On 22 Dec, 00:01, "John Rowland"
wrote:

wrote:

On 21 Dec, 23:32, Mizter T wrote:

On 21 Dec, 23:11, wrote:

(snip)

(I appreciate that conventional buses with conductors on route 55
wasn't a success which is perhaps why the driver has to be locked
away at the front with a rear entrance if conductors are to be
reinstated.)

That rings a bell, can anyone remind me when that was and how long it
lasted for?

I had to check first before writing my comment.
http://www.londonbusroutes.net/photos/055.htm

My experience at the time on several of these buses was that all of the
drivers were men and all of the conductors were women who stood by the
driver, nattering to him between stops and checking everyone's tickets on
boarding without ever moving from their man's side, thus combining the
slowness of OPO with the high cost of crew. A soundproof barrier between the
conductor and driver would stop that.


I've a vague recollection of experiencing something similar a couple
of times on the in the dying days of crew operation on the 12 (I
think) when some buses were (somewhat inexplicably) not Routemasters
but OPO double deckers. I recall the friend I was with saying they'd
come across crew operated standard double-deckers instead of
Routemasters a few times around then.