Principles and parameters

Key design principles

Bus stops should be designed so a bus can:

• pull into and out of a bus stop safely and efficiently without incurring excessive front or rear overhang of the bus
• stop close and parallel to the kerb to pick up or drop off passengers, so that all passengers can get on or off in a safe, comfortable and accessible manner and not be hit by bus tail swing
• safely and easily merge back into traffic.

To ensure that these design principles are met, and without substantially increasing risks to other functions in the corridor, we strongly recommended that an independent safety review is undertaken of both the network philosophy and detailed design of each bus stop location.

Impact of vehicle design on design parameters

The type of bus serving a bus stop has a direct impact on many aspects of the stop’s design. Recommended design parameters are based on the two main types of urban bus that operate in New Zealand.

• Rigid single-deck buses are the most common type of bus in New Zealand. These large single-deck buses can have two rear axles that assist with steering.
• Double-deck buses have two levels or decks with an internal stairwell.

The design length of these vehicles is taken as approximately 14.5m in total (a vehicle length of 13.5m plus a 1m bicycle rack when in use).

Note that at this stage the Bus Stop Design does not provide guidance specifically for articulated buses though this may be developed in the future.

Further guidance

PTDG: Bus dimensions for design