Bus stop

A bus stop is a place where a bus stops. It is also, far more often, a place where a bus does not stop, because it is late, early, full, or a different bus.^[1]

Transport researchers have confirmed that buses arrive in threes. A late bus picks up extra passengers, which makes it later, while the bus behind finds nobody left to collect and catches up. By the time anyone at the stop has understood this, all three have gone.

The timetable

Most bus stops display a timetable. The timetable states when the bus will arrive in the same way that a weather forecast states when it will rain: confidently, in advance, and as a starting point for discussion.^[2]

Waiting

Studies place the average wait somewhere between “a few minutes” and “still waiting”. The study itself is still waiting for its final data, which is on the next bus.

It is well established that a bus arrives the moment a person leaves the stop to buy a drink. Commuters have tried to exploit this by pretending to leave, but buses can tell.

Shelters

Some bus stops have a shelter. The shelter keeps off rain from every direction except the one the rain is coming from, a design standard that has been carefully maintained since the first shelter was built.^[3]

See also

• Rain – arrives on time, from the wrong side
• Minute – a unit the timetable uses loosely
• Meeting – another thing that starts late

References

1. Wheeler, B. (2014). Any Minute Now. Kerb Books. p. 1.
2. Bunch, T. (2002). “Three at Once”. Transport Quarterly 8.
3. Shelter, S. (1997). The Wrong Side. Drizzle Press.