Information: Bus Stop Infrastructure

Who is responsible for our bus stops?

Responsibility for bus stops in the Cambridge area is split between various bodies. Here is brief digest:

  • Cambridgeshire County Council (the Highway Authority) is the body which has traditionally approved the siting of bus stops – although the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is now the Transport Authority, so there are overlapping responsibilities.
  • Bus stop locations should then be entered on the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) database.
  • The Combined Authority and/or Highway Authority is responsible  for providing good hard-standing for bus stops; and should provide a bus-stop pole, unless an adjacent street-lighting column can be used.
  • Provision of a bus stop flag is, currently, the responsibility of the bus operator, as is a timetable case and printed timetable.
  • Real-Time Passenger Information displays (pole-mounted, integral within a shelter, or of the more modern, compact e-paper type), if provided, is the responsibility of the Combined Authority. The RTPI feed is operated by contractor Vix Technology on behalf of the Combined Authority.
  • Bus shelters are, generally, the responsibility of the lower-tier authorities (eg Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council) who may have agreements with advertising companies (eg Bauer Media Outdoor UK, formerly Clear Channel/JC Decaux) which provide and maintain some shelters (in return for the right to sell static or moving advertisements). Additionally Parish Councils may choose to install shelters and seating. (Good examples can be found in the Histon & Impington and Great Shelford parishes.)
  • However, when roads are re-modelled (Hills Road, Histon Road, Milton Road) using Greater Cambridge Partnership money it is unclear who has responsibility for design of siting of stop and shelters.
  • Cambridge Area Bus Users is not aware of the existence of any bus stop design manual published or followed by the Combined Authority to guide new installations, or programmes of improvement.

Positive developments

It was only on 15th November 2023 that the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Transport & Infrastructure Committee agreed that:

(7.2.e) The CPCA would go through an options process to understand what was the right approach for a combined authority to take in regard to ownership and maintenance of bus stop infrastructure.

See: Transport & Infrastructure Committee Draft Minutes Wednesday 15th November 2023.

At the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Transport Committee on 4th March 2026 a programme of Bus Stop Infrastructure Improvements was agreed.

To see if there are improvements planned for a bus stop which you use, read/download the Bus Stop/Shelter Infrastructure Improvements programme PDF produced by Systra for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. The criteria for selection can be found in this report to the committee: Bus Stop/Shelter Infrastructure Improvements.

Further reading/viewing (August 2026 update)

The October 2023 joint position paper from Cambridge Area Bus Users and Living Streets, Cambridge has a good summary of our views. Additional links are provided for those who would like to read more.