The Hackney Eight Have Got Tail-Gunners Again
I got the 38 bus back from the Angel this morning, travelling on one of the Hackney Eight.
They’ve now got tail-gunners for the next four weeks as an experiment, according to the driver.
What we really need on the 38, is reinforcements for the loyal eight New Buses for London, we have!
Why shouldn’t the residents of Hackney, Clapton and Islington, not be able to travel First Class?
Londoners Still Love The Hackney Eight
I was coming home from the Angel last night, when one of the Hackney Eight showed its distinctive shape coming from the direction of Saddlers Wells.
As it approached the stop, prospective passengers walked past the 56 that many of them, like me, could have taken and waited for a few seconds for the New Bus for London to arrive.
Why don’t Transport for London do the right thing and convert route 38 to the new buses?
But then us plebs in Hackney don’t count for much, as BT have shown by their non-delivery of fibre-optic broadband.
If the 38 went to Archway in Islington, it would have been converted by now!
When Are The Hackney Eight Going To Be Reinforced?
The latest news, as reported here, that London bus routes 9 and 390 are the two next routes to be taken over by New Buses for London is good news for some. The trendy areas beloved of the chattering classes, like Notting Hill, Hammersmith and Archway, will now be targeted by the Boris buses.
But as East London is one of the areas of London with the highest level of bus use, isn’t it about time, that another route in the East was converted, or the much-loved Hackney Eight were reinforced?
At least though LT7 is back on the day job after it’s few days as a television star on Top Gear.
And what about my friends in South London, who have no routes, either converted or scheduled to be so?
One Of The Hackney Eight Appears On Top Gear
The seventh New Bus for London,LT7 has appeared on Top Gear tonight, driven by James May.
This link points to a picture of the actual bus, waiting at Victoria.
This is probably the only time, I’ve ever sat in an actual vehicle featured on television.
Is No News Good News For The New Bus For London?
I have a Google Alert for the New Bus for London.
I haven’t had a story; pro, anti or neutral for about two weeks now.
So is this good news for the New Bus for London?
As to the Hackney Eight, who are now running single-manned, they seem to be performing well without their tail-gunner. I’ve ridden one of them a few times since they changed to driver-only and everything seems to be working well, with the passengers using all three doors to enter and leave the bus.
There has been no reports at all on how they are now performing!
The Hackney Eight Lose Their Tail-Gunners
The New Buses for London on route 38, or the Hackney 8, are now running without conductors or as I call them tail-gunners.
I came back on one from the Angel tonight, and the driver was opening and closing all three doors. The bus was about half-full and evetybody seemed to be using the bus as they should.
But then those that use the 38 buses, seem on the whole to be a sensible bunch.
Are New Buses for London Female Friendly?
It may be just coincidence but on a New Bus for London from the Angel on Tuesday evening, except for the two driver/conductors and myself, everybody downstairs was female.
Seven New Buses for London In A Row
Since I created my personal timetable, I usually leave my house eight or nine minutes before one of the buses arrives. I’m not changing my routine or anything, but say I’m going to Piccadilly Circus, for 11:30, I know that the 10:34 would be an ideal bus, so I break off writing at an appropriate time and walk to the stop.
Since Monday, I’ve done this seven times and caught seven New Buses for London in a row. And one of these was by accident, as I had finished and just got ready and left without reading the timetable. It actually would have been eight in a row, but yesterday, as I got to the stop, there were two 38s at the stop, so the New Bus for London overtook, the humbler buses.
My son, thinks it’s all a bit sad! He’s probably right! On the other hand, because of escalator works at Bank, Highbury and Islington, and other stations, it is a much easier and more pleasant journey on the top deck of a London bus. And if that’s in First rather than Standard Class it’s even better.
But it does show how the New Buses for London stick tightly to their timetable, with the precision of a Clerkenwell engraver. Could this be because of their proven quicker dwell time at stops, that they have the ability to pick up lost minutes?
But for whatever reason it is, it’s all good news for Londoners.
The New Bus for London Was On Time
This morning, I consulted my timetable and walked round the corner, so I got to the stop at 10:34.
And what happened?
A New Bus for London sailed into view and several pleased passengers got on to go to the Angel and in some cases, like me, to pastures further on.
You can’t complain about that!
My Personal New Bus for London Timetable
My regular bus journey on a 38 is from the Balls Pond Road to the Angel Islington, so why shouldn’t I travel First Class as many times as I can, when I use the route.
New Buses for London are scheduled to leave Balls Pond Road at the following times after 0900.
0934
1004 1034
1104 1124 1154
1214 1244
1314 1344
1414 1434 1454
1516 1539
1602 1625 1650
1712 1735
1816
1900
And they return from the Angel.
0930 0954
1013 1033 1054
1116 1146
1216 1247
1307 1337 1357
1427 1457
1527 1557
1617 1637 1655
1718 1741
1804 1829 1851
1916 1955
2043
It will be interesting to see if this is up-to-date information, as I have to be by Piccadilly Circus this morning at 11:30, so that means catching the 10:34.
I got the information from here. Someone actually issued a Freedom of Information request to get it. It would surely have been less time consuming and expensive to stand on the corner and use the Mark One eye-balls and the back of a fag packet or what the equivalent is these days.
