Campaigners Criticise Government Guidance on Floating Bus Stops as ‘Shambolic’

Campaigners have criticised updated government guidance on floating bus stops, saying it fails to address safety concerns for blind and visually impaired people and should be withdrawn.

Floating bus stops, also known as Shared Use Bus Borders (SUBBs), place a cycle lane between the kerb and the bus stop, allowing buses to pull in while cyclists continue past. The Department for Transport (DfT) says the design aims to make boarding and alighting from buses safer without interrupting cyclists.

Sarah Gayton, street access campaign coordinator at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), described the guidance as insulting to blind and visually impaired people. She told BBC London:"They only talked to the people they thought would give the answer they wanted. If concerns were raised, they haven’t listened. It’s just a rehash of old schemes and doesn’t solve any real problems. It’s shambolic and unfair."

The guidance comes after a pause in SUBB installations in November 2025, following concerns over passenger safety. Another floating bus stop type, the bus stop bypass, places the cycle lane behind the bus shelter, and this is the design used by Transport for London (TfL). TfL has no SUBBs on its own roads, but several exist on borough-managed streets.

According to London Assembly data, there were 164 floating bus stops in the capital in 2024. TfL reported five pedestrian casualties involving cyclists and one involving an e-scooter at these stops over three years, compared with 11,400 pedestrian injuries caused by motor vehicles during the same period.

Despite this, campaigners argue the guidance does not make bus stops accessible. Gayton said:"Nearly 40% of blind and partially sighted people avoid bus stop bypasses entirely. There is no safe way for people with sight loss to cross the cycle lane to and from a bus stop, and this new guidance doesn’t fix that."

Erik Matthies, RNIB policy lead for travel and transport, echoed these concerns, saying:"The new guidance does nothing to create safe and accessible routes for people with sight loss."

TfL also admitted on Monday that some data in a previous report on bus stop bypass implementation was incorrect, with 37 stops out of 121 included in error. A TfL spokesperson said:"Safety for everyone in the capital is our top priority. We welcome statutory guidance to help deliver safe cycle infrastructure at bus stops and will work with boroughs to ensure TfL-funded schemes follow this guidance."

The DfT said:"Making bus travel accessible and safe for everyone is a key priority. Following our pause on some floating bus stops in November, this guidance ensures that new stops are designed with safety and accessibility at their heart. Funding will also be provided to help local authorities make changes to existing sites where appropriate."