‘Request Stops’ Make Bus Travel Safer and More Convenient, but Most Riders and Drivers are Unaware of Them

If you’ve ever wished you could ask your bus driver to let you off between stops, it turns out you probably can. According to an article in Next City by H. Jiahong Pan, many U.S. transit agencies have a “request stops” policy that allows riders to ask to disembark between designated stops “within reason.” Request stops can make travel safer and more accessible by letting people exit the bus closer to their destination or in places with better lighting or pedestrian infrastructure.

However, few riders, or even drivers, know about the policies, even though some date back as far as the early 1970s. “Although studies have shown the policy helps female riders who feel uncomfortable walking long distances at night alone, transit agencies struggle to get the word out and develop clear, consistent policies.”

While agencies are working to clarify these policies for operators and riders, some also ban request stops on rapid transit lines, saying that adding stops would increase travel times. Agencies also have a variety of rules for where drivers can drop off passengers, such as only stopping at corners before an intersection or banning dropoffs next to highways.