You want to know about stands, quite a few variations / oddities, I will use my area of Kingston as e
We regard Fairfield as a bus station because its staffed. The fact buses pick up and drop off outside does not really make much difference.
xamples
Legacy : maintained but rarely used, eg Birkenhead Avenue (probably from days when Norbiton bus garage existed)
Layover : eg The Bittoms, sometimes used by a spare bus from FW (for 65 etc), avoids the normal stand at Brook Street getting overloaded
School stand : Sometimes with a stop or boarding point as well, eg Darley Drive, off Clarance Avenue, New Malden. used for afternoon school buses starting there, term time only
Pretend bus station : eg Fairfield North, Kingston, officially called Cattle Market Bus station, but no buses with passengers enter of leave it, so its just a series of stands (the stops are on the road outside), no idea why it is called bus station when passengers cannot get on a bus there.
Hidden (or hard to find) stand : eg Dukes Avenue, Ham. Terminus of K5 (and some short 65 workings) Since the road was resurfaced 2 or 3 years ago, now just a pole and flag, no road markings so bus just stops as near as practical, depending on if anything else parked there. No idea why an in use route terminus doesn't warrant bus stand road markings.
Converted stop : eg Hampton Court Green, used by seasonal 267 extension, road markings unchanged so still says bus stop, not bus stand, buses now stop in bus lane instead of the concrete layby.
Turning Circle : eg Queens Road, Richmond (junction of Sheen Road), semicircular, and stands are therefore curved to follow the kerb, not straight. Sometimes used by short workings of 337 (cue jokes about bendy buses to fit the bendy stand)
Forecourt : don't think there is one in Kingston, but sometimes at bus garages or rail stations
Dead : eg Dee Road, Richmond, used to be 371 terminus, but that was diverted to a new one in Sainsburys car park, Manor circus. Oddly the words on the road are painted sideways in Dee Road, unlike most where they are in direction of travel. This one has two red notice plates below the flag, Authorised buses only and one to remind drivers to switch engines off on stand. Presumably non authorised buses, eg trainers cannot stand at this one.
Part stand, Part stop : Another oddity, Clarence Street, there is only a bus stop flag, but half of the yellow box is marked bus stand and half bus stop. Early running X26 wait here (with passengers, so don't stand, just wait) the stand bit has a brick wall most of its length so cant board or alight except on one door buses, eg the 12m Citaros on X26. If the X26 incorrectly waits at forward end of stop, other buses eg 65 can't use the ramp at the stop. There is another little used stand in Wood Street about 100m forward of this one.
Probably other oddities in other areas
You can check them all out on Google streetview
