The Anonymous Widower

Will The New Bus for London Change London Forever?

I could have entitled this post “Will The New Bus for London Change London And Bus Travel Forever?”

It may be an outrageous statement, but then I believe it will.

Yesterday, when I got stuck in the jams at Highbury Corner and the New Bus for London arrived, I was very relieved and felt that the crew would sort out the mess.

I had been prepared to walk down St. Paul’s Road from the bus stop where I stood, to jump on the platform at the back.  But the driver stopped and allowed everybody who wanted to get on normally.

Having used the bus for some months now, this is typical behaviour of the drivers, as they seem to delight in picking up passengers, which can’t always be said for everybody, who’s ever driven a bus.

It could be that because these driver/conductors were hand-picked, they only took those, who treated the job very seriously. After all, if they hadn’t done a good job from the start, there would have been a lot of political fall-out.

There is also the Kings of the Road effect.  In my youth, those who drove the heaviest of trucks, always felt themselves superior and made certain  they never did anything to dent their reputation.

The crew of the New Bus for London seem intent on creating a similar reputation. Talk to one working in their conductor role and they will always say they like both the bus and the job.  Especially, as they get to meet the public properly and seem to enjoy the banter and the experience.

We are very much social animals and the New Bus for London feeds on that. If you want to chat, no-one seems to bother and if you don’t then that’s OK too! I’ve said before that the New Bus for London is a superb viewing platform for tourists and those like me, who’re fascinated by the environment.

But remember, this is only the first radical bus design in fifty years or so. I doubt it will be the last and who’s to say that Scania, MAN or the other manufacturers won’t come up with a better and even more radical take on mass transportation.

I’ve said before there’s a war out there, and the New Bus fir London, is just one of the first attempts to dominate the market.

So what in my view, should the design of a bus have.

1. It should have at least two doors, so that access is better and the driver is away from the scrum at the exit.
2. Obviously, wheelchair access must be to at least the standard on all London buses.
3. The bus should at least have hybrid drive.  All electric is an option, but until power storage problems are solved, it will always be a novelty.
4. It should talk to the passengers automatically, so that they know where they are.
5. Larger buses may well benefit from a conductor, as I believe London has shown they do.
6. Ticketing must be touch-in like London. This speeds up the buses and increases capacity.

It’ll be interesting to see the next skirmish in the bus war. But in this war, the only winners will be the customers.

November 24, 2012 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Buses, Design, London, New Bus for London