Hail the Granny Bus!
The term may be a bit over the top and sexist, as why should it just be grannies and not granpas as well.
But it does seem the elderly like travelling on the New Bus for London. This picture of an elderly couple getting on at traffic lights, sums up the elderly’s attitude to the bus and is one of many I could have taken in a similar vein.
Hopping On a New Bus for London
I also encountered two ladies on the bus, who had deliberately waited for a ride on a New Bus for London. They were impressed.
I think it must bring back memories of years ago, when you could get on and off when you wanted and got service from a friendly conductor.
The Bus Games People Play
The behaviour of most people on London’s buses is generally immaculate, but it is sometimes treated like a serious game.
Obviously, kids like to travel in the front seats on the top. But so do adults and people generally move about to get the best seats as they become available. Perhaps, we all never grow up. Unless of course, we’re someone like Gordon Brown or Angela Merkel.
And then there’s how you choose, who you sit next to! It’s not just men, who like to sit next to nice-looking ladies and I can’t deny it doesn’t happen. But today, an elderly lady deliberately moved over so that I sat next to her, so she could have a chat. Most of the other passengers at the time were in their twenties at their eldest. In some ways, it’s only being friendly and no-one bothers.
And then there’s the game of judging what is the best time to descend from the top deck, just before you get off, as obviously walking down into an empty lobby is easiest. This game will get even more fun on a New Bus for London, as you have two staircases.
The New Bus for London also allows you to get on and off at convenient places, so this is yet another game, which at some time will come under the realm of the Health and Safety Police. But until then, let’s enjoy it.
A Plague of 38 Buses
Perhaps plague is the wrong word, but they were swarming round the Angel, when I came home. I was part of a convoy of six, led by a New Bus for London. Does the fact that it was in front, show that they are faster at both loading and unloading and between the stops? I also saw all three of the new buses today, so they are getting more common, with a fourth example expected for next week.
Are Young Girls More Difficult Than Young Boys?
This has never occurred to me before, as C and myself, just had the three boys. But on the bus back from the Angel a few minutes ago, there was a girl of about six really pushing the limits with her mother, who had another in a buggy. Thinking about ir, when I see bad behaviour on these buses, it possibly is more often that it’s girls being a bit raucous and naughty. I’ve also been on buses with a load of twelve year old boys and this can be a nightmare too.
So when they are young, are girls worse than boys? Or do they play advantage of what they are expected to be like?
In Search of the Camberwell Beauty
The Camberwell Beauty butterfly is so-called because it was first found in Coldharbour Lane in Camberwell in 1748.
As I have said many times here, my father was a printer and he used to print at times, using gummed paper from Samuel Jones and Company. Their trademark was Butterfly Brand and they used to give out lots of stick-on Camberwell Beauties to show their products at their best. I had thousands of these butterflies.
So today, I’m going to Camberwell to see what I can find of the history of a company, that occupies a part of my memory.
A Man Who Got More Than He Wanted at Wal-Mart
This story about a man, who got bitten by a snake in Wal-Mart, looks like a beanfeast for American lawyers. Incidentally, in all of my travels, I can’t remember seeing a snake in the wild. I did have a taste of rattlesnake once in Texas. The old joke is it is like chicken with bite.
C also was very brave when it came to handling snakes and there are several pictures of her with them round her neck. The only animals she had a phobia of was chickens, turkeys and large ducks.
The Cambridge Guided Duckway
I found this report about the Cambridge Busway.
A New Bus for Hong Kong?
I was chatting with the conductor on a New Bus for London and he said that he’d seen officials from bus companies in Hong Kong on the bus.
This is not unexpected as Hong Kong has quite a few Wright buses, as this article indicates.
So is the New Bus for London going to be the New Bus for Hong Kong? I would suspect that the new London design, has the ability to be stretched to a double rear axle design, like that used in Hong Kong.
Update on May 25th, 2012 – In his talk last night, David Barnett indicated that the current New Bus for London is a stretch of the original design, so a stretched bus with an extra axle, is probably not the most difficult pieces of engineering, especially given the computing employed to transfer designs to a real bus. The power-train layout would still allow a totally flat floor, which the New Buses for London have and is one of the best passenger features.
A Bit of Humour Helps the Journey
According to this story, Chiltern Trains have employed Tony Robinson of Baldrick fame to coach their staff to lighten up announcements.
About a year ago, I was travelling on the District line and the driver was very chatty with information. He was obviously enjoying himself and so were his passengers.
Let’s hope it all works for Chiltern Railways!
Greek Travel Costs
I found this article, entitled Is it cheaper to put Greek train passengers in taxis? on the BBC’s web site.
They come up with figures that show if there are more than two passengers, the taxi is cheaper.
And these figures ignore the fact that Greek Railways have borrowed €9 billion, which is all guaranteed by the Greek government.
The Anonymous Widower 