New Buses for London Are Now Running In Convoy
Bus route 38 in London is one those with the highest frequency of buses. I have joked before that they often run in convoy and today for the first time, I saw two New Buses for London running together on the Balls Pond Road.
New Buses for London in Convoy
Perhaps, they are avoiding the U-boats in the Regents Canal to the South! Or the hippopotami in the New River.
Route 38 Goes Topless
Admittedly, it was only one bus, but it made a change on a nice sunny day.
Route 38, has been unusual in the last few months, in that four of the New Buses for London have been mixed amongst the normal Wright buses for extended in-service trials. So in fact today worked out a bit more of the same with the Routemasters and RTs on the route. It gives a whole new meaning to bus roulette.
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?
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.
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.
The Development of the New Bus for London
I went to a lecture last night at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers about the New Bus for London. A very good lecture, given by David Barnett, the Development Engineering Manager of The Wright Group, who build the bus.
His talk should be recorded and shown to all students, who might think they would benefit from going to University to do engineering, as it showed how innovative thinking can transform a product as everyday as a bus.
I think the lecture, also confirmed my view, that the buses we ride in ten years from now, will be even better. The current New Bus for London is just the start of the development of buses that will transform the way we get around.
I think it is worth emphasising that buses, trams and trains are only part of a transport system. They need to be backed up by all kinds of information technology from simple maps to web pages and mobile phone apps, so that passengers find their way around with ease.
New Bus for London Number 4 Checks In!
And now there are four!
I saw LT4 on the way to take the Staffy picture this morning.
Gibbon Time Revisited
I have been looking at other buses to see which is the best to swing along on the upper deck. I found the New Bus for London good and reported it here.
So I looked at the handholds on the buses that are most common in London.
This is the standard Wrightbus Gemini 2, which is probably the most numerous type of London bus.
Top Deck of Wright Gemini 2
The handholds are rather vertical and the spacing wasn’t natural for a good swing. Note that there are more on one side.
This is the same picture of a Scania OmniCity.
Top Deck of Scania OmniCity
Here they are more offset and better spaced.
The other common bus, that I use is the Alexander Dennis Enviro 400.
Top Deck of Alexander Dennis Enviro 400
Not bad and better spaced, but not up to the New Bus for London.
Top Deck of New Bus for London
Note too how on the New Bus for London, the colours are more subdued. The surface is also textured to give a better grip. I haven’t taken a tape measure to it, but I have a feeling that the aisle is wider on a New Bus for London. It’s certainly easier to walk along the bus to the stairs to get out, but this is probably down to the gibbon effect.
The stairs on all buses are pretty easy to negotiate even with my gammy left hand. All staircases seem to have rails on both sides, with a double rail on the left hand side going down.
The More I Travel on the New Bus for London, the More I Learn
The New Bus for London reveals another facet of its design every time I travel on one. Today for instance, I noticed that the upper-deck handholds were spaced for ease of walking and of course safety.
I also had a chat with a guy travelling alone in a wheel-chair.
He liked the bus, as he had more space and it was easier to turn his chair and get it in position for travel and for alighting.
Both these small points for me, but important for others, show how the designers of the bus, seem to have taken a fresh look at everything. Or at least chosen the best practice from past designs.
London’s First New Conductress
As my cooker has now gone, all I have to cook food is a microwave. So tonight, I took a 38 bus up to Upper Street to go to Carluccio’s.
I got a New Bus for London from the Balls Pond Road on my outward journey and by chance the same bus on the return. It was the first time, that the conductor on the bus, hadn’t been a man.
London’s First New Conductress
Note that she has taken up the surf position, that all London conductors, male or female, used to use on Routemasters and their predecessors, like the RTs, on which I used to go to school.
The Anonymous Widower 