On Monday 29 March 2010, I took the Black Cat from Mansfield to Derby to view the new bus station on its second day of operation, and its first weekday. I well understand that a project as big as this will take time to settle down so I will come back in a couple of months (when hopefully, unlike today, the sun will be shining) to see if the problems have been ironed out. Anyway, here is what I found today:

My first surprise was that the Black Cat driver insisted everybody had to alight at a bus stop in the road about 100 metres from the bus station entrance, though he did politely explain where the bus station was and that I needed bay 4 for my bus back. Several other services (including the Red Arrow) seemed to drop off here too. In the photograph above the Red Arrow has just pulled away from the drop off stop. The entrance to the bus station is at the end of the large grey building. Note the yellow taxi in the foreground. There is controversy because this is the nearest taxi rank to the bus station, across the busy road.

Before reaching the bus station it is obvious from the back that much work remains to be completed.

I now headed for the bus station, but note the scaffolding. Pedestrians had to take to the road on their way to the main entrance.

This is the view as you enter. The first sensation is one of extreme cold. It was bad enough outside, but inside felt like the North Pole! Perhaps there is a fault with the heating, or perhaps there is no heating. It seemed extremely busy.

Information screens are placed at frequent intervals. These did not include the several services that still start in the streets outside the bus station, but the static notices by every stand did include this information with maps. More realtime screens by each bay show the buses for that stand. In addition, staff were on hand giving out leaflets containing comprehensive information about the bus station, the departures and those services which do not use the bus station.

Shops for travel information and booking were up and running . . .

. . . but so far there is nothing else, except toilets through a turnstile which needs 20p to open.

This is the first time I have seen this. Several Arriva buses displayed REVERSING when they were backing off the stand. I recall when I first backed a bus off the stand in Mansfield Bus Station. It was terrifying. With vehicles either side, you can see very little of what is behind. You hope other drivers keep to the rule that you MUST give way to reversing vehicles.

In the pre-opening information, it said Bay 1 was for dropping off. Today there was a van parked on it. In the updated literature Bay 1 is for emergency use only. This must be a relief to drivers as when backing off that bay (and to a lesser extents bays 2 to 4) you are going directly in the path of buses turning into the bus station.

This is a typical view of the bus station in use. Note three buses reversing, one amongst them already backed out and ready to proceed. On the right of the picture, four buses are either going out or have come in from the far end and must make a sharp right into the main bus station. Two red Trentbarton's are awaiting time in the lay-bye.

At one point, a large queue of buses built up and it took several minutes to clear, though this did not happen constantly. In this lane, some buses have picked up and are on their way while others are just arriving and waiting to turn sharp right into the bus station.

Buses turning in to the bus station have to wait while others back off the stand. This prevents those in the previous picture (which are waiting patiently beyond the buses in view) from turning into the bus station.

There is little margin for error at the main entrance.

The coach bays at the far end are constructed differently to enable access to the luggage lockers.

And finally, here is a view looking from the coach bays towards the entrance of the bus station. By now, the weather was foul. Time to go home by Red Arrow to Nottingham and Pronto to Mansfield (much quicker than the Nines, which do not use the bus station, or the Black Cat).