Buchanan Bus Station

I think 4 stars are in order for Buchanan Bus Station, the reason being I am able to compare if to other bus stations and be happy that Buchanan Street is superior, although there are both negatives and positives for this particular bus station.
Negatives:
It can be pretty cold in winter months
No free toilets
Vending machines are no longer available
Positives:
There are some waiting rooms
Local, national and even international destinations leave from the bus station
Left luggage is available
Ticket offices let you buy just before you boards for Citylink/​National Express services or for local and regional day or monthly pass tickets
Usually staff around to ask questions if you are stuck
Every stance has a timetable, list of companies/​services and also a talking button where you can get the latest information easily
Well connected (interconnecting station shuttle to train stations in the city and Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport too)
Nextbikes nearby (cycle around Glasgow with the city bike hire scheme)
Shops and a café in the main concourse
Phone charging plug machine, ATM’s and photo machines are provided
Quirky art sculptures

We were at this bus station yesterday travelling to Oban. The attitude of the ticket clerk left a lot to be desired. I was speaking to her and she never answered me, she kept her eyes on the computer. When eventually she did converse she was bordering on rude. Couldn’t care less attitude
We then went to am pm café for something to eat, what a mistake. The lady serving was very unpleasant, my wife’s fish and chips were almost inedible. The fish was obviously from frozen, very poor. My pie, beans and chips were average. The only good think about this meal was the price, very reasonable. I guess you get what you pay for.
The restrooms had a charge of 30p for entry which is fine. My wife used the ladies and was disgusted. The smell was overpowering and there was paper lying all over the place. The gents also stunk to hi heaven. To charge for this is ridiculous.
I also saw a lot of employees with the safety jackets. Standing around talking to each other, didn’t seem to have a lot to do.
Now on to the trip. The bus was very clean and comfortable. The driver was very pleasant and the journey was fine.
Two stars for the ticket clerk and the smelly restrooms

One of the nicest stations in Scotland, I love the yummy (some of it vegan, yay!) pasties at the shop, also– WH smith have some OK-​ish offers if you want crisps etc.
Didn’t like the café :-(
All prices are standard station prices, so a bit high
(I think barret&hol stock some of the pasties for the same price though?)
And as someone mentioned there’s a small sainsbo’s next door with good-​ish late-​night reduced stuff and offers if you want something to eat on the bus, like a 400g sweet tomato pasta or a bag of leafy salad.
Also, if you don’t like the toilets or it’s too busy, you should know there’s clean ones just across the road (hint to cheeky tourists: it’s a shop, so you’d have to buy something)

Managed to get £1 bus each way from Glasgow to Edinburgh — via Megabus site. Buses leave every 15mins or so. It’s good because I know I have a bus booked so stops me procrastinating at home. Been out of Glasgow for a while and today’s driver has some friendly banter I’ve been missing!
The wee newsagents has Jordan Valley flapjacks and pasties — great for any vegans /​vegetarians /​humans wanting a quick snack on the go. Was a useful stop for me today as they also sell bags of throat losenges for 99p. If you want something stronger they have a small range of medications for various minor ailments — indigestion, sore throat, etc.
Apart from that it’s a good layout, shops, left luggage, toilets etc are easy to find.

Great service and coverage. We caught buses to and from Edinburgh and Largs from here. The staff will inform you what your cheapest vs fastest options are too. Very easy and cost effective way to get around the country.

I occasionally grab a bus from here and can’t really complain about the layout. The stances are clearly numbered (ok, they’re back to front in my opinion, but hey!) and in the main foyer there are a couple of huge screens indicating which stance your bus is at.
There are a few shops like WH Smiths — but I’d suggest stocking up on munchies/​drinks etc before you arrive — last time here I had to pay £2 for a bottle of water I could have got for 50p at the Sainsbury’s a couple of minutes away.
There are staff everywhere, speaking to customers and making sure the buses leave on time — no mean feat, given the size of the place.

For a bus station, it’s really not too bad! It’s well located at the top end of town, less than a 10 min walk from Central and less than 5 from queen street station. If you want a decent coffee I would nip to costa/​Starbucks/​Nero economy your way over. There is a café but it’s overpriced and the food and drink isn’t all that amazing tbh. There is also a sainsburys just outside if you want a sandwich etc. The staff have always been really friendly and helpful when I have had to approach them and there is a wh smith and a shop that you can grab a bar of chocolate and a can of juice from. It is breezy in the winter but time it right in time for your bus and you won’t be hanging about too long.

I’m a traveler and I use buses very often roaming the beautiful UK, so I had to write a review on Buchanan station! This is the largest, and the main, bus station in Glasgow and one that I’ve used numerous times during my time in Scotland and I’ve always had a very positive experience. The first time I came here I couldn’t believe just how busy the place can get, you seriously have to be careful crossing the road at the entrance with so many buses coming in and out so quickly! (Defo almost got killed a few times but made it across like frogger!) It’s a huge bus station with over 50 different stances with buses that travel all over the UK, the buses also run very regularly all day and night so you are never short of options. So far I’ve taken buses from here to Edinburgh, Fort William, Prestwick and even once to London when we were stuck for transport (Do not do the London bus trip, I repeat DO NOT! It’s the devil!) other than that each of these trips have been ok, the seats on the buses are not the most comfortable for long journeys, but it’s cheap travel so you can’t really complain. The station offers buses from a bunch of different companies, I’ve seen buses from Citylink, Stagecoach, Megabus, Parks and even First.
I’d recommend that if you are travelling from here that you book your ticket in advance as it makes the process of getting through the station and on to the bus so much smoother, however, if you are in a rush or it’s a last minute thing, tickets can be bought inside the station and sometimes even the drivers of the bus can print you tickets on board which is a big plus. It’s also recommended that you arrive at the station ¹⁰⁄₁₅ minutes before departure time, this gives plenty of time to process everything. If you have the opposite problem though, in that you are very early for your bus and have time to kill, the station is pretty well equipped at accommodating people in that situation. There are a bunch of seats outside infront of every stance, so you’ll never be left standing. Despite being outdoors these seats are all sheltered so you don’t have to worry about being soaked by that constant Scottish rain! If you would rather chill indoors the station is also pretty spacious inside. There is seats in there too and there’s also a few newsagents, a coffee shop, toilets, an information desk, a locker area and obviously the ticket office itself. Just a quick point now that I’ve mentioned the toilets… I think it’s outrageous in this day and age that places still charge for using the bathroom! For such a large and busy station, the place is kept tidy and well cleaned. The station is also situated in a very good location, right in the centre of Glasgow just behind the Buchanan galleries meaning it’s very accessible and easy to get to. As you’ve probably guessed, I like this station and would have no problem using it again or suggesting it to others.

It is a bus station, but as bus stations go it is pretty ok. There is an enclosed walkway area that has automatic doors, which means you don’t have to freeze your butt off whilst wait for a bus, plus a few shops /​cafes.
For a utilitarian space it is actually quite well done, and there are even a few cool Statues to add to the charm. All in all I have been in a lot worse bus stations in my time, does it’s job well.

Not much to say to be honest, it’s a bus station! Wish I didn’t have to pay 30p to use the facilities but ho-​hum…
Also, big thanks to the Citylink 916 driver on Sunday 2^nd Feb, departing at 10am, for letting me on the bus without having booked beforehand. If you had turned me away I would’ve missed the memorial service for my partner’s dad in Crianlarich, so thank you very much for understanding! :)

Because I live a 5 minute walk from the train station that takes me right into Glasgow Central, I very very rarely am ever on busses. So whenever I come to Buchanan Street station I always feel like I’m going somewhere far because I tend to always be doing exactly that.
It’s an incredibly huge bus station, with I think over 50 stances you can get busses from. They run all over the UK, from Aberdeen to London, and they all run pretty frequently.
The station has all the sort of things you’d expect — toilets that you need to pay for, vending machines, a newsagents, and there’s a coffee shop just outside it called AM to PM, incase you’re needing your caffeine fix.
I love this station, I think it’s absolutely great. I especially love the statue in the middle of the main concourse.

Buchanan bus station is the nerve centre for any bus that is heading beyond Glasgow with Megabus and National Express, west coast motors, Dodds of Troon, stagecoach, McGill’s and first busses. There is a WH smith, Café, various shops, Photo booth, public toilets and a locker storage unit for bags. the bus station is open 24 hours.

Hadn’t been here in years until today. First of all, what a great service from Kilmarnock and so quick and comfortable!
The bus station has really been upgraded over the years and I found the concourse very clean, spacious and well laid out. The lady at the information desk (shown in one of my photos) was extremely helpful, as were the people in the ticket office. Everything is signed clearly overhead so it’s easy to find the correct stand for your bus, or the toilets or exit. There are several shops too, selling snacks, postcards, maps and newspapers, and there’s a red free standing post box.
The walkway from the main building to the buses is undercover and it’s equally easy to walk into the main shopping area (Buchanan Galleries) by crossing the road and cutting through the John Lewis store.

Most folks who arrive in Glasgow from foreign climes will at some point pass through this fine wee bus station. Its central location means that its not only incredibly easy to find, but its also dead easy to direct folk to.
With such a central location, the bus station is a busy hub of commuters and travellers alike as they make use of the local and national bus services…
My own experiences of this station have been as varied as a bus out to Bishopbriggs for a night of drunken drunkenness at a friends, to hopping on the bus to Skye to visit the family.
Decent enough facilities, however with such close proximity, your not stuck with whats on offer here… if you don’t like, then just take a wander into town.

Buchanan Bus Station is the only large, major bus station in Glasgow. It is served by buses from all over the place — the National Express coaches to London and the regular Citylink service to Edinburgh probably being the most notable. There are also buses serving Campbeltown, Dunoon, Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen to name but a few, as well as a hotchpotch of local First Bus services to various parts of Glasgow and places on the outskirts such as Balfron or Falkirk.
The bus station is very modern, with an indoor concourse which keeps one out of the cold while waiting for a bus. It holds a ticket office, lockers, toilets, a WH Smiths, three other newsagents, a cafeteria, cashlines and vending machines — all quite adequate and good facilities for a major bus station, even if the food is a bit pricey. There are a total of 57 bus stances and they are all covered by a canopy.
There is only one departures board — modern and clear enough, if a little small. Another thing the bus station could improve upon is security. In typical Glasgow fashion, the area outside the doors attracts a lot of jakeys, especially the subway passing underneath Cowcaddens Road (avoid this at all costs). More effort needs to be made to rid the bus station of these kinds of unpleasant characters.
Other than that, this place is solid.

While so many UK cities seem to offer bus stations which showcase the least appealling aspects of a visit to them (in terms of buildings, location, people), Glaswegians should be thankful for its city centre bus mecca.
Ok, so it’s not particularly pleasant to look at, it’s not a place to explore during the early hours and there are the obligatory bus station weirdos lingering around, but at least it’s central (you come out straight on to one of the busiest areas of the city and close to Buchanan St subway) and at least there have been efforts to jazz it up a bit. The main terminal is bright and clean enough, housing several shops, while the ticket office is well designed ensuring queueing is not too much of a hassle. There are also toilets which actually, for once, are clean enough to merit the parting of 20p and the screens displaying bus times and stances are bright and easy to understand.
The statue of a winching couple is a nice touch, despite the fact they couldn’t be less Glaswegian if they tried. The guy is wearing a sleeveless vest and the girl is sporting a beret for goodness sake! Oh, and they’re showing emotion publically. Visitors from elsewhere I guess.

Buchanan Bus Station is bit of a landmark in Glasgow.
‘Caledonian University? It’s just up behind the bus station.‘
Heard that a few times.
It’s quite big, with loads of First buses departing and arriving here to places all around Greater Glasgow and beyond with coaches like Megabus and National Express going to London and all over the place.
There’s also a few 24 hour buses here that go direct to Glasgow Airport which has been indespensible for me in recent months.
There’s not many places you cant go to from here.

Buchanan Bus station is Glasgow’s central bus terminus.
Here you’ll find tens of buses (though it seems like hundreds), travelling out from the city centre in every conceivable direction. Mostly First Glasgow buses on local and commuter links, but you’ll also find a good smattering of Citylinks, National Express, and so on. It’s the main stop for Glasgow on inter-​city buses from the likes of London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and even further afield.
The amenities used to be pretty shabby. They’re still not fantastic, but it is what it is. You can’t expect much more from a bus station. The loos aren’t too bad and apparently now there’s wifi! Hurrah!
There’s also that lovely wee statue of a guy and a girl having a goodbye embrace. Awww.
Generally, if I have to take a bus it’ll be from the nearest stop, not from here, but it’s definitely the place to go if you’re taking a bus out ot another city, or the cleverly-​named 747 out to Glasgow International Airport.
So there you have it!

Bus. Even the word depresses me. Despite actually being a bit pricier than the suburban trains, for some reason this form of travel seems to attract a number of knuckle dragging layabouts that could at best be called the missing link.
So in essence, Buchanan Bus Station hasn’t got quite the same atrmosphere as the 1^st class lounge at Glasgow Airport, but is a necessity nonetheless. There’s a nice-​ish statue of a snogging couple, and the more luxurious coaches that travel to Edinburgh, London and other big cities are actually quite comfortable and thankfully free from the unemployable.
I’d still rather travel by train though.

It’s a bus station.
There are buses — big buses, small buses, and even a few luxury buses.
There are shops and toilets.
Buses. Lots and lots of buses.