Goldfish62
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To look "below someone's waist" you have to lie on the pavement or road, with immediate arrest almost certainly to follow.
What about all those Borismasters with glazed staircases?
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London Buses Discussion
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What about all those Borismasters with glazed staircases?
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MCR247
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Ok, technically my should’ve been more specific, but I was referring to seated areas on buses. There is no one (or there shouldn’t be anyone) sat on any buses glazed staircase. I’m simply referring to the tradition of any windows that would ‘show’ below someone’s mid section having the black enamel.
Btw to be clear, I’m not complaining about it or saying it’s even a bad design on the ieTrams, it has just always been something that stood out to about them, since most other buses effectively are the opposite.
Goldfish62
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Ok, no worries!
Yes, it's an unusual feature and optional on the ieTram anyway. The Kent Fastrack ones are also going to feature the lower windows.
If you're going to go for such a radical looking vehicle you may as go radical to the fullest extent available.
Goldfish62
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I am told where they are deployed abroad children love them - and as you say probably keep them occupied!
The lower windows also let an incredible amount of natural light into the interior.
The Iveco Crealis Neo 12 buses that have been running for maybe 10 years on the T Zen service in the south of Paris have the lower windows feature: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...File:Carré-Sénart_-_2019-04-30_-_IMG_0160.jpg
Goldfish62
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The whole design looks remarkably like an ietram.
Dr_Paul
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On what pretence is this bus called a 'tram'?One of the ieTrams (IE4, LJ23 FHV) was testing the Crystal Palace pantograph last week. Photo courtesy of a Tangytango poster.
H&I
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It is just a name, in the same way a Dennis Dragon is not literally a dragon.
Dr_Paul
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True, but nobody would think that a bus is actually a mythical fire-breathing beast, whereas both buses and trams are forms of road transport, with the crucial difference being that the latter runs on rails. Calling a bus a 'tram' is confusing when the said vehicle does not run on rails.
H&I
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The average passenger is not going to even know that the bus is called the ieTram. They will know it as the 358 bus to Orpington.
Goldfish62
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It's the manufacturer's name for it. Passengers won't care less that it's called Irizar ieTram rather than Irizar ieBus. And they certainly won't get confused into thinking that the 358 is suddenly a tram route.
What do people think of this news clip from the BBC?
It's incorrect as the 64 will stop when the lower deck is full and play the announcement "There are seats on the upper deck" until people move up.
The 433 is another great example of a bus that's too small for the route. It often gets full after the first few stops and then is an "express" bus to East Croydon!
It's incorrect as the 64 will stop when the lower deck is full and play the announcement "There are seats on the upper deck" until people move up.
The 433 is another great example of a bus that's too small for the route. It often gets full after the first few stops and then is an "express" bus to East Croydon!
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The news item is talking about the number 18 and how it often doesn't stop because the lower deck is full, even if there are seats upstairs.
The bus will only do that if the driver stops and plays the announcement.
And if the driver knows to do that, they're unlikely to think the bus is full, just because the lower deck is (or, as per the clip, that they don't have time to stop).
Goldfish62
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And I've seen it loads of times - short-riding passengers just won't go upstairs. They prefer standing. It's the same as trying to get standing passengers to move to the back of single decks.
In such instances what is a driver to do? As I understand it there are a lot of short riders on the 18 and given how frequent the service is if drivers don't move the bus until people go upstairs it's quickly going to result in gaps and bunching (I think this is more credible than simply "there's not enough running time").
Perhaps the bad publicity will help. Time will tell.
Of course, the 18 is a perfect route for bendy-buses. How about a nice fleet of eCitaros?
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Busaholic
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Back in trolleybus days, the 662 and 664 ran up Harrow Road from their terminus at Paddington Green, now basically the site of Britain's most secure police station and the not so frequent 18 or 18B buses were for passengers going further East along the Marylebone and Euston Roads to Baker Street, Kings Cross and beyond. In post-trolleybus days, a limited peak 18A ran to Paddington Green, but most 18/Bs terminated at Baker Street Station, two thirds of the service offpeak and three quarters at peak for many years. From personal experience working from a ground floor office on Euston Road 18s were few and far between, whereas now they all go to Euston. Time perhaps to get a few short-turners if a suitable turning point is available? Oh, sorry, that's not allowed because passengers are too thick to understand!Of course, the 18 is a perfect route for bendy-buses. How about a nice fleet of eCitaros?
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Goldfish62
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I think it's an iBus problem. If the controller can't set up the curtailment remotely then the driver should be able to on the MDT. Sometimes it doesn't work. I have no idea why, but maybe because the system is getting old and worn out.
Busaholic
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Were you based at an old Tilling's shed south of Croydon, a 1950s post-tram construction north of that town or a garage near Kingston (long closed)? I don't remember Nationals at Sutton, but I could well be wrong; indeed, it might be none of the above.
Snow1964
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Found a photo of one of the buses for Superloop SL5 now wrapped (not my photo)
Personally not a fan of windows being blocked by logos, and seems to be rather an untidy mix of info in different sizes to me.
Personally not a fan of windows being blocked by logos, and seems to be rather an untidy mix of info in different sizes to me.
H&I
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It seems a bit odd to me that they chose such an older Enviro200 rather than a newer bus for a Superloop route.
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Is anyone going to be on the first SL5 bus this Saturday? First departures are at 05:15 in both directions.
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But the SL7s (X26) use 59 and 61 plate Wright/Volvos - 15 and 13 years old!
I seem to remember the ENX type being uncomfortable and rattly when I travelled on them nearly new. Now they are 12 years old! Not great for a high-profile route. Personally I think a high-spec single decker like a Citaro would be good for an express route. Or at least a newer Enviro200MMC which feel like they have better build quality than the original e200s
Goldfish62
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I've liked the livery on the various bus types up until now, but that roundel looks awful. It's going to completely block the view from at least one seat.
Edsmith
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It was all that was available for a short term contract.
Busaholic
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Completely unacceptable. I travelled once on a Plymouth Citybus vehicle in an unfamiliar city and the journey was highly stressful because my view was obscured by its self-promotion over the outside of the windows. I never travelled on another service bus of theirs.
Really interesting thanks, I didn't realise it wasn't a choice that was being made. Explains why when I moaned at the driver he looked at the panel and shrugged his shoulders
This is why I think it was very short sighted to make the political decision of completely getting rid of articulated buses in London. They would be far more suited to routes such as the 18 than double-deckers - routes that are generally straight with a lot of short journeys.Of course, the 18 is a perfect route for bendy-buses. How about a nice fleet of eCitaros?
Being on a busy double-decker in London is quite stressful, with everyone having to funnel through the corridor in order to reach the stairs, or to get from the stairs to the exit doors.
Many people don’t want to go upstairs because of mobility issues, carrying bags, or just the hassle of it. That is not an issue on a bendybus.
I know the topic was originally about buses on the 18 not stopping because of timing issues rather than capacity, but I’d also say timing issues would reduce with bendybuses. A concern is fare evasion, but TEC buses in southern Belgium make everyone board at the front, but then there are three doors to exit and no new passengers have to wait for people to get down stairs.