Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36764417

I assume this means the rear platform doors will now always be closed
between stops, obviating one of the (small) benefits of this vehicle?

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:37:58 +0100
Someone Somewhere wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36764417

I assume this means the rear platform doors will now always be closed
between stops, obviating one of the (small) benefits of this vehicle?

It obviates the only remaining benefit given their hybrid systems seem to be a
miserable failure too. Hopefully in 10 years or so they'll be sold on and
some standard buses - whether hybrid or pure electric who knows - will be
bought instead for considerably less.

On that subject I'm not entirely sure why successive mayors have never even
considered trolley buses, at least in part like in Boston where its electric
part of the way and a diesel engine takes over where the wires stop. Seems to
me it would be a perfect solution for central london.

--
Spud

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On 2016\07\12 10:35, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:28:10 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:


miserable failure too. Hopefully in 10 years or so they'll be sold on and
some standard buses - whether hybrid or pure electric who knows - will be
bought instead for considerably less.

On that subject I'm not entirely sure why successive mayors have never even
considered trolley buses, at least in part like in Boston where its electric
part of the way and a diesel engine takes over where the wires stop. Seems to
me it would be a perfect solution for central london.

Central London in times past resisted overhead wiring on aesthetic
grounds and there could well be objections to them now though at least
it can be argued that modern overhead can be engineered with modern
materials and looks a lot less intrusive than the big ceramic
insulators and heavy Ohio Brass* components of the former trolley bus
network.

* Even the catalog of forty years ago looks old fashioned then.
http://www.impulsenc.com/pdf/catalog...s_products.pdf

Does anyone know how the trial of wireless charging on the route 69 is
coming along?

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 10:35:21 +0100
wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:28:10 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:


miserable failure too. Hopefully in 10 years or so they'll be sold on and
some standard buses - whether hybrid or pure electric who knows - will be
bought instead for considerably less.

On that subject I'm not entirely sure why successive mayors have never even
considered trolley buses, at least in part like in Boston where its electric
part of the way and a diesel engine takes over where the wires stop. Seems to
me it would be a perfect solution for central london.

Central London in times past resisted overhead wiring on aesthetic
grounds and there could well be objections to them now though at least
it can be argued that modern overhead can be engineered with modern
materials and looks a lot less intrusive than the big ceramic
insulators and heavy Ohio Brass* components of the former trolley bus
network.

There will always be nimbys but when the positives far outweigh the negatives
of the proposal they should just be told to sod off. If Oxford street for
example had buses running on the wires a large part of its pollution issues
would be sorted in one go.

--
Spud

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

In article ,
() wrote:

On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:28:10 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:

miserable failure too. Hopefully in 10 years or so they'll be sold on and
some standard buses - whether hybrid or pure electric who knows - will be
bought instead for considerably less.

On that subject I'm not entirely sure why successive mayors have never
even considered trolley buses, at least in part like in Boston where its
electricpart of the way and a diesel engine takes over where the wires
stop. Seems to me it would be a perfect solution for central london.

Central London in times past resisted overhead wiring on aesthetic
grounds and there could well be objections to them now though at least
it can be argued that modern overhead can be engineered with modern
materials and looks a lot less intrusive than the big ceramic
insulators and heavy Ohio Brass* components of the former trolley bus
network.

* Even the catalog of forty years ago looks old fashioned then.
http://www.impulsenc.com/pdf/catalog...s_products.pdf

I don't recognise anything in that catalogue as like the London trolleybus
wiring of my youth.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:37:58 +0100, Someone Somewhere
wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36764417

I assume this means the rear platform doors will now always be closed
between stops, obviating one of the (small) benefits of this vehicle?

It's interesting to compare this with the doo-doos on GTR. On the
buses, 300 employees in a safety role are being made redundant by a
Labour mayor to save money. I'm not aware of a squeak from the unions.

On the trains, under pressure from the DfT, the private operator is
changing the role of a few hundred guards, and the unions cause total
disruption, despite the fact that no-one will be made redundant or
suffer any degradation of their conditions. And there's no evidence
that there will be any reduction in safety.

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On 2016\07\12 13:33, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 10:48:22 +0100, Basil Jet
wrote:

Does anyone know how the trial of wireless charging on the route 69 is
coming along?

Short answer - no.

Longer answer - after a wobbly start and poor vehicle availability the
3 buses are now in regular daily use. I've not seen definitive
comment as to whether a charging pad has been installed at Canning
Town. There is definitely one at Walthamstow and the buses charge up
on it.

Thanks Paul, looks like your short answer should have been "Yes!"

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 13:33:58 +0100
Paul Corfield wrote:
On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 10:48:22 +0100, Basil Jet
wrote:

Does anyone know how the trial of wireless charging on the route 69 is
coming along?

Short answer - no.

Longer answer - after a wobbly start and poor vehicle availability the
3 buses are now in regular daily use. I've not seen definitive
comment as to whether a charging pad has been installed at Canning
Town. There is definitely one at Walthamstow and the buses charge up
on it.

There has been no commentary in any TfL reports in recent weeks about
the trial. There is also a long gap until the next "Panel" meetings -
presumably because a new TfL board is in the process of being
appointed.

TfL trials on buses seem to go on for years then nothing happens. I occasionally
still see the hydrogen buses drifting around Southwark - how long has that
"trial" been going on now? 5 years if not more?

--
Spud

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Tue, 12 Jul 2016 13:56:47 +0100
Recliner wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:37:58 +0100, Someone Somewhere
wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36764417

I assume this means the rear platform doors will now always be closed
between stops, obviating one of the (small) benefits of this vehicle?

It's interesting to compare this with the doo-doos on GTR. On the
buses, 300 employees in a safety role are being made redundant by a
Labour mayor to save money. I'm not aware of a squeak from the unions.

On the trains, under pressure from the DfT, the private operator is
changing the role of a few hundred guards, and the unions cause total
disruption, despite the fact that no-one will be made redundant or
suffer any degradation of their conditions. And there's no evidence
that there will be any reduction in safety.

You seem surprised. The unions are only interesting in maintaining political
power, their members are a useful tool to be used when needed and forgotten
about when not. Quite why this state of affairs is allowed to continue with
the RMT is anyones guess. I should have been brought to heal and/or closed
down as a corrupt organisation years ago.

--
Spud

Conductors axed from NB4L/New Routemaster/Boris Bus
 

On Tuesday, 12 July 2016 09:28:12 UTC+1, wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:37:58 +0100
Someone Somewhere wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36764417

I assume this means the rear platform doors will now always be closed
between stops, obviating one of the (small) benefits of this vehicle?

It obviates the only remaining benefit given their hybrid systems seem to be a
miserable failure too. Hopefully in 10 years or so they'll be sold on and
some standard buses - whether hybrid or pure electric who knows - will be
bought instead for considerably less.

I hope they disappear sooner than that. At least supposedly no more are being
built, although I can't find a reference for that right now.

Who'd buy one though? Plenty of ex-London buses have ended up elsewhere, often
with the middle door removed. Where would want some over-long greenhouses with
not just one unwanted door but two, and an unwanted staircase too!

Everything about them is awful. I can't think of a single redeeming feature.