Bus Pass On Rails
Modern Railways is reporting that the government is doing an experiment with First Great Western, whereby a concessionary bus-pass can effectively be used as a Senior Railcard.
I have both and it would be one less card to lose, if I had to carry just one card. The Freedom Pass also has a photograph and I have used it where a photo ID is required.
I also have to show both cards, when I go to Ipswich, by buying a ticket from the Zone 6 boundary to Ipswich, as I do the London end of the journey on my Freedom Pass.
I don’t know how many concessionary bus passes and Senior Railcards are in circulation, but abolishing the Senior Railcard and using the concessionary bus-pass wouldn’t be very affordable in these times of financial restraint.
But then the experiment may show that if those with bus-passes got rail travel with a third off, the extra revenue might pay for the scheme.
It certainly seems an idea that will eventually be implemented.
Especially, as it would be a real vote winner for the party that brought it in. Especially, if they tied up the rules, so that bus-passes worked under the same restrictions nationwide.
Kids’ Scooters and Endless Large Cases On Public Transport
Sometimes, I get a bit fed=up with the amount of baggage people take on Underground trains and buses. I do spot it better than I used to, but for example, there seems to be innumerable people, who always seem to have all their possessions in a large suitcase in tow. Do some peo0ple change where they live every day?
The number of times, I’ve tripped over a badly stowed children’s scooter has been too numerous to count.
At the moment, I’ve only seen anger, but some people have been very so. Especially in busy times!
Boris’s Plot To Get Londoners Fit!
A few days ago, at the Angel, I came out of the Tube station and after picking up my paper, I needed any of a 30, 38 or 56 bus to get myself home.
I was crossing the road, when I became aware of people running in all directions, including down the middle of and across the road. Luckily the lights were with us, so I followed the force.
The rushing was all because a New Bus for London, running on the 38 route had appeared and was waiting to get on the stop to suck in its load of passengers.
I got on at the rear platform and sat immediately and safely in one of the rear facing seats by the platform, just as the bus moved away.
This morning returning from the Angel after a coffee and doing some shopping, I followed a rather puffing much younger man onto the bus.
I then remarked to the driver that these buses seemed to be a plot to get Londoners fit.
She laughed and didn’t disagree.
The Designers of the New Bus for London Missed a Trick Here
This picture shows the roof detail downstairs on the New Bus for London.
Roof Detail on a New Bus for London
The strip is just a moulding and design detail, but on some buses in the sixties and seventies, this strip was soft and if you pressed it the bell rang to stop the bus.
London Uses The Train Model For 600 New Buses for London
London has just ordered 600 New Buses for London from Wrightbus, according to this article on the BBC website.
Boris’s political opponents say he is wrong, but they would anyway, wouldn’t they?
On the other hand, what Transport for London (TfL) are using is exactly the same purchase model, as that used for trains in this country.
The trains are ordered by the Department of Transport, owned by leasing companies or ROSCOs and then hired by the train companies like Virgin. In many cases, the maintenance is arranged by the manufacturer or ROSCO and they guarantee to provide so many trains each day.
When applied to London’s buses, this must give similar advantages.
- Although, TfL are buying 600 buses, I suspect that this package includes maintenance and guarantees a specific number of operational buses. In fact, on the 38 route, there are nine in service, but usually one is kept as a spare, in case of failure.
- Are TfL selling the leases on to a third party? How many of those, who are against the deal, have never bought something on hire purchase or a lease?
- The buses can be used, where and when they are needed. Most routes need about 20-30 buses, so batches of the New Buses can be moved around, according to need. For instance, the passenger pattern may be very different according to the seasons, so buses might run on one route in summer and another in the winter.
- These buses will change as time goes on and owning them outright, gives TfL the opportunity to update the older ones to the new specification.
- I think too, that the single ownership, should mean that the buses will have a longer service lifetime, just like the old Routemasters and the Inter City 125 trains.
- It will also give TfL time to do a full analysis of bus design, operation patterns and costs.
So all things being well, I think this could be a good decision, that saves money in the long term.
Waiting For A New Bus for London
I was waiting for a 38 or 56 bus at the Angel, this afternoon and as I had a couple of moderately-heavy bags from Waitrose and the stop was busy, I waited about twenty metres away from the stop, in case a New Bus for London arrived. I wasn’t the only one and when a bus did arrive, we all formed a secondary queue and got on at the back door, when the conductor beckoned. If one hadn’t have arrived, we’d have all waited until the main queue had shortened and then joined the first bus.
I think we’re just going along with the designer’s plans, as the New Bus was quickly on its way. It will be interesting to see how much New Buses for London save on journey times.
A Missed Picture!
I waited by the Angel Building for a New Bus for London to trundle up the hill to the stop, so that I could photograph one with Lauderdale Tower and The Shard in the background.
Lauderdale Tower and The Shard
But one didn’t come!
Jessica was on the bus-stop opposite!
Jessica At The Bus Stop
She must have the most displayed midriff in history.
Lifts and Crossing The Road At Euston Square Station
I had to go to University College Hospital this morning and took a train to Euston Square station.
The new lifts from the westbound platform to street level aren’t as well signposted as they should be and I met a young lady, who had got rather harassed trying to get to the street.
Coming back, I wanted to get a 30 bus to either Islington or home, so I decided that the quickest way was to take a train to Kings Cross and get the bus from there. I got to the stop just before one arrived.
Public transport from the hospital isn’t as good eastbound as it might be.
Both Ways By New Bus For London
I did a quick trip to the Angel and it was both ways on a New Bus for London. In both cases I saw the bus coming and waited a couple of minutes to catch it. I wasn’t the only one either.
On the way up, I heard a rumour that another ten buses are on their way and they will be on route 73.
Whether this is true, I would have no idea, but it is another route like route 38, that is operated by Arriva.
It’s Grim Up North
The Campaign for Better Transport has just published their report on car dependency in England.
Wigan is the worst, with London and Brighton at the top.
I don’t agree with all their findings, but read the report and make your own.
My argument with their report, is that they don’t talk much about the information systems in the various cities.
To me, this is very important.
