And Now We Have a Bus Strike!
Len McCluskey has a very good way of making life for Londoners better; call a bus strike for next Friday.
It actually doesn’t effect me much, as with a bit of planning I could make sure, I haven’t got any journeys on that day. I am going to something in the evening, and I suppose I will have to take a taxi, which I can afford.
Some might say, that the bus drivers have a case, because everybody else has got an Olympic bonus. But then every other transport worker is employed more directly by Transport for London and not individual companies like Stagecoach and Arriva.
On the other hand, I’m listening to the complete silence of the Labour leadership. At least most voters are brighter than Mr. McCluskey!
The New and the Old
This picture shows a New Bus for London overtaking its predecessor at the Balls Pond Road/Mildmay Park stop.
The New and the Old
In some ways this picture shows the manoeuvrability of all London double-deck buses, as it was able to pull out from behind and get alongside for the lights.
The New Bus for London does have regenerative breaking and drivers have told me the acceleration is very good, so does the hybrid drive line mean that at some time in the future, it could have traction control?
A Bus in an Brighter Shade of Red
This bus had been painted in a rather odd shade of red or more likely orange.
An Orange Bus
It is being use to advertise Ed Sheeran
A Modern Bus On An Old Plate
These two pictures show a modern Wright Bus on an old plate
I would say that the umber 361 CLT was probably issued originally about 1960, for use on a Routemaster.
Where Are The New Buses for London?
They have been rather conspicuous by their absence of late and I whave been wondering they are either being retrofitted with some new mod or have been busjacked for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Perhaps, HRH is turning up on a 38 bus, as after all it goes round the back of Buck House.
Today though, I saw LT2 and LT6 at the Angel, so it must just be the reverse of coincidence, that I haven’t seen one for a few days.
A Smart 277 Hybrid Bus
Of all the routes near me, the 277 generally has the worst buses. But as I generally only use it for a couple of stops to get to and from the station, I can put up with it.
Imagine my surprise to see that this morning, a brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrid bus, appeared to be heading towards Highbury and Islington station with 277 proudly emblazoned on the front.
I’ll treat it as a mirage until I see it again.
Bus and Tube Information at Euston Station
When you arrive at the station in a city or town, you often need information to complete your journey to your final destination.
Bus and Tube Information at Euston Station
Most London stations have information booths like this provided by Transport for London at Euston station. I’ve never found such a booth in Manchester Piccadilly and I meant to check Liverpool Lime Street today, but forgot.
They say this about buses at Liverpool Lime Street on the National Rail website.
‘Arriva’ and ‘Stagecoach’ operate a network of daily, frequent bus routes around the city and also to nearby towns. For route maps and timetables: http://www.arrivabus.co.uk and http://www.stagecoachbus.com/merseyside
Liverpools main bus station (on Roe Street) is about 4 minutes walk from Lime Street station.
So should I assume there is no booth. How do you find out what bus company you need?
The same web site gives this for Euston.
Bus route maps are available from Transport for London’s website.
There is no mention of the excellent booth, although the link does point to bus maps for Camden.
There is also no way to contact the National Rail web site, to kick them into line. So we are just Self Loading Cargo left to our own devices.
Flat Floors and Hybrid Buses
Over the last couple of days, I’ve clumsily tripped on the step that exists in the hybrid buses of the 73 and 76 routes. Unlike, their normal drive counterparts, there is an annoying step, as you proceed to the rear.
The New Bus for London, despite being built by the same manufacturer, has no such step.
All Beautiful Things Need Careful TLC to Grow
I took this picture of LT4 yesterday in the Essex Road.
All Beautiful Things Need Careful TLC to Grow
To be fair to Wright Bus, the bus had only been in operation since Monday and there have been no other reports of New Buses for London, breaking down, except for the incident, where it ran out of fuel.
At least if a 38 bus breaks down, there’s always another one a couple of minutes behind. I suspect that this is one of the reasons, the bus is being tried out on this route. It’s also a pretty typical Central London route and it is served by the garage at Hackney, where the buses turn round at Hackney Central.
This all shows me how professionally, the development phase is being handled, by both the manufacturer and Transport for London.
Is This Guy Mad?
I took this picture of a guy skate-boarding along the St. Paul’s Road in front of a 30 bus, from the top deck.
Is This Guy Mad?
You can’t see it in the picture, but he had what looked to be an expensive camera over one shoulder too!
The Anonymous Widower 