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Post by lonmark on Jun 30, 2021 14:03:09 GMT
When I was little and always traveling with my mum on Red London bus Titan and Kentish bus.
However, suddenly someone posts the Bromley bus map area (TfL) in 1991/2 (I can't remember)
That how I was so into buses thing.
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Post by kmkcheng on Jul 1, 2021 14:23:33 GMT
I always had some sort of attraction to public transport in general since I was a toddler. Then interest in buses grew when I was 6 and we moved round the corner from HD garage and watched the various buses there. It was when I started using buses more regularly for college and university was when it started to be more serious.
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Post by B10M on Jul 2, 2021 10:19:00 GMT
For me it was RATPs Tempos. To be more precise OT11 on the way there (YJ11EHT) and the way back OT10 (YJ11EHS). I was 6 at the time. I'll summarise it since its a bit of a long story  -My mum was taking me to Richmond one day -I asked her to write the registration down to see if we would go on the same bus again on the way home And since then it's all grown! (almost 1K followers on Instagram  ) My parents made it out to me as if liking buses was something sad, older people did, and tried to discourage me from liking buses. But they failed!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2021 10:50:57 GMT
For me it was RATPs Tempos. To be more precise OT11 on the way there (YJ11EHT) and the way back OT10 (YJ11EHS). I was 6 at the time. I'll summarise it since its a bit of a long story -My mum was taking me to Richmond one day -I asked her to write the registration down to see if we would go on the same bus again on the way home And since then it's all grown! (almost 1K followers on Instagram ) My parents made it out to me as if liking buses was something sad, older people did, and tried to discourage me from liking buses. But they failed! My parents were like that too, but eventually got used to it and don't mind so much now. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2021 6:27:52 GMT
My mum and nan always used buses when I was very young. So I remember travelling on FW M's (routes 90,270,285) and AV LS's (route 111).
We also used the old 345 between Great Missenden and High Wycombe or Marlow.
So then I remember studiously looking at timetables, maps etc. Noticing running numbers. Seeing how they ran in a sequence. Watching blind changes at my local terminus in Hampton. Then there was a proper community and the Fulwell drivers were very friendly. I would then sneak out and get on a 270 to go to Hampton Hill and back before anyone knew I was gone. I was probably around ten years old.
Grew from there really. I'll go through lulls of interest, but I'll always feel excited at getting my travel card for the day and setting off destination unknown.. Seeing all of London and beyond.
So now, my kids and my friends and colleagues can't fathom why I can drive from one side of London or Home Counties to another without looking at maps, or sat nav. I also know London very well. (as we all do)
It's a unique hobby. I know we get laughed at, and I have never been able to tell even my closest friends exactly what I do on my days off, as I'm sure they think I'm mad. But then again, people I have told, think it's "cute".
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Post by redexpress on Jul 4, 2021 7:22:04 GMT
My mum and nan always used buses when I was very young. So I remember travelling on FW M's (routes 90,270,285) and AV LS's (route 111). We also used the old 345 between Great Missenden and High Wycombe or Marlow. So then I remember studiously looking at timetables, maps etc. Noticing running numbers. Seeing how they ran in a sequence. Watching blind changes at my local terminus in Hampton. Then there was a proper community and the Fulwell drivers were very friendly. I would then sneak out and get on a 270 to go to Hampton Hill and back before anyone knew I was gone. I was probably around ten years old. Grew from there really. I'll go through lulls of interest, but I'll always feel excited at getting my travel card for the day and setting off destination unknown.. Seeing all of London and beyond. So now, my kids and my friends and colleagues can't fathom why I can drive from one side of London or Home Counties to another without looking at maps, or sat nav. I also know London very well. (as we all do) It's a unique hobby. I know we get laughed at, and I have never been able to tell even my closest friends exactly what I do on my days off, as I'm sure they think I'm mad. But then again, people I have told, think it's "cute". I think I have a map of London permanently seared into my brain now. My friends do take the mickey (gently) about my interest in buses but I'm also the first person they'll ask for directions or travel planning advice - I've been told I should start up as a rival to Citymapper.
I also get asked "what's this area like?" quite a lot. All these years of exploring London by bus gives you a much better feel for different parts of the city than most people ever manage, even those that have lived in London all their lives.
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Post by M1104 on Jul 4, 2021 7:56:05 GMT
- My earliest double-decker memories come from a Metrobus on the 44 and an Olympian/Titan (please correct me) on the 319 It would of been an Olympian on the 319 as BN had L's at that point  I don't think BN ever had the production¹ batch Ls allocated there but did have some Titans in the early 90s for the 349 (remembering their use on other BN routes like the 118). The short lived 349 got replaced by the 319, which the Titans continued onto until they were eventually replaced with Metros. ¹ - Evaluation batch L1, L2 and L3 may've been there in the early 80s prior to SW |
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Post by redexpress on Jul 4, 2021 8:35:35 GMT
It would of been an Olympian on the 319 as BN had L's at that point I don't think BN ever had the production¹ batch Ls allocated there but did have some Titans in the early 90s for the 349 (remembering their use on other BN routes like the 118). The short lived 349 got replaced by the 319, which the Titans continued onto until they were eventually replaced with Metros. ¹ - Evaluation batch L1, L2 and L3 may've been there in the early 80s prior to SW ECW Ls were allocated to BN for a few months during 2001. This followed the loss of the 118, which removed the last Ms from BN, meaning there were no suitable OPO DDs to work the Sunday 19 (DLAs were banned from the route as they could not negotiate the turn into the Piccadilly bus lane). So a batch of Ls were reallocated from TH, working the 250 on Mon-Sat and the 19 on Sundays. I remember being quite unimpressed by the condition of the Ls when they turned up on the 19.
Later that year a more sensible solution was found by converting the Sunday 19 to RML. Ironically the Piccadilly bus lane was cleared for DLAs after a few months.
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Post by M1104 on Jul 4, 2021 8:45:48 GMT
I don't think BN ever had the production¹ batch Ls allocated there but did have some Titans in the early 90s for the 349 (remembering their use on other BN routes like the 118). The short lived 349 got replaced by the 319, which the Titans continued onto until they were eventually replaced with Metros. ¹ - Evaluation batch L1, L2 and L3 may've been there in the early 80s prior to SW ECW Ls were allocated to BN for a few months during 2001. This followed the loss of the 118, which removed the last Ms from BN, meaning there were no suitable OPO DDs to work the Sunday 19 (DLAs were banned from the route as they could not negotiate the turn into the Piccadilly bus lane). So a batch of Ls were reallocated from TH, working the 250 on Mon-Sat and the 19 on Sundays. I remember being quite unimpressed by the condition of the Ls when they turned up on the 19.
Later that year a more sensible solution was found by converting the Sunday 19 to RML. Ironically the Piccadilly bus lane was cleared for DLAs after a few months.
 Thanks on that, never realised their brief stint there. |
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Post by WH241 on Jul 4, 2021 9:04:50 GMT
For me it was the very early 90s. For a short time I lived near Eltham but went to school in East London so used the 51 to the Woolwich Ferry I remember how different the Kentish Buses were and the sheer variety of buses on the route. Then after moving back to east London I started using the 241, this route in the 5 years I used it for school had Titans, Metroriders, Leyland Nationals, Starriders, Renaults (RB), Darts (DRL,DWL). I used to also keep hold of tickets and collect the massive fold out bus maps that could be picked up at libraries and bus stations.
Say it a lot bus also the early days of tendering provided such varied fleets with Capital City Bus and Grey Green in east London.
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Post by vjaska on Jul 4, 2021 12:20:47 GMT
I don't think BN ever had the production¹ batch Ls allocated there but did have some Titans in the early 90s for the 349 (remembering their use on other BN routes like the 118). The short lived 349 got replaced by the 319, which the Titans continued onto until they were eventually replaced with Metros. ¹ - Evaluation batch L1, L2 and L3 may've been there in the early 80s prior to SW ECW Ls were allocated to BN for a few months during 2001. This followed the loss of the 118, which removed the last Ms from BN, meaning there were no suitable OPO DDs to work the Sunday 19 (DLAs were banned from the route as they could not negotiate the turn into the Piccadilly bus lane). So a batch of Ls were reallocated from TH, working the 250 on Mon-Sat and the 19 on Sundays. I remember being quite unimpressed by the condition of the Ls when they turned up on the 19.
Later that year a more sensible solution was found by converting the Sunday 19 to RML. Ironically the Piccadilly bus lane was cleared for DLAs after a few months.
Some L’s would also escape onto the 159 as a crew bus, first time I ever encountered one was during secondary school and at the time, it utterly confused me as I was only used to RM’s having crews |
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Post by M1104 on Jul 4, 2021 12:35:30 GMT
- My earliest double-decker memories come from a Metrobus on the 44 and an Olympian/Titan (please correct me) on the 319 Was that around the early 90s or early 00s? |
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Post by fg49 on Jul 4, 2021 15:27:18 GMT
- My earliest double-decker memories come from a Metrobus on the 44 and an Olympian/Titan (please correct me) on the 319 Was that around the early 90s or early 00s? Early 00s |
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Post by mkay315 on Jul 17, 2021 4:57:26 GMT
What got me into London buses was the fact that growing up in East London we had all sorts of buses, from the Wright pathfinders on the 101 to the Northern Counties Palatine Scanias on the 15, 15B (current day 115), 48, 147, 330 (when it used to go to Blackwall), Titans on near enough every stagecoach garage in East London, to the Optare Delta's on the 129, 150, 169, 369. To the Ikarus DAFs on the 167 in it's grey green livery. To Harris bus on the 108, 128, 129 and 150. Also seeing the Leyland Olympians on Hackney's famous route 253 and Kentish buses running on the 22A and B (modern day 242) and also on the 55. To seeing those Dennis Lances on the 369 around Bastable Avenue, 145, 62 and 169.
Going up to see family in North especially around Tottenham, Wood Green, Palmers Green and Edmonton seeing the Ms on most of the routes up there and that was when I lived through seeing the big construction works on the NCR and man did the 34 suffer but it was all good.
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Jul 17, 2021 7:45:12 GMT
What got me into London buses was the fact that growing up in East London we had all sorts of buses, from the Wright pathfinders on the 101 to the Northern Counties Palatine Scanias on the 15, 15B (current day 115), 48, 147, 330 (when it used to go to Blackwall), Titans on near enough every stagecoach garage in East London, to the Optare Delta's on the 129, 150, 169, 369. To the Ikarus DAFs on the 167 in it's grey green livery. To Harris bus on the 108, 128, 129 and 150. Also seeing the Leyland Olympians on Hackney's famous route 253 and Kentish buses running on the 22A and B (modern day 242) and also on the 55. To seeing those Dennis Lances on the 369 around Bastable Avenue, 145, 62 and 169. Going up to see family in North especially around Tottenham, Wood Green, Palmers Green and Edmonton seeing the Ms on most of the routes up there and that was when I lived through seeing the big construction works on the NCR and man did the 34 suffer but it was all good. I think route 34 would have had County Bus Darts around that time. |
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Thanks on that, never realised their brief stint there. 
