Floating bus stops prevent old, blind and disabled people using public transport, Sadiq Khan's TfL says - but refuses to scrap them

Detailed summary

Charities and campaigners for blind and disabled people claim they are too dangerous for the vulnerable to use, because cyclists ignore their zebra crossings.

Published: 15:12 GMT, 13 November 2026 | Updated: 15:48 GMT, 13 November 2026

Transport for London (TfL) has admitted island bus stops which direct cyclists between buses and pedestrians are scaring vulnerable passengers out of using public transport.

Lord Sadiq Khan's transport body previously insisted in reports that the islands, known as floating bus stops or bus stop bypasses (BSBs), were not preventing the elderly or disabled from travelling as normal.

As of 2024, London is home to at least 164 of them. They put a cycle lane between the bus stop and the pavement so cyclists can circumvent buses as they come to a halt.

But charities and campaigners for blind and disabled people claim they are too dangerous for the vulnerable to use, because cyclists ignore the zebra crossings that are meant to help people cross to the stop.

TfL has twice been forced to withdraw versions of reports that defended their use after leaving out crucial information to the contrary, including incidents where people were mown down by bikes and e-scooters as they tried to catch a bus.

The new report, published today, acknowledges the number of older and disabled passengers has fallen by up to three percent at floating bus stops.

But it has infuriated campaigners after it claimed that this was 'not statistically significant' enough to justify any action.

Video footage shot by the National Federation of the Blind UK shows close shaves between pedestrians and cyclists at a number of floating bus stops

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