A Long Ride In An Electric Bus
In the last few weeks, I’ve started to use the 243 bus, a lot more, as I’ve been on a course at St. Leonards Hospital and bus serves Dalston Junction, St. Leonards Hospital, Old Street station and a couple of other places I visit regularly.
On Thursday, I used it from my GP’s surgery and the William Harvey Heart Centre, where I volunteer.
I noticed that the buses on the route were now brand-new Wrightbus Streetdeck Electroliner battery-electric buses.
This morning, I took a ride on a 243 bus from ~Old Street to Wood Green to make a better assessment of the bus.
These were the pictures I took.
I can compare it with four other common London buses.
- In common with the 243 bus of a few weeks ago, the 141 bus, that I use regularly has a collection of Wrightbus hybrid buses of a certain age, which need to be replaced.There is no comparison between the two buses, as the Streetdeck Electroliner has better ride, seats and interior fittings and also comes with phone charging, with every passenger having their own USB port.
- In addition to being fully electric, the bus is a step-up from the New Routemaster, in that the Electroliner is much quieter.
- In British Buses For British Bottoms, I was impressed with the Electroliner’s single-deck sibling and as most would expect, the buses are of similar standard and quality.
- I regularly ride on 43 buses, which are based on a Chinese chassis. I would rate the ride on these buses to have inferior passenger ride, than both the Electroliner and the New Routemaster.
I have a few other thoughts.
Is The Range Sufficient?
The web page for the Wrightbus Streetdeck Electroliner, says this about range.
StreetDeck Electroliner is not a regular electric bus, its optimised power from a 454kW zero-emission battery electric power train is the ideal battery capacity for a UK Double Deck bus. It powers it to a range of up to 200 miles and a fast charge time of just 2.5 hours ensures daily scheduling aligning with driver breaks.
The buses are based at Tottenham Garage, which could mean they go back to there to charge, as it is on the route.
I asked Google AI, where the buses on route 243 were charged and got this answer.
London’s electric buses, including the route 243, primarily charge their batteries at bus garages using plug-in charging points. However, some routes, like the 358, utilize pantographs (overhead charging systems) at the ends of routes to provide rapid charging during the day, minimizing the need for lengthy garage charging. Arriva London, which operates route 243, has ordered new Volvo BZL electric buses for this route, and these buses will likely be charged using a combination of garage charging and opportunity charging via pantographs.
The answer is based on this article on this article on route-one.net which is entitled Arriva London orders 51 Volvo BZL Electric Double-deckers, where these are the first two paragraphs.
Arriva London has placed an order for 51 Volvo BZL battery-electric double-deckers. They represent the first order for the BZL from Arriva and will be deployed from Tottenham depot on Transport for London (TfL) routes 243 and 341.
Delivery is to commence in 2025 and the buses will be 10.9m long. High-backed seating will be fitted along with USB charging points and glazed skylights. Each will have 470kWh of energy storage with the 200kW driveline including a two-speed automated manual gearbox.
I have some questions.
- Has my camera lied about the buses it saw on the 243 route?
- Do the Wrightbus Streetdeck Electroliners use opportunity charging on the 243 route?
I shall investigate.
Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus
In Central London and Gatwick Airport For Free On A Freedom Pass, I indicated it was possible to go to Gatwick Airport for nothing, if you had a Freedom Pass, which is also a free bus pass for England.
This morning I took public transport to Gatwick Airport by this route.
- I took a 43 bus to London Bridge station.
- This bus terminates in the bus station in front of the train station, so it was a simple step-free entry into the part of the station, where Southern Trains terminate.
- I took a Southern Train to Sutton station.
- I then took a Metrobus 420 bus from Sutton station to Gatwick Airport.
These pictures show the journey.
Note.
- The bus stop is directly outside the entrance to Sutton station.
- Sutton station is step-free.
- The information on the Metrobus’s buses at Sutton station is poor.
- The bus had a 74 number plate, so was registered after September 1st, 2024.
- The bus said it was a hydrogen bus.
- The seats were comfortable with leather facings.
- The route was mainly through rural Surrey.
- There were sections of dual-carriageway road with continuous 40 mph running.
- There were a number of steep hills.
- Previously, I have been told by a Bradford Councillor, that the City of Bradford is going for hydrogen-powered buses , as the city has lots of steep hills.
- The unusual Reigate and Redhill War Memorial on the A25.
- The route goes past Hadworth, Reigate and Redhill stations.
- Just before Gatwick Airport, the bus called at East Surrey Hospital.
I have some thoughts.
Does This Hydrogen Bus Have Almost The Quality Passengers Would Expect From A Coach?
Consider.
- I was very impressed with the quality of the bus and its fittings.
- But its biggest assets were the ride and mouse-quiet noise and being vibration-free.
- It was certainly up there, with the best British buses on UK roads.
- Strangely, I never rode in any of London’s Green Line coaches of the 1950s and 1960s.
But as Wrightbus are selling hydrogen-powered single-decker buses to the Germans, the quality must be of a certain standard.
The Performance Of The Bus
I would sum up the bus as follows.
- The bus didn’t hang around and it was well-driven.
- On much of the dual-carriageway, the bus appeared to be at the maximum speed limit of 40 mph
- Ride and seats were comfortable.
- There was virtually no vibration.
- At times, you almost felt you were in a top-of-the-range coach.
- The running gear is from German company ZF, which certainly doesn’t hinder the ride.
- The journey from Sutton to Gatwick Airport is twenty miles and took about ninety minutes.
I would feel that if Wrightbus design their CoachH2 chassis to the same standard of this bus, they’ll have a difficulty to meet sales demand.
Wrightbus Hydrogen Buses For My Local Bus Route 141
Consider.
- The 141 bus route is my local bus, which gets me to Moorgate, Bank, London Bridge and Manor House.
- The length of the full route is twenty miles and it takes about an hour to go from London Bridge station to Palmers Green.
- The route is currently run by older Wrightbus hybrid diesel-electric buses.
- I suspect that modern hydrogen buses could last almost all day on one fill of hydrogen, with perhaps a top-up at lunchtime.
They would have no difficulty handling the route and would greatly increase the customers current rock-bottom satisfaction.
Hydrogen Buses In Leafy Suburbs
- Where I live, is not particularly leafy or a suburb.
- But I seems to remember, when I moved here, that some of my neighbours complained about the noise of the 76 bus route.
- So Transport for London put on some quieter buses.
I would expect, that Metrobus might use the mouse quieter hydrogen buses in post areas, to avoid annoyance.
Hydrogen Buses As Route Extenders
Effectively, the Metrobus route 420 is acting as a route extender for Southern and Thameslink services coming South from London.
As it is a quality bus, that gets a move on, I suspect that some travellers, who previously took a train to Sutton, Tadworth, Reigate, Redhill or other stations and were then picked up, may take a hydrogen bus to a more convenient bus stop.
Because of the long range of a hydrogen bus or coach, zero-carbon performance, should be achieved without any range anxiety for passengers, driver or bus company.
Onward From Oakhampton Parkway Station
Consider.
- In 2014, storms destroyed the railway at Dawlish in Devon.
- As there was no alternative route, the storms cut everything west of Dawlish off from the rest of the UK.
- It is now likely, that a Park-and-Ride station will be built close to Okehanpton, which commuters would use for travel to Exeter.
- The main road to the South-West ; the A 30 will pass nearby.
It would appear, that Okehampton Interchange station could be used, if Nepture decided to show his power again.
Hopefully, the emergency plan will scare Nepture away.
Lumo To The Scottish Borders
Consider.
- Lumo have applied to extend some of their Edinburgh services to Glasgow.
- Talking to a friend in the Scottish Borders, they said, that travelers drive to Newcastle or Morpeth to catch Lumo for London.
- Four or five Lumo services every day stop in each direction at Morpeth station.
- So would it be sensible to run a bus or coach through the Scottish Borders to connect with the Lumo services?
This Google Map shows Morpeth in relation to the Border towns.
Note.
- Morpeth is marked by the red arrow in the South-East corner of the map.
- Galashiels, Galashiels, Hawick, Jedburgh, Peebles, Saint Boswells and Selkirk can be picked out on the map.
- The coach service would probably terminate at Galashiels, as it has a large bus terminal and and a railway station.
- Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
Morpeth to Galashiels is 69 miles and it should take about an hour and a half.
Hydrogen Buses As Rail Replacement Buses
Consider.
- I have had Rail Replacement Coaches as opposed to buses a few times in the UK.
- Once on the East Coast Main Line but usually on the Great Eastern Main Line to Ipswich or Norwich.
- They are generally more suited to their task. as they are faster and more luxurious.
- Many of our major rail lines run alongside trunk roads or motorways or fast dual carriageways.
So because hydrogen buses and coaches a have superior performance, than their diesel cousins, will hydrogen be the better fuel for a Rail Replacement Bus.
Metrobus’s Hydrogen Buses
This press release on the Metrobus web site is entitled Hydrogen Buses.
This is the sub-heading.
Our commitment to Zero Emissions
As part of our commitment to reducing emissions, twenty new hydrogen fuelled buses will operate on Fastway routes 10 & 20. These new buses demonstrate an ongoing commitment to reducing our local emissions. They deliver against science-based targets set by Metrobus and its parent company, The Go-Ahead Group, of becoming a net zero business by 2045 and decarbonising our bus fleet by 2035.
Conclusion
This bus is the best I’ve ridden in.
Is The Nightmare On The Buses Going To Get Worse?
This morning after photographing the finish of the Bank Station Upgrade, I walked down the side of the new Cannon Street entrance to catch a 141 bus from King William Street to my home.
Note.
- There are two bus stops for the 21, 43 and 141 buses on King William Street; one Northbound and one Southbound.
- The bus stops are a two minute level walk from the gate-line at the Cannon Street entrance.
- To go between the gate-line and the Northbound stop requires no crossing of any road, but the route to the Southbound stop requires the use of a light-controlled crossing.
- The Cannon Street entrance is step-free and only a short walk, between the street and the platforms of the Docklands Light Railway and the Northern Line.
- The access to the Central Line is also easy, but a longer walk.
This afternoon, I walked the other way from the Southbound bus stop on King William Street to the new Cannon Street entrance of Bank station.
Note.
- It is a totally level walk.
- There are lights to help the crossing of King William Street.
- The concrete building on the other side of King William Street is the other end of the new station entrance.
- It looked to me, that there was a retail unit in the corner of that building. This was confirmed by station staff and it would surely be an ideal place for an upmarket takeaway.
- The building on the corner of Cannon Street and King William Street is a set of shared offices. Again it is in a prime position.
- You can also walk from the bus stop to the main Monument station entrance.
I timed myself from the Southbound stop on King William Street to the various platforms.
- Central Line – Under five minutes
- Dockland Light Railway – Under four minutes
- Northern Line – Under three minutes
Will these times encourage passengers to use the new entrance and its buses to North London?
If I was looking for offices for a foreign company, that wanted to be in the City, as I do occasionally for an American attorney, I would start in this area.
Step-Free Access On The Northern Line Is Rather Variable
If you look at the step-free access on this section of the Northern Line, you find the following.
- Euston – Escalators – No Lifts until High Speed Two
- King’s Cross – Escalators – One Lift to platform
- Angel – Escalators – No Lifts – Medium walk to the buses
- Old Street – Escalators – No Lifts – Medium walk to the buses
- Moorgate – Escalators – Long Lift route – Medium walk to the buses
- Bank (North) – Escalators – Lots of Steps – Medium walk to the buses
- Bank (Cannon Street) – Escalators – Two Lifts to platforms – Short walk to buses
- London Bridge – Escalators – One Lift to platform – Steps to buses
Note.
- If I was going between My House and the Northern Line South of Bank station, I’d change between the 141 bus and the Northern Line at the Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
- Alternatively, I can take a 38 bus to the Angel and join the route there. But that route can be very slow coming North, as there is a lot of walking. Going South, it’s also likely to be blocked by a Tesco truck at the Angel.
- Between My House and the Docklands Light Railway, I’d change from the 141 bus at the Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
- I might even take that route, if I wanted the Central Line out of Bank.
It does appear that as the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank station has been well-designed with full step-free access and short walks to the bus stops, that it will be the interchange of choice for many travellers to and from the area, who are using the buses.
Conclusion
I feel that a lot of passengers from North London will use the 21, 43 and 141 buses to access the Central and Northern Lines, and the Docklands Light Railway using the new Cannon Street entrance to the Bank station complex.
I very much feel that all three bus routes will have a lot more passengers, so the Nightmare On The Buses, is likely to get worse.
The Anonymous Widower 