Through London In The Dark On A Bus
To start the journey back from Palermo, I needed to get to Gatwick Airport for the 06:20 easyJet flight.
I did think about checking in to a hotel at the airport, but in the end I got up early aiming to catch the 04:00 Gatwick Express to the airport.
I looked for a taxi and in the end I took a night bus from close to my house to Victoria.
It was an unusual and almost magical experience, as I sat up front at the top, on a virtually empty bus, that sped through an empty city. It ran a bit faster than the schedule.
Some of my friends advised against this method of getting to the airport, as you don’t know who you’ll meet. But I didn’t meet or even see anybody, except for the bus driver and another passenger on the bus, who took the same route to Gatwick.
If I have to get an early flight from Gatwick, I will use the same method again.
A Sad Clock
There is no other title to this picture.
A Sad Clock
I hope when the property is refurbished, they give the clock a makeover.
Arriva And Stagecoach
This morning, I used buses from both these companies. In fact it was one from the first and three from the second.
What a difference though in the greeting, as I clocked in with my Freedom Pass. All except one of the Stagecoach drivers were stony faced, whereas the other two gave me a big smile and/or a grin in response to my thanks for getting on the bus.
It does seem though that the Arriva drivers are the more welcoming.
Long may London’s buses be on the whole, a friendly place for tourists and residents alike!
In Six Days Tourists And The Posh Get New Buses for London
On the 21st of September, route 11 gets converted to New Buses for London.
This to me, is a good choice of route, as it runs along the very crowded Kings Road. So perhaps it might tempt people to hop on and off to get up and down the road, rather than use the Chelsea tractor.
But the newbusification of the route will not be popular with the tour bus operators, if this statement from the route’s Wikipedia entry is correct.
The journey from the top deck is a cheap means of sightseeing in London.
I don’t think bendy buses ever had any attractions for visitors to London.
I shall be there on Saturday.
One Of The Few Clocks In London
There are very few clocks in London. But this one on St. Pauls is very visible.
One Of The Few Clocks In London
Except for Big Ben and the clock on Shell-Mex House, it must be one of the few visible from the river.
A Plaque In Eldon Street
I saw this plaque in Eldon Street by Liverpool Street station today,as I made my way to football at Ipswich today.
A Plaque In Eldon Street
I assume it is one of a series, as there is a similar one in Sydney Street, in which the famous siege took place in 1911.
Are there any others?
They seem a good idea to me. Especially, if they make people think more about taking more precautions with fire!
Transport for London Consults On Cashless Buses
I saw this poster at Euston yesterday.
Transport for London Consults On Cashless Buses
I have added my four pennyworth and can honestly say, it was a well-written survey. You can comment here.
Stratford Is Well-Lithed
I went to Stratford in East London, this morning to take some pictures.
These were two of the many Legible London liths, that make walking easy in the area.
I do wonder if other places are starting to use similar designs. In Ipswich yesterday, there were several as I walked to Portman Road. Ipswich calls it’s system Walk Ipswich and the web site is here.
Both systems in London and Ipswich were designed by Applied, so the similarity may not be a coincidence or plagiarism.
London’s Forgotten Route Gets A Hybrid Bus
The 277 is one of London’s forgotten bus routes and runs from Limehouse and Canary Wharf through the East of London to Highbury and Islington station.
London’s Forgotten Route Gets A Hybrid Bus
I photographed this lone hybrid on the route last week.
Why this route is so often neglected by the powers that be, I do not know! I suspect, we’ll never see New Buses for London or in fact any new buses on this route in my lifetime.
She Did It Because She Thought She Should!
Buried in an opinion in The Times today about athletics, is a statement that Christine Ohuruogo has visited every school in Newham for no other reason than she thinks she should!
Good on you Christine!
The Anonymous Widower 