New statutory guidance on floating bus stop provision and design of both new and existing installations in England was published by the UK Government on 26 January 2026.

Floating bus stops are bus stops where a cycle track and bus stop intersect and where bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists may interact. Floating bus stops are a combination of a cycle track and a footway.

There are many different configurations of floating bus stops, and the guidance provides advice on the design of bus stop bypasses and shared use bus boarders.

This new guidance replaces the guidance on bus stop bypasses and shared use bus boarders set out in local transport note (LTN) 1/20 and has been issued under section 31 of the Bus Services Act 2025.

The guidance has been developed by the Department for Transport and Active Travel England.

The guidance is the first version published by the government, with plans for further versions to be developed to include advice on different design types, and informed by further research carried out by Active Travel England. This is due to complete in 2027.

As statutory guidance, local transport authorities, local highway authorities, local traffic authorities, Transport for London and National Highways must have regard to the new guidance.

Floating bus stops have caused controversy in recent years. Organisations representing blind and vision-impaired people have been vocal in outlining their concerns with floating bus stops and shared bus stop boarders, highlighting the risks associated with spaces shared by cyclists and pedestrians, with different road users travelling at different speeds.

On 20 November 2025, the government announced that the installation of floating bus stop designs which require passengers to board or alight directly from or into a cycle track should be paused in England. The government has confirmed that this pause is still in place.

The Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was consulted during the development of the guidance and Transport for All was commissioned to run workshops with a range of disability and road user groups and individuals with lived experience of disability to ensure the recommendations reflect their needs. The full list of groups consulted can be found here.