A Single-Manned New Bus for London
I went to the Angel last night and took one the New Buses for London on route 38. It was the first that I’d seen being run single-manned without a conductor.
The driver though was opening all three doors at stops, so that the rather light traffic at that time could get easily on and off.
I had thought that only the front two would open, with the platform kept tightly closed.
The Hi-Speed Bus
Today as I went up to the Angel, I got on a normal 38 bus. I then noticed, that by the time a New Bus for London was about a hundred metres behind. By the time I’d got halfway, the new bus was about the same distance in front.
This is not the first thing a similar thing has happened, and I suspect the three doors and the on-board staff, means that it loads and unloads much quicker at each stop.
Coming back later, I actually got on a new bus and this passed one of its humbler brethren on the way back.
The New Bus For London In Singapore
I just picked up this article about the New Bus for London in the Straits Times in Singapore.
Their slant on the bus, is that Metroline, who will be running the bus on route 24 by the summer, is owned by ComfortDelgro, who are a Singaporean company.
In Singapore they actually operate 1200 Wright buses, most of which were assembled locally.
So it will be interesting to see, if this all leads to a New Bus for Singapore!
The Doors Are Open Again
I came home on a New Bus for London and was pleased to see the back doors were open.
The Doors Are Open Again
The driver/conductor told me, they’d only been shut because of the cold.
This picture also shows one of the nicest feature of the new buses. It has a vertical handrail in the middle of the open platform to hang on to as you enter or exit. It’s just in the correct place for those of all heights.
Some older buses used to have such a handle like this in the middle of the front entrance, but although it was convenient for some passengers, it got in the way of those in wheelchairs or with kids in buggies.
but of course on a New Bus for London, wheelchairs and buggies would never use the rear platform.
A New Bus For London In The Snow
Coming back from Dalston Junction station, this morning after my circular tour, I took a New Bus for London to very close to my house.
Not only were the crew wrapped up well, but they had closed the rear door to make the bus more welcoming.
This is the first time, I’ve seen one running with the door closed. Before they were introduced, TfL said that they’d run with the door closed at night, but they have decided to make sure they are in bed soon after 20:00.
Meandering Through The Snow
Today, I wanted to do two things.
First, I was going to Broadway Market to track down an old friend of C’s, who I knew had a relative with a shop there.
And then I was intending to go to a restaurant called Pappagone in Stroud Green Road to have lunch with an old friend.
I intended to get to Broadway Market by taking a 236 bus direct from Newington Green, just up the road from my house. As you an see, it was snowy, but the conditions weren’t too difficult.
Newington Green In The Snow
The 236 is rather an untypical London bus, as it more like a country bus, that meanders around various communities as it goes on its way. It was full and comfortable an d got me safely to Broadway Market, although it probably took longer than normal due to the weather.
I didn’t find C’s friend, but I met a man who knew her and gave him my card before returning to the bus to take it all the way to its terminus at Finsbury Park station. but the stop was closed due to roadworks and I couldn’t get to the next one, before the 236 bus arrived. Then a 394 bus arrived going the other way and I decided it was better to take this to Angel station. I didn’t get that far, as the roads were slightly blocked and I then swapped to a 271 to take me to Highbury and Islington station, which would enable me to take one stop to Finsbury Park station. From there I intended to walk up Stroud Green Road
If it all sounds complicated, you have to remember that South Hackney is mainly densely packed buildings, with few main roads. Hence the meandering routes of the buses.
It might have been better, if the Chelsea Hackney line had been built after the Jubilee line as was originally planned. But not that much better, as there is no direct Underground connection between Angel and Highbury and Islington stations.
At Finsbury Park station my troubles weren’t over, as there was no staff about to tell me how to get out in Stroud Green Road and the sign had been obscured by a notice board. I also had the disadvantage, in that although I’ve changed trains at the station many times, I’ve never emerged above ground there. Eventually, i found my way and walked up the road to Pappagone.
Up Stroud Green Road In The Snow
The weather wasn’t too bad, but I could have taken a bus up the hill if I’d needed to.
I had some very good gluten-free pasta at the restaurant and after a couple of hours or so, we took the 210 bus to Archway, where she went home and I took the Underground.
A quick change at Angel station onto a 38 bus and I was on the last leg home.
This trip illustrates how London or in fact any other city with a decent public transport system generally copes well with snow, as you can change your plans according to circumstances.
I always remember as a child, that the buses then, didn’t perform as well as the modern ones, which have most of the weight over the driving wheels and better tyres to boot. I saw a couple of New Buses for London and they seemed to be coping well, but strangely they had more snow on the roof, despite it being more curvy than the older buses. Perhaps the roof is better insulated!
Eskimos
It was so cold today, that I joked to one of the driver/conductors on the 38 bus, that they were outsourcing them with Eskimos.
But seriously, on The One Show tonight, a doctor said that Eskimos shake their hands to keep them warm. I shall be trying it, if this weather persists.
I have heard from my friend in The Netherlands, that it could be as low as -13°C in Rotterdam with quite a bit of snow on the ground.
Hopefully, it won’t get that cold here tonight.
I Didn’t Get On The iBus
I let this bus go when I got to the stop.
I Didn’t Get On The iBus
I don’t like it’s up front advertising especially for Apple products, but I was talking to a guy with an adorable ten week old baby in his arms. Anyway with 38 buses, you only have to wait a minute or so for another one. And when it did turn up, it was a New Bus for London. These are now saying that they accept credit cards.
Credit Cards On The Buses
Who needs a car, when personal transport is so frequent. It did seem to me though, that with all that advertising the iBus was rather slower than the new bus I was on.
The Slow iBus
I’m always reminded of the joke about how you make an Apple computer go faster. You drop it from a taller building.
The New Buses for London seem to be faster over a distance than the standard ones. I think partly it’s due to the hybrid drive, which gives good acceleration, but also as passengers seem to get on and off a lot quicker.
Santa’s In Charge
I rode back from the Angel today on a New Bus for London. The driver/conductor was dressed for Christmas. And for the weather!
Santa’s In Charge
At least the red is compatible with London buses’ iconic colour.
Will The New Bus for London Change London Forever?
I could have entitled this post “Will The New Bus for London Change London And Bus Travel Forever?”
It may be an outrageous statement, but then I believe it will.
Yesterday, when I got stuck in the jams at Highbury Corner and the New Bus for London arrived, I was very relieved and felt that the crew would sort out the mess.
I had been prepared to walk down St. Paul’s Road from the bus stop where I stood, to jump on the platform at the back. But the driver stopped and allowed everybody who wanted to get on normally.
Having used the bus for some months now, this is typical behaviour of the drivers, as they seem to delight in picking up passengers, which can’t always be said for everybody, who’s ever driven a bus.
It could be that because these driver/conductors were hand-picked, they only took those, who treated the job very seriously. After all, if they hadn’t done a good job from the start, there would have been a lot of political fall-out.
There is also the Kings of the Road effect. In my youth, those who drove the heaviest of trucks, always felt themselves superior and made certain they never did anything to dent their reputation.
The crew of the New Bus for London seem intent on creating a similar reputation. Talk to one working in their conductor role and they will always say they like both the bus and the job. Especially, as they get to meet the public properly and seem to enjoy the banter and the experience.
We are very much social animals and the New Bus for London feeds on that. If you want to chat, no-one seems to bother and if you don’t then that’s OK too! I’ve said before that the New Bus for London is a superb viewing platform for tourists and those like me, who’re fascinated by the environment.
But remember, this is only the first radical bus design in fifty years or so. I doubt it will be the last and who’s to say that Scania, MAN or the other manufacturers won’t come up with a better and even more radical take on mass transportation.
I’ve said before there’s a war out there, and the New Bus fir London, is just one of the first attempts to dominate the market.
So what in my view, should the design of a bus have.
- It should have at least two doors, so that access is better and the driver is away from the scrum at the exit.
- Obviously, wheelchair access must be to at least the standard on all London buses.
- The bus should at least have hybrid drive. All electric is an option, but until power storage problems are solved, it will always be a novelty.
- It should talk to the passengers automatically, so that they know where they are.
- Larger buses may well benefit from a conductor, as I believe London has shown they do.
- Ticketing must be touch-in like London. This speeds up the buses and increases capacity.
It’ll be interesting to see the next skirmish in the bus war. But in this war, the only winners will be the customers.
The Anonymous Widower 