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Aston-Martin Boris bus
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. |
#2
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Aston-Martin Boris bus
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" or "PAY CONDUCTOR" (or words to that effect anyway). Cheers, Barry |
#3
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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. |
#4
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
#7
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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. |
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