I rode one for the first time yesterday. The 24 is a route which I use
every few weeks, and I just happened to be using it yesterday, intending to
do the usual journey, Hampstead Heath to Victoria.

Arrived at the Hampstead terminus in the mid afternoon. Just missed one
bus, but there were three others waiting, and a fourth about to enter. One
of the waiting ones moved out to the stop just a couple of minutes later.
Why so many, this isn't usual?

I entered by the front door, and went up the front stairs. Only a handful
of passengers, not surprising since there had been another bus just before
it. Personally, I think they look ugly from the outside, but I really don't
care what they look like, I'm more concerned about such things as safety,
reliability and fuel economy.

First impression was that they look more spacious internally than I
expected, there's a lot of leg room, probably more than necessary; If they'd
reduced it a bit would it have been possible to fit in an extra row of
seats? They're quiet, and don't vibrate like some of the older buses do.
the bus was still very clean at this time.

There was considerable interest in the buses at the Hampstead end of the
route, with lots photographs being taken by people of all ages, races,
genders etc., including two young Muslim women, who don't really fit the
stereotypical image of a bus spotter.

At one point I could see two other buses on the same route in front of us,
and two coming the other way, so I didn't think it was too much of a problem
when our bus was terminated at Trafalgar Square. I was wrong. The bus in
front left the stop before I could get to it. Given how closely they had
been running I wasn't worried, but the display at the stop showed nothing
for 13 minutes, then two buses at that time, then another two in 17 minutes,
so four buses in just four minutes, then a slightly longer gap, then several
more within less than half an hour in total, Nothing turned up in the time
that the first four buses had been shown. I think it was just over 20
minutes when one came, but only going to Parliament Square. Eventually, a
Pimlico arrived, but almost full even after a few passengers had alighted
and with a large crowd waiting at the stop no hope of getting on. After
another long wait another one turned up, and I just managed to squeeze on.
This was at about 17:50, almost 50 minutes after I had alighted from the
first bus.

Why was the regulation so bad? The traffic was heavy, but no worse than it
often is in that part of town. There were a lot of people in Hi-Vis around;
some in the Camden area seemed to be associated with the replacement bus
service for the Northern Line, a large part of which is closed this weekend,
but others seemed to be advising bus passengers, including directing them to
other doors, rather than all trying to board at the front.

I'm really not sure that these buses work well in crowded conditions.
Having passengers alighting and boarding at the same doors might work if
those waiting to board stood back to allow others to alight first, but they
don't. Despite having three doors, the new buses seem to spend longer at
the stops than more conventional ones.

All of the new buses which I saw yesterday were being operated in 'open
platform' mode, with a conductor. I was quite surprised by this; I thought
the idea would be dropped before they actually entered service. In at least
one case several passengers were standing on the platform area by the open
doors. I know we sometimes used to get on and off (slowly) moving buses in
Routemaster days, but it's been a long time since anybody thought it was a
good idea to build a new bus design with an open platform, and the behaviour
of some passengers seems to have become more idiotic than in the past, and I
saw two incidents in which thankfully nobody was harmed, but they could have
become serious accidents. If the buses continue to operate in this mode,
and passengers don't become more sensible, then I predict that serious
accidents will occur. How do the rear doors work in 'closed doors' mode; do
they open and close with the other doors, or are they simply closed and
locked manually and remain out of use, with just the front and centre doors
in service?

Due to leg problems I find it difficult and painful to stand for long, but
fortunately managed to get a seat at the rear of the lower deck for the last
few stops to Victoria. I was in a rear-facing seat, and without doors it
was actually quite difficult to know when the bus had actually reached the
stop; because the bus was very crowded it was quite difficult to see the
front and centre doors behind me. A number of other passengers seemed to
have the same problem, waiting on the rear platform, then getting off
thinking that the bus was at the stop, when it was just held up it traffic
and it started to move again as they were alighting. The conductors did not
always warn passengers in this situation, and when they did the passengers
did not always heed the advice.

With three doors, two sets of stairs, luggage and wheelchair space there's
not much room left for seats on the lower deck. I think they might work
better, at least at busy times with the front stairs being 'up', and the
rear ones 'down'. Didn't some of the old Blackpool trams work in that way?

In short, I'd say they're quite pleasant on the upper deck at quiet times,
but I don't like them at all on the lower deck when busy.