The Capacity of a Bus Route
As I said in a previous post, I’ve travelled on a New Bus for London five or six times, and only once was the bus full to capacity. That was around six in the evening, when I took it home from the Angel and it was standing room only, as it would have been on every bus from there at that time.
I find this strange as the 38 is a very busy route and obviously the bus has a curiosity value. I too, would always choose it because it is more comfortable and getting on and off is easier. So perhaps we have other factors at work. Could it be that because of its flexibility the New Bus for London is faster at stops and people use it in a different way? Perhaps they tend to get off a stop or two earlier and walk. I have no idea and only a detailed analysis will give the answer.
But it all goes to show that when calculating the capacity of a bus route, it is not a simple process.
The capacity probably depends on three main parameters.
- Obviously the capacity of the bus is important. Doubling the carrying capacity of a bus though may not double the capacity of the route as you’ve still got to get passengers off and on the bus.
- The average journey time it takes to get from one end of the route to the other is also important, as the more trips you can do, the higher the capacity of the route.
- But probably the most important factor is the sum of the dwell times at each of the intermediate stops.
For years London has always had two door buses, with the front one for entry and payment and the middle for exit. I can’t understand, why this isn’t the norm around the country as it cuts the all-important dwell time at stops dramatically. It also makes the entry and exit of wheelchairs and buggies so much easier and fully complies with proposed disability regulations.
The New Bus for London, with its three exits and two staircases, adds another variable to the calculation of route capacity, as it undoubtedly cuts the dwell time at stops.
There are other factors which will effect the dwell time at stops.
- Well-designed wheelchair ramps, that don’t block the entrance or exit.
- Better design and location of bus-stops.
- Hybrid buses, which can accelerate away quicker.
- Electronic ticketing, that is no worse than London’s Oyster.
- Announcement of stops on the bus, so people know where to get off.
- Bus and walking maps at all stops, so passengers know the best bus to take.
- Having a conductor, may make a substantial difference on a busy route.
A lot of the country has a long way to go.
But buses are expensive at between £100,000 and £200,000 a time and it is criminal to spend that on a bus and then not use it to its maximum capacity. If you do use buses to their maximum capacity, you might need a couple of buses fewer to provide the same service.
When London learns more about the New Bus for London, they may find that because of the way people use them, that the number of buses required for a route may be slightly less than those they need now. As I said before, only a detailed analysis will give the answer!
A Bus With Added Service
I have travelled on a New Bus for London about five or six times now and like all things, be they cars or corkscrews, that have been properly designed, you see more and more good features, the more you use them.
Today, I picked up a New Bus for London at the Angel to go back home. The downstairs wasn’t full, but there was a lady in a wheelchair in the wheelchair space, sitting opposite her two friends.
I was sitting at the back, as given luck, I might have been able to get off a few metres or so before the stop and save myself some walking. Just after the stop before mine, the conductor walks past me to the lady in the wheelchair and has a short chat. At the stop, I jump on to the rear platform and step off, but without saving any walking, although I did save a half-minute or so. As I walked to the lights to cross the road, I saw the reason for the conductor’s chat. The lady and her friends had exited smoothly from the middle door. Wheelchair entrance and exit on a standard London bus is not difficult, but it sometimes does result in a time delay. On the New Bus, not only does the design minimise loading and unloading delays by allowing three routes for the able-bodied, but a conductor with a bit of forethought, like today, can minimise any problems before they happen. I think the lady was impressed with the service she received.
A New Bus for London on the Balls Pond Road
Incidentally, it was originally stated that New Buses for London would run with the rear platform closed and no conductor at weekends. According, to the conductor, this policy has been reversed. Read into that what you will! I just think that passengers like the extra service and security. Several users have also told me how much they like the ability to get on and off at convenient places using the rear platform.
The stop I used on the Balls Pond Road illustrates how by being clever Transport for London can use the new buses to advantage. The stop shown in the picture is perhaps thirty metres before a set of traffic lights, where most of the buses get caught for a couple of minutes. The conductor can use this time to allow late-arriving passengers to get on the bus. And they already do! So I think we’ll see a lot of bus stops moved to create and then take advantage of an increased loading window, if the stop is just before traffic lights.
The Proliferation of Hybrid Buses
Whilst I was sitting in the window in Starbucks eating my sandwich, I noticed that a lot of the newer buses were labelled as hybrids, with the green logo on the side.
So I counted for a few minutes and found that out of 15 buses under three years old, 20 % were hybrid.
The Goodyear Blimp Over the Balls Pond Road
I took this picture, as I came back from getting my paper this morning.
If looked to me, that the Goodyear Blimp was flying along the Balls Pond Road toward Highbury Corner for the Arsenal Chelsea match at lunchtime. I’m not sure about the flying rules for airships, but if the pilot was in the left hand seat, he could have been flying just to the north of the road. That would be standard procedure in a fixed wing aircraft, when flying visually.
The Goodyear Blimp Over The Balls Pond Road
I see the blimp is down to be over the London Marathon tomorrow.
London in the Rain
I took these pictures over the last couple of days in the rain.
I suspect this rain is due to the large number of Irish-built buses that have arrived in the last week or so. The Northern Irish may be exporting buses, like the 38 in the picture, but do we have to have the rain as well?
The Unwelcoming Face of Addison Lee
I’ve never used a mini-cab in London, as usually when I need a taxi, I’m in a place where I can flag an empty black cab down. I also live close to the route back to the City, that is usually taken by black cabs. So when it is raining and say I need a black cab for the theatre, it’s only a few seconds before one appears.
So I doubt I would ever need one of the forthright John Griffin’s mini-cabs from Addison Lee.
A few days ago, he was urging his drivers to use bus lanes. As a very regular bus user, I am against this and am pleased to see that Transport for London is taking action according to this report.
Now he has had a go against cyclists. Again it is reported on the BBC. The comments here are mild compared to some sites I’ve looked at.
As some of their mini-cabs sometimes hang around my area, I had thought about possibly using them. But not now! How could I be sure, that I would get what I paid for?
I also find mini-cabs and some may be from Addison Lee a nuisance in the West End, when I’m trying to get my bus home from the theatre. Some tend to block the pavements and junctions, when they are waiting for their passengers.
I would not be bothered if wardens decided to clamp down on this illegal practice.
So I’ll stick to the reliable 38 bus and the occasional black cab.
Two Pleased Ladies and a Happy Driver
Yesterday afternoon, I took a New Bus for London from Islington Green to the Balls Pond Road. Because of the time of day and the weather, there were only about six people on the lower deck of the bus.
In front of me, were two ladies of a certain age and I asked them what they thought of the new bus. They said, that they had so much space and seemed very pleased with it.
I then moved to the back and asked the driver/conductor, what the bus was like to drive. He said he was happy with it, although the acceleration was a bit lively.
So perhaps they should be called Halley’s Comets after Edmond Halley, one of Hackney’s most famous citizens.
From Ballymena With Love
According to this article in the Ballymena Times, the New Bus for London will feature in the new James Bond film, Skyfall.
The bus is set to feature in an action scene set in Trafalgar Square involving the 007 spy, played by Daniel Craig.
Surely, the designer of the bus, didn’t envisage it to be James Bond’s latest transport.
It does however mean that there is a lot of scope for film and book titles.
On the Hackney Express is the obvious one, as the buses at present go to Hackney Central on route 38.
Beccles Station and the Start of the Construction of the Loop
On the way to football at Ipswich, I went via Beccles station, to see how the loop is progressing.
As you can see, there hasn’t been much done yet.
I hope that they improve the station as well as the track. I was there just after a very rainy morning and there was only one dry place to sit; a small patch of low concrete wall. Passengers started turning up about half-an-hour before the train and a couple were quite a bit older than me. There wasn’t even a pub or a cafe nearby.
I’ve been to quite a few unmanned stations in East Anglia, but Beccles must surely be one of the worst, if not the worst!
The Anonymous Widower 