The Bus Stop Method: Short Division Explained
By the TimesTable.co team · Updated · 3 min read
If your child comes home talking about "the bus stop", they're learning short division. It's called that because the layout looks like a bus shelter, with the number being divided sheltering inside and the divisor queuing outside. It's quick and neat once it clicks, and it depends heavily on times tables. Here's how it works, with worked examples.
How is the bus stop laid out?
For 732 ÷ 4, write 732 under a horizontal line with a short vertical line on its left, like a shelter. Write 4 outside, to the left. The answer is built up digit by digit on top of the line. Our division practice draws this layout and walks through each step.
How do you do short division step by step?
Worked example: 732 ÷ 4
- Hundreds: how many 4s in 7? 1, with 3 left over. Write 1 on top; carry the 3 to the next digit, making 33.
- Tens: how many 4s in 33? 8 (8 × 4 = 32), with 1 left over. Write 8; carry the 1, making 12.
- Ones: how many 4s in 12? 3 exactly. Write 3.
- Answer: 183. Check: 183 × 4 = 732.
How do you handle remainders?
Worked example: 95 ÷ 4
- How many 4s in 9? 2, remainder 1. Carry the 1 to make 15.
- How many 4s in 15? 3, remainder 3. Nothing left to carry into.
- Answer: 23 r 3.
In Years 5 and 6, children learn to go further: write a decimal point and a 0, carry the 3 to make 30, and carry on: 95 ÷ 4 = 23.75. That links nicely with fractions, decimals and percentages, since the remainder 3 out of 4 is ¾.
What happens when the divisor doesn't go into a digit?
Worked example: 612 ÷ 6
- How many 6s in 6? 1.
- How many 6s in 1? 0, so write the 0! Carry the 1 to make 12.
- How many 6s in 12? 2.
- Answer: 102, not 12. Forgetting the 0 is the most common mistake.
What mistakes do children commonly make?
- Leaving out a 0 in the answer (writing 12 instead of 102).
- Forgetting to carry the remainder, or carrying it to the wrong digit.
- Times tables slips: "how many 7s in 50?" needs 7 × 7 = 49 at your fingertips.
- Starting from the right, as in addition. Division starts from the left.
What's the difference between short and long division?
Short division does the subtraction in your head and carries the remainder as a small digit. Long division writes every step underneath, which is useful for bigger divisors like 24 or 36. See how to teach long division.
How can you practise at home?
Make sure the division facts are solid first. They're the times tables backwards, so smart practice and times table practice help directly. Then try step-by-step problems in division practice, which gives hints when a step goes wrong, and print a few division worksheets with answer keys.
If division facts are the sticking point, fact families show how each times table fact gives two division facts, and this guide helps when facts won't stick.
Frequently asked questions
What is the bus stop method?
It is the method of short division taught in UK primary schools. The number being divided sits inside a shape like a bus shelter, the divisor waits outside, and the answer is written on top.
Is the bus stop method the same as short division?
Yes. "Bus stop method" is the nickname for short division. Long division uses the same layout but writes out each subtraction underneath.
What year do children learn the bus stop method?
In England, formal short division is usually introduced in Year 4 or Year 5, once children know their times tables well, and used through Year 6.
How do you show a remainder with the bus stop method?
Write it after the answer with an r, for example 95 ÷ 4 = 23 r 3. In later years children also write remainders as fractions (23¾) or decimals (23.75).
What do you do when the divisor does not go into a digit?
Write 0 above that digit in the answer and carry the digit across to join the next one. For 612 ÷ 6, 6 does not go into 1, so write 0 and carry the 1 to make 12.
Why do children need times tables for the bus stop method?
Each step asks "how many times does 4 go into 15?", which is a times tables question. Quick recall makes the method fast and accurate.