difference between バス停 and バスターミナル?

Question

I am confused the difference between バス[停]{てい} and バスターミナル. I would be glad if someone point the difference between them. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

The difference in Japanese between a バス停 and a バスターミナル is essentially the same as the difference in English between a "bus stop" and a "bus terminal".

Pictures may help illustrate the difference.

Bus stops

Generally a smaller place where one bus can pull up alongside the road. A bus stop is often just for a single bus route, although occasionally a single stop might be included in multiple routes. A bus stop may sometimes have a small shelter:

Sometimes just a sign:

Sometimes even entirely unmarked (more common for school bus stops in the US):

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_stop and https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/バス停留所.

Bus terminals

Generally a larger place, often with a building, where many buses can park at once, for people to get on and off. Terminals are often hubs for multiple routes, and are thus often located at important transit locations, such as rail stations, shopping districts, or large business complexes.

A bus terminal may also be called a "bus station" or a "bus terminus" (although I've almost never encountered the "terminus" expression in everyday English in the US).

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_station and https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/バスステーション, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_terminus and https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/バスターミナル.