Overview

Aberdeen Bus Station might just be one of the best-placed stations I've visited. Part of the Union Square Shopping Centre, which has a variety of shops, bars and restaurants, it has everything for people on a day out or returning from a day in the city.

Transport & Parking

There is parking in the shopping centre, which has 1200 standard spaces and 54 accessible spaces on Parking Level 1. There are ten 7kw Type-2 EV charging bays on this same level - cables are not provided and the spaces have crosshatching at the back, but not on either side of the vehicle. Though parking is plentiful, it can be costly as there are no Blue Badge exemptions.

Access

If accessing the Bus Station via the shopping centre, there is a gradual descent down from the central shopping area. There are seats throughout the centre, at the entrance of the bus station and the 11 stances. The stance area has large double doors, activated by the touchpad on the wall. The ticket desks have ledges, for those who need to sort out their tickets, sift through a bag or require support to stand. There are no alternative communication formats available at the station, which is disappointing. The staff I spoke with confirmed that there are no Braille or large print documents available. There is no BSL service and no induction loop at the desks. In addition, there is no Braille signage or induction loop at the stances. There are lowered kerbs between the buses, which are all wheelchair accessible. I didn't board the bus, so I can't speak to the accessibility features on the bus. There is no tactile paving at the stances. If accessing the station via Guild Street, there is tactile paving and dropped kerbs at the traffic lights. If using the lifts in the shopping centre, there are braille buttons in all of them.

Toilets

Although they aren't part of the Bus Station, there is a toilet block across from the ticket desk which has standard male and female toilets, an accessible toilet and a Changing Places toilet. Both were clean but it took me 20 minutes to find a Union Square staff member to unlock the Changing Places toilet. The toilet block has an incline, there are no handrails on the wall. The accessible toilet has a folding door which opens out and is secured from the inside by turning the knob. The room is small but could accommodate an additional person if needed. The toilet seat is at the back of the room, on the right side and has grab rails on either side. There is space for a left-side transfer, but there is a sanitary bin in the transfer space. The flush is on the right side of the toilet when seated. The right wall also has a small, low sink with a lever tap and a soap dispenser. There's a mirror above the sink and a single grab rail to the left. On this same wall, there's a Dyson Airblade hand dryer. This toilet, unlike the others in Union Square, has ocean sounds playing through a speaker in the ceiling, it's an odd feature, but I felt I should mention it. The Changing Places Toilet has a hoist and a large change bed, with a sanitary bin at the foot of the bed. It features a large, low sink with a lever mixer-style tap. There are grab rails on either side of the sink and the toilet seat, and the flush is on the left when seated. Overall, the Changing Places toilet is a bit no-frills. It has the basics, but I've been to others with more features, such as rails on the beds, red cords at the beds, disinfectant sprays etc. This one has a unique inclusion I haven't seen, a QR code on the wall to request the toilet to be cleaned. The red cord by the toilet seat hung to the floor.

Staff

The staff at the Bus Station were lovely, even helping me find shopping centre staff to unlock the Changing Places toilet.

Photos