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Bendy buses should be brought back London Assembly Transport Committee

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Wolfie

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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...times-in-london-sadiq-khan-told-a3613796.html

"Experts have called for bendy buses to be reintroduced in London to cut journey times and improve disabled access on certain routes.

The buses were taken off the streets by former Mayor Boris Johnson over concerns they were dangerous and encouraged fare-dodging.

But a transport committee has now recommended they should be reintroduced throughout the capital to improve the efficiency and popularity of the bus service.

London Assembly’s transport committee suggested they would be better for “express routes” because more people can travel on them and they have improved access for disabled passengers."
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So much for the blond buffoon's policies which condemned Londoners to overpriced, under-performing, poor RM-pistache junkheaps...
 
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northwichcat

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There will be some routes bendy buses shouldn't be used on but given the number of different bus routes in London Boris' decision to remove them all from the streets of London was a stupid one, especially considering they were higher capacity than any of the double deckers (Routemasters or not) currently on the streets in London.
 
BestWestern

BestWestern

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Oh for heaven's sake! Is it April 1st again already? :D

Perhaps somebody ought to close the TfL vanity treasure chest and tell them to just buy normal buses and get on with it like everywhere else does!

*runs away!*
 
F Great Eastern

F Great Eastern

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BestWestern said:
Oh for heaven's sake! Is it April 1st again already? :D

Perhaps somebody ought to close the TfL vanity treasure chest and tell them to just buy normal buses and get on with it like everywhere else does!

*runs away!*
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So you agree that they should buy bendy buses?

Because everywhere else in Europe outside the UK and Ireland does and they are considered normal.

What isn't normal is tri-axle double deckers with one door which is a strange thing that only the UK and Ireland has ever done.
 
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gallafent

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BestWestern said:
Perhaps somebody ought to close the TfL vanity treasure chest and tell them to just buy normal buses and get on with it like everywhere else does!
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… absolutely. Bendies are normal buses, Q.E.D. :)

To expand: bendies from various manufacturers are in use all over the place outside the UK. As such, it's not a question of monumentally expensive custom designs (new routemaster) etc., just of buying an off-the-shelf design from one of a number of competing manufacturers.

The comparison between the 36/436 routes between Victoria and Paddington, which I used to use frequently, one operated by a DD, the other by a bendy, was compelling to my mind: it was generally worth waiting for the first bendy to come even if that meant letting a DD or two go by, since the bendy would generally overtake a DD en route due to its vastly superior load/unload capability through the three doors leading to reduced dwell times. That's aside from the hugely smoother ride in those Citaro buses (bendy or otherwise) compared to the DDs. That's all only anecdotal of course, …

Clearly the new routemaster has the three-bidirectional-doors advantage, but it still seems a lot slower than a bendy to load and unload.

I reckon what we really need is some multibendies. Something along these lines (not my pic): https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6d/ea/d4/6dead4003d5cb02723a29a110c96f82b--rapid-transit-busse.jpg
 
BestWestern

BestWestern

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F Great Eastern said:
So you agree that they should buy bendy buses?

Because everywhere else in Europe outside the UK and Ireland does and they are considered normal.

What isn't normal is tri-axle double deckers with one door which is a strange thing that only the UK and Ireland has ever done.
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London hasn't got tri-axles, other than tour buses, surely?

I think anything is better than the ludicrously expensive Borismaster. I don't really see what the problem is with conventional deckers, to be honest. Realtime info with next stop displays and announcements are now commonplace, as the rest of the UK catches up what were once innovative 'London standards', and a centre exit is readily available. TfL continuing to insist that a busload of people in London is in no way the same as a busload of people in another large British city, and therefore they need 'special' buses, is starting to look silly.

As for bendies, if they work then yes why not! I can, however, fully appreciate why London's crowded streets may very well throw up plenty of places where they don't work!
 
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Wolfie

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BestWestern said:
London hasn't got tri-axles, other than tour buses, surely?

I think anything is better than the ludicrously expensive Borismaster. I don't really see what the problem is with conventional deckers, to be honest. Realtime info with next stop displays and announcements are now commonplace, as the rest of the UK catches up what were once innovative 'London standards'. TfL continuing to insist that a busload of people in London is in no way the same as a busload of people in another large British city, and therefore they need 'special' buses, is starting to look silly.

As for bendies, if they work then yes why not! I can, however, fully appreciate why London's crowded streets may very well throw up plenty of places where they don't work!
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I agree with virtually every word that you write here.

Bring back the very same Mercedes Citaro bendies for Red Arrow routes at the very least (although I would so LOVE at least one bendy route straight down Whitehall passing FCO just to send a message to the posing blond idiot - with any sort of luck it would knock him off his bike...).

In fact in some aspects (eg wifi on buses) other areas are already ahead of London...
 
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BestWestern

BestWestern

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Wolfie said:
I agree with virtually every word that you write here.

Bring back the very same Mercedes Citaro bendies for Red Arrow routes at the very least (although I would so LOVE at least one bendy route straight down Whitehall passing FCO just to send a message to the posing blond idiot - with any sort of luck it would knock him off his bike...).

In fact in some aspects (eg wifi on buses) other areas are already ahead of London...
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Not 'the very same' ones though, surely. They'll all catch fire again! :D
 
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carlberry

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Wolfie said:
I agree with virtually every word that you write here.

Bring back the very same Mercedes Citaro bendies for Red Arrow routes at the very least (although I would so LOVE at least one bendy route straight down Whitehall passing FCO just to send a message to the posing blond idiot - with any sort of luck it would knock him off his bike...).

In fact in some aspects (eg wifi on buses) other areas are already ahead of London...
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Poor Boris, somebody has scrapped his other vanity project this week as well!
 
F Great Eastern

F Great Eastern

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BestWestern said:
London hasn't got tri-axles, other than tour buses, surely?
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I'm refering the joke in First Scotland and Dublin Bus who have a massive tri-axle bus that can take over 100 people but any effencies made through the higher capacity vehicle are lost out because the higher running time due to extreme dwell times not to mention the fact generally they are not very effiecent when it comes to fuel.

I think anything is better than the ludicrously expensive Borismaster. I don't really see what the problem is with conventional deckers, to be honest.
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That has always been my view, you spend so much more for very little benefit over a standard double decker, it has always been a vanity project and certainly more style over substance. That's before you even take into account the fact that TFL are going to be left with these in a few years time with no real future for them.
 
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Wolfie

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carlberry said:
Poor Boris, somebody has scrapped one of his other vanity projects this week as well!
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Fixed that for you...;)

.... only the stupid cable-car to go now...<D

jcollins said:
He doesn't need to worry. TfL or Kahn can't interfere with his pledge of £350m for the NHS. ;)
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Which is about as likely to be delivered as his promised social housing build was during his stint as mayor....
 
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PeterC

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carlberry said:
Poor Boris, somebody has scrapped his other vanity project this week as well!
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I think you mean "another of his vanity projects". The "Dangleway" is still with us and I have yet to see anything saying that the "superhighways" have a net benefit or disbenefit.
 
BestWestern

BestWestern

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I quite liked the bridge idea I must admit! Rather sad they've scrapped that.
 
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radamfi

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Bletchleyite said:
There was I think a design flaw in the right hand drive conversion, but I'd imagine that's solved by now.
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Hasn't Mercedes-Benz stopped production of the RHD model due to the vehicle's demonisation in Britain?
 
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