London Banter - Aston-Martin Boris bus

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Aston-Martin Boris bus

Barry Salter wrote:
Mizter T wrote:

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.

If memory serves, the MCW Metrobuses that replaced Routemasters on
route 279 (amongst others) originally had a sign on the front
displaying either "PAY DRIVER"

..... in black on a yellow panel...

or "PAY CONDUCTOR" (or words to that
effect anyway).

..... in white on a blue panel.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:20:11 -0800 (PST), Mizter T
wrote:

Why would that be **** poor?

At busy stops it works badly, as it results in buses overtaking buses
at the stop and in difficulty flagging down the correct bus where
there is a procession.

Better that every bus is required to stop and open its doors at every
such stop.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

On 22 Dec, 11:49, Barry Salter wrote:

Mizter T wrote:
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.

Sorry, I realise I couldn't have been less clear if I tried! In the
situation I describe, during the last few months of Routemaster
operation on the 12, some of the actual buses provided were not
Routemasters but 'standard', modern double-deckers albeit with a
conductor (which is what what I meant when I said "OPO double
deckers"!). I don't know why this was the case, unless the bus company
(London Central) had started to give up on doing any heavy servicing
of their Routemaster stock, what with its imminent demise, and so had
substituted other buses. I recall one such bus I was on being one of
the double-deckers with high-seat backs that the company normally
offers for hire (the one's with the "Hire Me" notices on the side!),
not one of the buses used for day to day public services.

By the by, I remember now that the 12, like some other routes served
by Routemasters, was instead a one-person operation on Sundays - this
is confirmed by this 'ere webpage::
http://www.busesatwork.co.uk/Routes/012.htm

If memory serves, the MCW Metrobuses that replaced Routemasters on route
279 (amongst others) originally had a sign on the front displaying
either "PAY DRIVER" or "PAY CONDUCTOR" (or words to that effect anyway).

Interesting stuff - I bet it didn't work at all well though! If the
whole bus was a totally different colour like yellow it might just
about persuade the majority of passengers that there was a conductor
on board so they didn't have to pay the driver/ show tickets to the
driver/ beep in their Oyster in front of the driver.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

Mizter T wrote:

during the last few months of Routemaster
operation on the 12, some of the actual buses provided were not
Routemasters but 'standard', modern double-deckers albeit with a
conductor (which is what what I meant when I said "OPO double
deckers"!). I don't know why this was the case, unless the bus company
(London Central) had started to give up on doing any heavy servicing
of their Routemaster stock, what with its imminent demise, and so had
substituted other buses.

This wasn't unprecedented: for many years in the 1970s/80s two externally
identical buses made up (presumably) the majority of London's bus fleet,
with the OP version designated DMS and the crew-op version designated DM. A
DM would sometimes be used on a normally RM route.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

On 22 Dec, 18:45, "John Rowland"
wrote:

Mizter T wrote:

during the last few months of Routemaster
operation on the 12, some of the actual buses provided were not
Routemasters but 'standard', modern double-deckers albeit with a
conductor (which is what what I meant when I said "OPO double
deckers"!). I don't know why this was the case, unless the bus company
(London Central) had started to give up on doing any heavy servicing
of their Routemaster stock, what with its imminent demise, and so had
substituted other buses.

This wasn't unprecedented: for many years in the 1970s/80s two externally
identical buses made up (presumably) the majority of London's bus fleet,
with the OP version designated DMS and the crew-op version designated DM. A
DM would sometimes be used on a normally RM route.

Yeah I do recall coming across it in the 80's - I seem to remember one
occasion in particular of a driver bamboozling waiting prospective
passengers because he only opened the rear door, not the front one -
but I don't remember it being common in the more recent years of
Routemaster operations.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

Martin Smith wrote:

Having had a lot of experience with leather..

Oh yes? ;)

Aston-Martin Boris bus

John Rowland wrote:
This wasn't unprecedented: for many years in the 1970s/80s two externally
identical buses made up (presumably) the majority of London's bus fleet,
with the OP version designated DMS and the crew-op version designated DM. A
DM would sometimes be used on a normally RM route.

Never the majority, due to their unreliability. They didn't even manage
to get rid of the last of the RM's predecessors (RTs) until the next
generation double-deckers (Ms and Ts) started to join the fleet.

Colin McKenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at the
population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

Neil Williams wrote:
Short of trams, what is needed for Oxford St is ...

travolators. With a key for disabled people to stop and start them.

Colin Mckenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at the
population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

Aston-Martin Boris bus

On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 07:19:22PM +0000, Tom Anderson wrote:

While having fewer doors and more stairs. Which means it will have to wait
for longer at each stop, and so ...

The quicker boarding claim was demolished by the ASA in 2005:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4531057.stm

While there are a few stops where lots of people get on and off -
bendies are quite clearly faster here - most stops aren't used anything
like that heavily so the number of doors makes no difference.

--
David Cantrell | Official London Perl Mongers Bad Influence

There's no problem so complex that it can't be solved
by killing everyone even remotely associated with it