Paul Corfield wrote:

Really? Not more to do with a move towards more single door buses and
ever increasing fares and complex tickets requiring more interaction
with the driver and more change giving.

I was living in Manchester as the first low floor buses were introduced,
and with no fares changes at all, and already with single door operation,
there was a noticeable (but small) slowdown. Multiply that by the number
of stops where people both board and alight and it becomes more
significant.

I later witnessed exactly the same thing in Milton Keynes, where the change
from older Mercedes minibuses with wide doors and centre poles to Beavers
with narrower doors and no poles illustrated the same thing again.

Further to that outside the UK it is still quite common for suburban trains
with 1/3 2/3 door arrangement to have a centre pole, as it separates the
flow sufficiently that two people will use the door side by side. On
newer, more accessible trains it's not unusual just to retain the pole on
every door except the one by the wheelchair space.

For buses, though, two door is of course the most efficient, and London was
right to retain it, of course.

Neil
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Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK. Put first name before the at to reply.