On 15th March 2026, I published an article outlining my review of the West Yorkshire Bus Specification Options Report regarding the design of the new "Weaver Network" buses, which are expected to launch from April 2027.
Then, on 18th March 2026, I hosted an opinion poll on X (formerly Twitter) regarding whether high-frequency buses should have dual-door and/or triple-door configurations.
📊 Opinion poll:
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) March 18, 2026
Should high-frequency bus services across the UK (outside London) replace single doors with double or triple doors? 🚌
Multi-door buses improve boarding flow and accessibility ♿, yet single doors remain the standard. Would this change improve your journey? 🤔
Dual-door buses have been in use in London and various other areas of the UK since the 1960s, a period when bus services were transitioning to one-person operation. It is, therefore, disappointing to see that new buses purchased by transport authorities and operating companies throughout the UK still frequently utilise single doors instead of dual-door configurations.
Dual-door layouts are essential for high-frequency routes to improve journey times and passenger flow at bus stops. Furthermore, UK Department for Transport data reveals that contactless payment technology is now available on 95.8% of British buses. This high level of adoption is a significant asset for improving loading times and providing stronger integration with other transport services, as it removes the traditional bottleneck of cash transactions at the front door.
By combining the efficiency of dual doors with nearly universal contactless capability, authorities have a clear opportunity to improve the reliability of their networks and even create new Bus Rapid Transit services.
The UK Department for Transport data shows contactless payments are on 95.8% of British buses, up from 38% in 2017. London leads at 99.3%, but Wales and Scotland have seen the fastest growth, both now exceeding 94%. The shift aims to improve boarding and journey reliability.
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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What do local authorities say on the use of dual-door buses?
Some of my readers may have seen some of the text in my previous article, where I compared Transport for London's (TfL) New Bus Specification v2.5 and Transport for Greater Manchester's Bus Specification, including quotes from various transport authorities.
Here are some of the quotes that some may have seen in my previous articles:
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (2023):
This batch of buses was specified with single door access because our roadside infrastructure is currently configured for single door buses as used by the current operators. The current ticketing system and ways of operation in the Liverpool City Region currently favour single door operation.
Consideration is being given to the role dual door buses might have to play in future in speeding journeys up and reducing dwell times. There is a need for this to be balanced with the need to both ensure roadside infrastructure is upgraded so it works safely and that mitigations are in place to minimise fare evasion, which can often be a challenge for dual door operations. We may be able to provide further information in future once the bus reform decisions are taken.
Transport for Greater Manchester (2023):
TfGM are procuring 50 more Zero Emission Buses for Tranche 2 which will transfer to the successful large franchisee, Stagecoach, on the service commencement date. TfGM are working on the procurement of more Zero Emission Buses under the ZEBRA scheme for Tranche 3.
In relation to the use of dual-doors, TfGM will not be specifying this feature due to the layout of interchanges and bus stops that would prevent the entry and egress from a dual-door bus in a safe manner.
Nottingham City Council (2024):
There are no plans to introduce dual doors at present on local bus services but may be something that the East Midlands Combined County Authority may want to review if there is a business case for it. This would require not only significant vehicle investment to deliver but also significant re-design and investment of existing passenger waiting infrastructure.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority (2026):
Double Door Provision
Throughout the consultation process, received many views were put forward expressing support for double door vehicles and concern/disappointment that this was out of scope. Feedback from the public consultation suggests that double door buses are more attractive to wheelchair and mobility scooter users as boarding at the front of a bus is difficult due to bus designs making the front-end narrow and difficult to navigate.
Double doors can shorten dwell-times at bus stops and can improve punctuality on busy routes and are used on most routes in London.
However, London public transport has many characteristics that are different to the rest of the country. Due to the multicentric nature of London more passengers board and alight along a route than services which collect passengers and ultimately deliver them to a single location like a bus station or city centre.
However, in West Yorkshire, more journeys are of that nature where they start or end at bus stations which are not configured to allow for double door operation, so a lot of the benefits seen in London would not be available. Other cities such as Manchester and Birmingham only have single door bus operation.
Furthermore, bus stops in West Yorkshire are generally oriented with the screen at the road side, meaning a middle door would open into a screen. In many cases bus stops are oriented this way due to footpath width prohibiting them from being flipped. The alternative would be to extend bus stops so that buses stop before that shelter, rather than alongside the shelter, this would mean significant works to kerbs at bus station locations, which would be expensive and, in many cases, prohibited by spatial constraints.
Studies could be undertaken on a route-by-route basis to establish whether double door operation would be feasible with current infrastructure as well as reviewing whether investment in infrastructure could be justified in order to permit the operation of double door buses.
Certain areas, including Brighton, Bristol (metrobus services), Edinburgh, and Reading, use buses with dual doors to improve loading and unloading times at bus stops; here are some of their comments:
Brighton and Hove - The Clean Air City (2018):
Brighton & Hove Buses pledges to continue with its programme to tackle congestion by investing in buses with dual doors, pushing more cash into IT and marketing to encourage pre-purchased tickets, and by expanding the multi-operator scheme.
[...]
1b. Double door feature to reduce emissions from speeded up boarding
Travelling on our new double door buses.#usetherightdoor#lothian100 #bus2020 #edinburgh pic.twitter.com/OfOKRv48lj
— Lothian Buses (@on_lothianbuses) March 12, 2019
Travelwest Bristol:
All metrobus vehicles have twin doors which speed up journey times by minimising the time spent at stops. The twin doors also make it quicker and easier for people to get on and off, especially those with reduced mobility and parents with pushchairs.
Why the use of dual-doors outside London?
Going back to 2022, I published an article outlining the average dwell times for each of the bus types used in London. These were:
• New Routemaster with front-door-only boarding (since 2019): 14.5 seconds
• Standard double-deck bus with two doors: 12.1 seconds
• Standard double-deck bus with a single door (used on route X26/SL7): 40.2 seconds*
• Single-deck bus with two doors and front-door-only boarding: 10.5 seconds
• Single-deck bus with a single door: 10.2 seconds
* Note: This high dwell time is largely attributed to the route serving Heathrow Airport, where boarding and alighting passengers with heavy luggage must navigate a single-door bottleneck.
Since then, I have carried out further research and found a document by the Transport Planning Society, along with a couple of other reports:
‘Back on course: how to level up buses and enhance transport options for everyone’ - Transport Planning Society
Section Three: Conclusions
Bus Operations
Frequency, speed and reliability of service is what more than anything delivers the seven demands of passengers discussed already; therefore operational techniques that assist with these goals are particularly important to understand.
Double door boarding is used in London with the front door used for alighting only and the middle door for disembarking only, in combination with off-bus ticketing and no compulsory driver interaction, this significantly increases operational efficiencies. As can be appreciated with dwell times apparently almost three times longer in Leeds, per Table 2:
TfL double door buses ‘Average Dwell Time’
11.3 Seconds
Leeds single door buses ‘Average Dwell Time’
33.1 Seconds
TfL noted double-door boarding is efficient for them due to the large amount of ‘churn’ but that elsewhere in the country, the provincial pattern is generally buses filling up inbound to a centre and then emptying outbound, with limited points of passenger ‘churn’.
In Manchester, discussion suggested that operational aspects such as double door-boarding had not been considered within franchise planning. A new fleet of 50 (single door) buses for the first tranche of franchising in the North-West of the conurbation has been purchased26 to be operated by the winning bidder(s).
On the other hand, in the West Midlands, their Enhanced Partnership schemes, commits to upgrading numerous bus stops, to allow for double-door operation to maximise journey time benefits on their BRT offer marketed as ‘Sprint’.
The Impact of Congestion on Bus Passengers - Greener Journeys
Professor David Begg
4. Speed Up Dwell Time at Bus Stops
While this report has focused on the impact rising traffic congestion has on bus journey times, in urban environments between 25% and 33% of journey time is spent picking up and dropping off passengers (dwell time).
London has led the world on cashless buses, which have had a dramatic impact on reducing dwell time at bus stops. The 0.5 seconds per transaction on London buses is unrivalled anywhere in the world. Dwell time has been cut by at least half. Transport for London believes that the total run time of buses has been reduced by between 7 and 10%.
Most of the operating cost of buses is directly driven by run time, so that translates into a straight saving of some £120- 180m annually. This dwarfs the one-off cost of introducing Oyster (£50m) and contactless (£68m).
If London-style cashless buses and contactless payments could be extended to the rest of the UK bus journey times could be improved by up to 10% by halving dwell time at bus stops. The big five bus operators in the UK have set a target to introduce contactless bus transactions by 2022. This should be the very latest date for this to be introduced UK-wide, and everything possible should be done to accelerate it. It is feasible for bus operators to achieve contactless payments on buses in the major urban conurbations within the next three years.
Bus stop and station infrastructure
Transport authorities have stated that they do not use dual-door buses because the current infrastructure is incompatible, as it is only adapted for single-door buses.
However, I have identified several solutions to these infrastructure challenges, and it is clear that transport authorities across the UK should look to London for best practice. By examining how London manages multi-door operations, we can see how provincial infrastructure can be adapted.
TfL's Accessible Bus Stop Design Guidance
Features of London bus services
The entire TfL bus network is operated using low-floor vehicles. All London buses have a single step entry, a low-floor in the front part of the vehicle, and either a sloping gangway or a step towards the rear over the drive axle. Most buses in London have front doors for boarding passengers and centre doors for those alighting. It should be noted that the New Bus for London (Routemaster) has three doors, all of which are used for boarding and alighting. This includes a central door to allow easy access for mobility passengers. Powered ramps are usually fitted to the centre door where wheelchair users may board and alight. Push buttons are provided for wheelchair users to alert the driver when the ramp needs to be deployed.
Additionally, low-floor buses are provided with the means of lowering, or ‘kneeling’, the bus suspension to reduce the step height at stops. This is provided at the passenger’s request. The ‘Big Red Book’, a guidance manual provided to all London Buses’ drivers, states that the bus should pull up as near as possible to the kerb. Drivers are also guided to ‘kneel’ the bus if a passenger asks or if the driver observes a passenger requiring this facility.
Waiting area layout
Figure 11 shows the suggested bus stop layout with boarding/alighting zones, which must be kept free of all street furniture. The area around the front door is 2m long, the area around the middle doors is 4m long and the area around the back door (where applicable) is 4m long. For simplicity, it is recommended that street furniture is not positioned throughout the length of footway where boarding and alighting is expected. Additionally, street furniture located in the waiting area can reduce the available space close to the stop.
By adopting a boarding and alighting zone, problems for ramp deployment and stepping to and from the bus can be minimised. It is also important that the stepping height is minimised along the length of the clearway. Dropped kerbs for driveways pose particular problems. Where there is a series of dropped kerbs it will be necessary to position the flag carefully between them.
At stops to be used simultaneously by multiple vehicles, the same boarding/alighting zone principle should be adopted. It is more difficult to recommend a standard accessible design for a second bus because of the possible variations in stopping position and vehicle type. Consideration needs to be given to the distance between the rear of the first bus and the front of the second. Please note that more dwell time may be required to allow mobility impaired passengers to board the second bus.
CIHT - Buses in Urban Developments - January 2018
The length of the passenger waiting and boarding/alighting area will be influenced by the number of doors on the buses being assigned to the particular service, with longer platforms needed for two- and three-door buses.
I recognise that the infrastructure for bus stops and stations outside Greater London is currently dedicated to single-door buses.
However, we can look at Cromwell Road Bus Station in Kingston, South West London. Its design is similar to a provincial bus station, making it the only bus station in London with a bay configuration. It was redeveloped and reopened in late 2024.
While the station has drop-off points for buses terminating there, it also features a dedicated pick-up point for wheelchair users (A4) for buses departing from stops A5–A16.
You can read more about the Cromwell Road Bus Station on Roger French’s blog.
This is certainly a solution for transport authorities in the UK to look into, in order to make dual-door buses more adaptable to their services.
In Ireland, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has been procuring new buses with dual doors for several years as part of its BusConnects programme. Let’s take a look at the documentation regarding the improvement of bus services through the use of dual-door vehicles:
BusConnects - Transforming City Bus Services
BusConnects aims to overhaul the current bus system in the Dublin region by:
• building a network of “next generation” bus corridors on the busiest bus routes to make bus journeys faster, predictable and reliable;
• introducing Bus Rapid Transit, a higher quality of bus system, on three of the busiest corridors;
• completely redesigning the network of bus routes to provide a more efficient network, connecting more places and carrying more passengers;
• developing a state-of-the-art ticketing system using credit and debit cards or mobile phones to link with payment accounts and making payment much more convenient;
• implementing a cashless payment system to vastly speed up passenger boarding times;
• revamping the fare system to provide a simpler fare structure, allowing seamless movement between different transport services without financial penalty:
• implementing a new bus livery providing a modern look and feel to the new bus system;
• rolling out new bus stops with better signage and information and increasing the provision of additional bus shelters; and
• transitioning - starting now - to a new bus fleet using low- emission vehicle technologies.
BusConnects represents a reimagining of the bus services for the Dublin region. It encompasses the revamping of all aspects of the bus system: from the ticketing technology to the road infrastructure; from the bus stops to the network of routes; and from the fare structure to the vehicle livery.
Bus Rapid Transit
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-quality bus based transit system that delivers a service with higher speeds and quality of service than traditional bus services.
We’re planning to do this by improving road infrastructure and providing specially designed vehicles, with rapid, frequent operations and faster boarding and alighting.
We are proposing that a number of the Core Radial Bus Corridors will be developed as Bus Rapid Transit routes, where the passenger numbers forecast are approaching the limits of conventional bus route capacity.
BRT will represent a major step-change in the provision of bus services on some of the busier bus corridors in the Dublin region.
A typical BRT system uses multi-door vehicles, higher platforms for level boarding and stops that are spaced further apart than those that serve conventional buses. Using different vehicles than normal buses, a BRT route can cater for a higher volume of passengers than a normal bus corridor.
In designing the BRT details, we will ensure that it is fully integrated into the overall bus system, providing a coordinated overall network.
NTA Launches Hybrid Buses for Dublin and Galway City Services - December 2020
The buses are fully accessible, with a wide front entrance doorway fitted with a twin-leaf door and a motorised wheelchair ramp, together with a dedicated wheelchair space, a space reserved for use by a buggy and distinctive priority seating. They are also the first buses procured by the NTA to be outfitted with an induction loop system to assist the hard-of-hearing and a passenger information display within the wheelchair space.
Cork BusConnects - New Bus Network - June 2022
The New Network is designed with some assumptions about other changes that will come as part of the BusConnects Cork programme:
• A simpler fare structure, and no addi- tional cost to interchange
• Faster and more reliable bus service
• New two-door buses, phased-in over the next decade
• Real-time arrival information
• Improved waiting areas and signage
These changes affect the design of the network They make it possible to plan for a Cork bus network that is more frequent, allows passengers to reach more destinations quickly through interchange, and offers more reliable journey times.
Planning Cities and Towns for Successful Bus Services
Speed and Reliability
Speed affects how far someone can travel, and therefore how many opportunities they can reach, once they've boarded a public transport vehicle. Services that are very slow limit people's access to destinations and compete poorly against cars. Reliability describes how consistently a service operates at its scheduled speed.
The average speed and reliability of a public transport service depend on the causes of delay that a bus will encounter. Broadly speaking, these delays can be caused by:
• Serving passengers at stops;
• Signals or other traffic control devices;
• Traffic or other obstructions in the lane, whether recurring (daily) or unpredictable;
• The movements of other vehicles with higher priority (such as trains or trams); and
• Unpredictable events such as maintenance problems with the bus or medical emergencies on board.
The BusConnects programme is addressing the first item through fare technology improvements that will speed up boarding and alighting by allowing customers to use all doors, and through the standardisation of the fleet using vehicles that are easy to enter and exit for a wide range of people.
Then, in Northern Ireland in 2022:
Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has welcomed the first batch of zero emission, electric double decker buses set to enter passenger service in Belfast from Monday 28 March 2022.
Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive, said:
"This is a very exciting time in public transport, as we start to realise our ambitious plans to transform public transport and decarbonise our fleet. The new buses, which will run on sustainably sourced electricity, will offer the latest standards in comfort, quality and accessibility with in-seat USB chargers, WiFi and new accessibility features. They will also come with double doors for getting off, facilitating faster journey times, and improving fresh air flow on board for passengers. With new contactless ticketing also being introduced, these developments will bring a step change in the overall customer experience."
Conclusion
It is essential that transport authorities take direct action if they are serious about improving their bus services. Instead of remaining stuck in a "roundabout of doubt", they should lease dual-door buses from London to demonstrate them in active passenger service. This would allow them to obtain front-line feedback on whether passengers support the introduction of more dual-door vehicles in their area, particularly for busy and high-frequency routes.
Such a transition would also be highly beneficial for accessibility, as it allows wheelchair and pushchair users to board more easily via the middle doors. As I have previously noted, bus services in other parts of the UK and across the globe successfully utilise dual or triple-door buses equipped with two wheelchair spaces.
This is a development that transport authorities must take note of to modernise their local networks; it is vital that they do not fall behind. I encourage all my readers to share this article, particularly with your elected officials, as I have gathered the evidence needed to move forward. By adopting TfL’s guidance on bus stop layouts and the innovative station layout at Cromwell Road, Kingston, authorities have the clear solutions required to improve infrastructure and make dual-door buses a reality.
I would like to extend an invite for you to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) for transport-related updates. You can find me by searching for @CLondoner92 or by clicking on the direct link to my X page here. I am also present on BlueSky and Mastodon. I look forward to connecting with you on these platforms. Thank you for your support
