Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
Yesterday I had to get the 25 for a joyful journey and I noticed that the
official capacity listed at the front of the bus is 49 sitting, 149 total
(or 142 with a wheelchair). But that wasn't remotely the capacity level beig
followed by the bus driver when not stopping at a number of stops that had a
handful, no more, waiting at them. By my reckoning (from the front) there
were about 30-40 people standing. Even if it was 50 that's still 1/3 of the
official capacity (which would never have all fitted in) not being used.

Is this just a case of poorly trained bus drivers or have the bendies been
given an absurdly high official capacity that can never be achieved? Or is
there some other reason?



Usable capacities used by TfL for modelling the debendifications are 85
(double decker), 70 (single decker) and 120 (bendy). The placarded
capacities are similarly excessive for the new 521/507 non-bendies,
which from me counting people onto them leave Waterloo with about 60 on
board, despite having a placarded capacity somewhat higher. It's
assumed the maximum feasible load is somewhat lower, not least because
with a bus along every couple of minutes the choice of the person at the
front of the queue is a minute or two waiting followed by a seat, or
getting on now and standing.

If memory serves the first bendy routes tried using 149 as the modelling
figure but were rapidly proved not to work with this, and went down to
100. 120 is presumably an enhancement of that in the light of seven
years experience.

Tom