Bendy buses taken out of service

[Jake]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8165471.stm

He said the buses were "never suited to London's roads" and had "twice as many accidents as normal buses".

 

[Jake]

"Page last updated at 05:34 GMT, Friday, 24 July 2009 06:34 UK"

 

[zimzum42]

Not only were they a problem on corners on certain routes (notably the 453 through Gt Portland St), they were also full of fare-dodgers (me included) and ne'er-do-wells

good riddance

those who now support them are just Boris-haters, they weren't so in love with them when they arrived, but now it's Boris getting rid of them, suddenly they love them...

 

[hackbike 666]

After the shock one morning of being confronted by a number 25 route bendy bus I got used to them.They must be a pain to drive though.

 

[Bigtwin]

How did these chunks of totally unsuitable cr@p ever get onto the streets in the first place, let alone survive that long?

If proof were ever needed of gross incompetence in positions of decision making, look no further.

Wonder what the real total of wasted time and money is from that fiasco.

 

[hackbike 666]

I have never been on one.

 

[Billloudon]

Bendy bus! I think I'll stick to the straight ones!!!!

 

[jonesy]

How did these chunks of totally unsuitable cr@p ever get onto the streets in the first place, let alone survive that long?

If proof were ever needed of gross incompetence in positions of decision making, look no further.

Wonder what the real total of wasted time and money is from that fiasco.

Bollox I'm afraid. They were introduced because they improved boarding times, leading to faster journeys. Replacing them with double deckers will increase journey times and increase costs, because you need more vehicles to provide the same service. The problem of free riders is an enforcement problem, not a fault with bendy buses per se. The claimed increased accident rate was never satisfactorily substantiated- the bendy buses were used on busier routes, so not surprisingly if exposure is higher then the number of accidents is higher. The incompetence is in their removal, not their introduction.

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2009/07/boris-is-poor-pointer-to-tory-policies/

 

[hackbike 666]

Are they a problem to drive jonesy or am i just asking a stupid question?

 

[zimzum42]

And the tory-bashers arrive...

 

[jonesy]

And the tory-bashers arrive...

Funny, I'm normally accused of being one of the 'rightists' on this forum...

You could of course deal with the substantive arguments rather than trying to make this a left vs right issue...

 

[Llama]

at last -get rid of the lot of them. last I heard they couldn't find anyone to buy them - something like a 100k each

 

[jonesy]

at last -get rid of the lot of them. last I heard they couldn't find anyone to buy them - something like a 100k each

And you reasons being...?

 

[zimzum42]

Funny, I'm normally accused of being one of the 'rightists' on this forum...

You could of course deal with the substantive arguments rather than trying to make this a left vs right issue...

true, I did wonder about that.

OK, the issue is more complex. Maybe not on this forum, but I do know those who complained when they were introduced and during their first years of service, but are now decrying their removal, basically because they hate Boris.

I liked them because I like big vehicles, and I could generally ride on them for free, but I think double deckers are better buses, maybe not the fastest or the best capacity, but just better on the road, they tend not to block junctions so badly and destroy corners of pavements so much...

 

[jonesy]

true, I did wonder about that.

OK, the issue is more complex. Maybe not on this forum, but I do know those who complained when they were introduced and during their first years of service, but are now decrying their removal, basically because they hate Boris.

I liked them because I like big vehicles, and I could generally ride on them for free, but I think double deckers are better buses, maybe not the fastest or the best capacity, but just better on the road, they tend not to block junctions so badly and destroy corners of pavements so much...

That's a problem of routing, not that bendy- buses are unsuitable in principle. The consequence of their removal will be worsened journey times and greater costs in providing the service. There's a bit of a 'not invented here' attitude- bendy-buses are very common in Europe, including in places that have lots of cyclists.