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Post by sid on Jul 13, 2019 19:06:25 GMT
Took a return trip from Woolwich to Bexleyheath on the new 301.
DW482 bizarrely the first pick up point is opposite the covered market, somewhat remote from the main shopping area and station. Only two other people on board until Thamesmead but a bit busier after that, quite a few photographers taking snaps. The stand at Bexleyheath is the old emergency bus stop for when the area around the clock tower was closed and if a second bus arrives the road is blocked.
DW486 on the return journey with Thamesmead on the front although the driver and I bus confirmed it was going to Woolwich. Reasonably busy for the first day as far as Thamesmead but pretty quiet after that with a 472 not far in front. We were regulated at the stop near PD, a bit ridiculous so close to the end of the route.
Took my 8 year old grand daughter on a ride round on the DLR which she loved then.......
RM1933 on the 15H from Tower Hill to Aldwych, picked up a fair load from the tower with the conductor announcing apologetically that contact less wasn't valid but oyster cards were. He went round both decks validating oyster cards and happily dealt with any travel quires. My grand daughter loved the old bus and so it seems did everyone else........ still doesn't matter what they think it needs to be axed pronto!!
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Post by sid on Jul 13, 2019 18:22:22 GMT
MHV71 on the 40 with Monument on the front and side.
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Post by sid on Jul 13, 2019 9:43:16 GMT
I had a driver on the 219 who missed the left turn on to Trinity Road at Tooting Bec station and instead went across the lights towards Balham. He quickly realized his error and pulled up outside Halfords backing the SOE into the car park to turn the bus around. He explained that he was normally on the 355 and used to automatically going across the lights. Mistakes happen and he impressed me with his expert reversing! I also had a poor chap who was obviously put on the Sutton-Streatham rail replacement service at short notice. He had been given a poorly photocopied map and was struggling to read it. As its quite a common replacement service and I have done it end to end several times I was able to direct him all the way from Sutton to Streatham following the correct route. I'm sure we've all made mistakes like that before and there is never a roundabout when you want one! Drivers getting lost on rail replacement services is by no means unusual, just not practical to have the same level of route learning for such occasional routes.
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Post by sid on Jul 13, 2019 6:49:01 GMT
I don't think Alexander Dennis are too happy about this! After years of their partnership, Abellio have decided to branch out. I wonder why E200EVs weren't ordered? If Abellio didn't order E200EVs, Stagecoach may follow and order something else as well?? There's no room for sentiment in business and Abellio are perfectly entitled to take their custom elsewhere.
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Post by sid on Jul 12, 2019 18:47:05 GMT
Nice to see something different, but my goodness only its mother could love it - it looks like a tank. The windscreen is too shallow, should go down as far as the fleetname part of the body. I also spy LED blinds and camera mirrors. Looks ok to me and will probably look even better in the flesh, nice to see more all electric buses hitting the streets!
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Post by sid on Jul 12, 2019 10:52:47 GMT
Just out of interest what mistakes do you think TfL have made with the cuts? I'm not suggesting everything is perfect but I don't see any obvious calamity. The mistake are ones with 23,25,40,53 and RV1 it making hader of people in London and it making other buses and the tube more overcrowded The 10/23 change seems to have gone OK, I think the 25 should stayed as it was until Crossrail actually opened. The 40, well there is peak hour over crowding between E&C and London Bridge, the 53 County Hall/Lower Marsh is awful but the alternative is E&C but I think the RV1 had been doomed for a while.
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Post by sid on Jul 12, 2019 10:17:57 GMT
How long before TFL they realise they made a lots of mistake of the cuts they made that this making people to tube more that it creating more overcrowding then have to put back to the way is was before the cut Just out of interest what mistakes do you think TfL have made with the cuts? I'm not suggesting everything is perfect but I don't see any obvious calamity.
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Post by sid on Jul 12, 2019 8:43:29 GMT
I don't know if I'm missing something here but I don't quite see what is so idiotic about it? Surely the 301 and at least some of the Central London cuts are loosely linked to Crossrail? I really don't get the logic in reducing the Sunday service on the 286 at all. I think it was an understandable mistake, rather than being “remarkably idiotic”. The statement probably should have said it was a London-wide bus review. I’ll at least give Greenwich council credit in this case for promoting the new service and buses in general. I don’t think advertising frequency cuts sits within that message. Sid - that Sunday 286 cut is an odd one. The Blackheath - Greenwich part is very well used on Sundays. I’m guessing the Blackheath to Sidcup section has a ton of spare capacity. Either that or TfL are making a mistake. That's been my experience of the 286 on Sundays, the Greenwich end far busier than the Sidcup end and I just wonder why the 286 has been singled out for a reduction evening's and Sunday's?
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Post by sid on Jul 12, 2019 5:25:59 GMT
I don't know if I'm missing something here but I don't quite see what is so idiotic about it? Surely the 301 and at least some of the Central London cuts are loosely linked to Crossrail? I really don't get the logic in reducing the Sunday service on the 286 at all.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 17:00:38 GMT
Surely these are not insurmountable problems given the minimal distance involved? Not much difference to a road closure forcing a diversion. And who is to say things won't change again? People who are happy to walk across the bridge at the moment might be less inclined to do so in the depths of winter. Rerouting the 209 to Putney Bridge was worth a try but it's fair to say it hasn't been a great success but inevitably there was going to be an element of trial and error about this. These time delays and upload cycles are done for very specific and critical reasons. In county council lands you have to notify with ANY changes according to their EIGHT week notice period. The four weeks we have here in London is much better. You cannot just turn up and say that route X will run via Z on Monday, and route Y will now run to V. It doesn't happen. Very much different and I am happy to tell you why. But won't clog the forum up with unnecessaries. Yes in normal circumstances I would agree but this is a new route in number only, in practice it's part of the 209 being returned to its original route.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 16:09:05 GMT
Rather then change all the bus stops to PB would it simply not be easier for the 378 to be added to stops between Avondale Road and Castlenau. That's what I would have thought.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 16:00:35 GMT
Yes, but if Go Ahead (like other companies) are promised a 4 week notice then they have a right to it, if something goes hopelessly wrong then it'll be the fault of TfL for not giving them a minimum of 4 weeks to prepare. A lot of preparation has to go into bus services, even if it's just a spin off like this one. Then you have to factor in the iBus downloads, which also runs on at least a 2-3 week headway. TfL do not introduce permanent routes that don't show up on iBus. How would you do service control, report lost mileage etc. Surely these are not insurmountable problems given the minimal distance involved? Not much difference to a road closure forcing a diversion. And who is to say things won't change again? People who are happy to walk across the bridge at the moment might be less inclined to do so in the depths of winter. Rerouting the 209 to Putney Bridge was worth a try but it's fair to say it hasn't been a great success but inevitably there was going to be an element of trial and error about this.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 14:59:53 GMT
In normal circumstances yes but all that is really happening is half of the existing 209 to Putney Bridge is being rerouted to Hammersmith Bridge and I really can't imagine drivers getting lost. Drivers are just one aspect, there's many aspects in introducing a new bus route. Like what? It's not a new bus route anyway, it's just restoring part of the 209 service to its original route, the new route number is just for the public.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 14:56:18 GMT
I doubt that the 378 will go to Metroline, so perhaps the 378 will go to Go-Ahead using some of the 209s MMCs with the rest being used on the 209 I'd put my bottom dollar on the 378 going to Go Ahead as part of the 209 contract.
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Post by sid on Jul 11, 2019 13:52:27 GMT
Well it can certainly be done in less than three weeks, they're hardly mammoth changes. Yes, but if Go Ahead (like other companies) are promised a 4 week notice then they have a right to it, if something goes hopelessly wrong then it'll be the fault of TfL for not giving them a minimum of 4 weeks to prepare. A lot of preparation has to go into bus services, even if it's just a spin off like this one. In normal circumstances yes but all that is really happening is half of the existing 209 to Putney Bridge is being rerouted to Hammersmith Bridge and I really can't imagine drivers getting lost.
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