Great Western Coffee Shop

was at bus station a few days ago and the enquiry office was not in operation and looked very closed.

Hope its only for a short time.

Covid? Christmas holidays early closing?

When I went past there on 10th, Chris, it looked closed and cleared at that point and past conversations would suggest that this is not short term.  The finances of information centres have been badly knocked by the loss of commission on National Express tickets now that most people book them online and I would not be at al surprised should that unit be commercially let.

I happened to have to visit the First Bus offices in Bath last April. The Information Desk was unmanned, neglected and certainly looked closed even then.

Yes, it felt neglected even before the pandemic hit, and since the first lockdown it has looked forlorn. I suspect the first lockdown finally did for it. Over the years I have relied on it a few times to get information (though not always successfully) so am not pleased to see it close, and when I have used it, there were always tourists waiting there for information, so it cannot just be a lack of demand.

Indeed. But it doesn't "make money" or even pay for its staff by giving out information.  You could argue that good passenger information helps generate more bus income and goodwill, and provides a service, but that's not how the accountants have seen it.  With the loss of commission because so many sales have gone online, it ceased to be viable ... see my comment just up thread, which is not just a guess.

Yes I quite agree, and also that good passenger information would generate more bus income (especially as tourists, at least those from overseas, are far more likely to be fare paying than local residents, of which senior bus pass holders will make up a large proportion).

Sadly bus information centres do seem to be on the way out, but I don't think it is completely inevitable. As it happens, I was in a very different type of town a few months ago, Mansfield, which has almost no tourism to rely on, and its bus information centre was thriving (and the bus station a much more pleasant building to be in than Bath's).