.gov.uk/bustimetables. Notices will be placed in the relevant bus shelters and information is also available from local bus companies and Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.

The full changes are as follows:

Stop A1 (St Andrew’s Church)
Current services: 14, 33, 34 and 81/81A
All services to move to stop A5 (Theatre Royal East)

Stop A2 (Catherine Street)
Current services: 3 and 26
No changes, other than service 26 to be renumbered 21/21A

Stop A3 (Guildhall)
Current services: 1/1A, 76, 572, 576 and 593 No changes

Stop A4 (Armada Way South)
Current services: 29, 43, 43A and 43B
No changes

Stop A5 (Theatre Royal East)
Current services: None
Services 14, 33, 34 and 81/81A to move to this stop

Stop A6 (Theatre Royal West)
Current services: Megabus
All Megabus services to move to Bretonside bus station from Monday 20 May

Stop A7 (Derry’s/Argos)
Current services: 5, 23 and 24
No changes

Stop A8 (Spar)
Current services: 2, 6 and 7
No changes

Stop A9 (Pizza Hut)
Current services: 5/5A, 7D, 18, 19/19A, 25, 48, 49 and 59 No changes

Stop A10 (Moben)
Current services: 21/21A and 45
No changes

Stop A11 (Poundland)
Current services: PR2 and 20
Service 20 will move to stop A14 (Friary Mill)

Stop A12 (Armada Way North)
Current services: PR1
No changes

Stop A13 (House of Fraser)
Current services: 8/9
No changes

Stop A14 (Friary Mill)
Current services: 27 and 28
Service 20 will also operate from this stop

Stop A15 (Antics)
Current services: 15 and 50
Service 15 will move to stop A18 (Debenhams) and service 50 will move to stop A17 (Bedford Way) Services 4, 13 and 16 will move to this stop

Stop A16 (TK Maxx)
Current services: 35, 61 and 62
No changes, except 62 will be renumbered 61A

Stop A17 (Bedford Way)
Current services: 4, 13 and 16
All current services will move to stop A15 (Antics) Services 42/42A and 50 will move to this stop

Stop A18 (Debenhams)
Current services: 39, 48, 83, 84 and 86
Service 15 will also operate from this stop

Stop A19 (Brass Monkey)
Current services: 40, 41 and 44/44A
No changes