On Dec 7, 3:59*pm, "Richard J." wrote:
Offramp wrote on 07 December 2012 13:09:56 ...

On Dec 6, 8:35 am, wrote:

So summing up, I'm not wholly convinced it's particularly special but I do like the rear platform!

I have been on them a few times and IMO they are superior in every way
to a standard Routemaster except that there is that annoying Pillar of
Conscience standing on the platform with his constant stream of advice
about not alighting under any circumstances.

I got off when the bus stopped at a red traffic light, and the doorman
(or whatever we're supposed to call him) didn't offer any advice. Worth
it for the nostalgia, but I'm not convinced it's worth disrupting the
entire bus design in order to achieve it.

Perhaps the Pillars of Conscience are being wound down as a prelude to
a cost-cutting removal.

Upstairs the visibility in extremely good. The engine is quiet, and
the braking is not constant emergency-brake like on other double-deckers.

Surely that's a function of driver skill, rather than the design of the
bus? *Or are you suggesting that all other buses have braking systems
designed by the bloke who did them on C-stock?

I believe it is owing to "energy-harvesting" technology on the recent
double-deckers. I am afraid that is all I know.

There are lego-gold handrails which I imagine are to imitate the brass
handrails of the original.. They look very stylish and are recognizable
from a distance. There is more to say about them; but I prefer them to
any other bus.

I felt that there was much evidence of stylish and careful design, that
gave the interior a pleasant visual environment. *But I can't get my
head around the concept of a bus that has two staircases but no one-way
system for them. *You could perhaps justify two staircases if you always
boarded at the front and alighted at the back, so that the one at the
back was down only. *But that's incompatible with the pre-war philosophy
of being able to board and alight wherever the bus is more or less
stationary.

I liked the two staircases - what I could not get my head around was
how little they took from the seating. One would think that two
staircases would take away four to eight seats - bit it doesn't seem
to!

And I can't support higher fares in order to pay for a doorman as well
as a driver. *Nice bus but daft concept.

Yes - all in all - knowing how much they have cost, and knowing the
increased running costs, they are too dear. If they manage to last 25
or ( gasp ) forty years then it might be a different story.