The Cheeky Conductor
I got a New Bus for London home from the Angel this morning. I’d not seen him before or the route and I suspect, he could have been someone training to do the job.
He was certainly enjoying himself balancing on the platform watching the street.
I used the expression cheeky in the title, as at one set of lights, whilst the bus was stationary and waiting for the green, he dismounted and went and looked in a shop window, before getting back on the bus well before it moved away.
A couple of conductors on New Buses for London have said to me how much they like the job and the interactions with the public. He was only demonstrating this in a direct way.
The Anonymous Widower 
I like the idea of bus conductors, they can help people, whereas the drivers cant, and I suspect the presence of conductor may prevent crime on buses
Comment by Liz P | October 24, 2012 |
We’ve only got eight buses crewed by two driver/conductors each. The system works well.
1. Passengers like them, as they often give help.
2. The driver/conductors like the job they do, as they’re dealing with the public more directly.
3. We don’t know yet, but it looks like that double-crewed buses may also be more efficient people movers, as the guy working as conductor, shuffles the passengers to the quickest entry. The buses certainly go faster than the normal two doored buses on the route.
4. We should also know soon, if they minimise fare evasion. I think they do, as most driver/conductors seem to have a certain presence and when they say where’s your Oyster card people usually find it.
I think the buses and their operating system are a very good take on how to do a job efficiently.
It’ll be interesting in a few years, when we have 600 of them on London’s streets.
Comment by AnonW | October 24, 2012 |