On Jan 27, 9:23*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:27:50 -0000, "Mizter T"
wrote:





[x-posted to uk.transport.buses - coz it's about buses!]

"Roland Perry" wrote:

In message , at 11:39:59 on Thu, 27
Jan 2011, Paul Terry remarked:

Buses don't have the route number painted on them permanently!

They do sometimes. See 3rd photo down at:

http://www.showbus.com/gallery/lt/lubdart.htm

Another lesson that usenet is the place to weed out edge cases. Well done!

Not so fast Mr Perry! ITYF there are many examples of where route specific
branding has been used on buses around the country - so it's not really an
edge case. No current examples from London readily spring to mind, but a
number of Routemaster operated routes (e.g. 12, 36, 18, 73) used to go in
for it (from the 90's onwards I think, i.e. post split up and privatisation
of the LT buses operation) as did some other routes.

We may not have obvious route branding but TfL is quite happy to brand
vehicles as hybrids - seemingly with the white roundel too on some of
the latest ones on the 76 and 139.

The new hydrogen buses on the RV1 have liberal lettering extolling their
virtues as did the former hydrogen Citaros used on the RV1 and 25.

There have been all sorts of experiments in London with route branding
and in a more subtle way with allowing different operator liveries in
the old LRT regime. *In an area with many different operators you could
spot the route by the bus colour - was certainly true in Walthamstow
where my buses were yellow or green and yellow or multiple shades of
grey and green.

Many other examples (both on that Flickr group and elsewhere) there should
one wish to forage around for them - I think broadly speaking they're
commonly flagship routes or else routes that have had some sort of relaunch
(or indeed a new route).

This varies by operator. *Stagecoach seem to brand core routes on local
networks. First seem to brand express routes or certain core routes but
generally only with enormous stickers over the windows rather than
varying the livery. *Go Ahead have all sorts of variants with Go North
East having many routes picked out in individual brands - this tends to
follow Trent Barton's practice. Oxford and Brighton and Hove tend to be
a little more subtle in their approach but it's still there. Also true
for Bluestar and Wilts and Dorset (More). Some elements of the former
Blazefield empire also have very distinct and well presented brands -
again on core routes. * Lothian Buses also have fairly subtle route
branding that seems to work.

I assume the advantage of route branding that doesn't actually show the
route number (of which there are many more examples) is that if that bus
ends up 'off route', passengers are less likely to get in a muddle about
what number the bus actually is (i.e. what route it's operating).

I am not much of a fan of route branding when it is not done properly.
If you do it like Trent Barton, Go North East or Lothian Buses where
there is a coherence in design, the right buses stay on the right
routes, the route timetable leaflets reflect the brand and are available
on the bus etc then it's acceptable and makes sense. *I understand most
of Go North East's routes by their brand names as much as the route
number.

Given the huge allocations in London and the need for fleet flexibility
I just don't see how route branding could be done coherently in London.
There have been odd recent exceptions such as Red Arrow (now killed off)
and Riverside for the RV1 (also killed off but never really properly
maintained after the initial flourish when the RV1 launched). *I doubt
it would make much sense in London because people catch buses regardless
- people need to get places and use the bus to get there. *This is less
discretion for many people - they don't have cars or they are commuters
so they have to use the buses.
--
Paul C- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Just to put my twopennyworth in, I don't like the policy where the
front of the bus only shows the final destination. I realise that this
may hae something to do with the provision of better information for
people with poor eyesight, but it seems a shame that improvements for
one set of passenger has to be at the expense of another set of
passengers. London gets a lot of tourists who are not familiar with
the bus network and who need to know where the buses go. (eg if you
are on Regent Street and want to go to the Tower of London, and you
see a no. 15 with the destination "Blackwall", you would not
necessarily realise that this bus takes you where you want to go.)