Discussion
It will be interesting to see how many ppl reply with a title such as above !
Anyway there are a few new buses in london the sort that are long and hinged in the middle - can anyone tell the advantage they have over a double decker in London? There probably more complicated therefore more expensive and they take up more road space than a double decker (London has had double deckers for years so there is no real problem with bridges) - in my opinon a complete waste of money in London...
Anyway there are a few new buses in london the sort that are long and hinged in the middle - can anyone tell the advantage they have over a double decker in London? There probably more complicated therefore more expensive and they take up more road space than a double decker (London has had double deckers for years so there is no real problem with bridges) - in my opinon a complete waste of money in London...
Arrrrr I hate these bloody bendy buses, Nottinghamshire Transport have a few and one of them is the Arnold Bus, and as I work in Arnold I regularly see the chaos it creates, the bloody thing is to big to get around the streets, and some bus stops which are just round a corner, or through a junction leave the back end stuck on another street 
I can see the need for a bigger bus at certain times of the day but this thing runs all day everyday with usually about 5 people in it, use this bus for peek hours and use a bloody Renault Espace the rest of the day
But as was originally stated what was wrong with double deckers?
I can see the need for a bigger bus at certain times of the day but this thing runs all day everyday with usually about 5 people in it, use this bus for peek hours and use a bloody Renault Espace the rest of the day
But as was originally stated what was wrong with double deckers?
But as was originally stated what was wrong with double deckers?
That's an easy question to answer.
Most people who use buses, do so because they haven't got a car. These include pensioners and Mrs Scum and her tribe of half a dozen screeming brats in pushchairs. Both of these groups find it difficult to get up the stairs.
They've got to fill up those bus lanes up somehow!!
I expect they will now start running multi-carriage buses (predominantly empty) along the M4. As TopGear demonstrated last night these rarely used lanes significantly contribute to the reason (along with inefficient road work) why journey times for motorists are getting substantially longer while the number of cars on the road hasn't changed.
I expect they will now start running multi-carriage buses (predominantly empty) along the M4. As TopGear demonstrated last night these rarely used lanes significantly contribute to the reason (along with inefficient road work) why journey times for motorists are getting substantially longer while the number of cars on the road hasn't changed.
They have these in Bordeaux. The advantage there is a) you can stand up along the whole length of the bus, ergo you can pack more in b) low bridges c) dunno about in the UK (loooong time since I've been on a bus !) but on France you buy tickets at a newsagent / whatever, and thus dont have to get on by the driver .... so getting in/out of the bus is much quicker (esp at busy periods) coz everone can use all 3 doors to get on/off.
In the same vein anyone see this story:
"The commission also advocates more half-fare concessions to include job seekers, 16-18-year-old students and others in full-time education.
The proposals could see passenger numbers increase by more than a third in seven years, persuading people to abandon their cars and helping the poorest travel to work and the shops."
So most of the traffic on our roads is down to job seekers and students is it. ? Me thinks not...
"The commission also advocates more half-fare concessions to include job seekers, 16-18-year-old students and others in full-time education.
The proposals could see passenger numbers increase by more than a third in seven years, persuading people to abandon their cars and helping the poorest travel to work and the shops."
So most of the traffic on our roads is down to job seekers and students is it. ? Me thinks not...
I think one of the main reasons is that the UK is one of the only places where double decker buses are used (with the exception of open top tourist ones). Most countries in europe operate bendy-buses, therefore I am guessing they are cheaper to buy, new double deckers are a rare model, therefore british bus companies have to increase prices to survive... Where has this cycle been seen before?
andyf007 said:
Spare a thought for the newly redundant driver of the second bus.
Ha. Not in this lifetime. UP here in Scotland there is a shortage of bus drivers. First Bus are desparately recruiting anyone who can get out of bed to drive them. All the buses have posters on the back saying "are you 17+, would you like to earn slave wages..."
Or something along those lines.
Also I wouldn't worry about what kind of buses the euro folk drive cos up here in Glasgow First Bus has just aquired some mega big 3 axle double decker buses. Brand new and quite nice for a bus. Sadly its only a matter of time before the seats are all vandelised and they break down every two hours like every other bus in the fleet.
Andy
Sorry guys you are all wrong. AFAIK The bendy buses are being brought in to comply with EU 'harmonization' requirements. This is despite the fact they take up more road space to move the same number of passengers as a double-decker, thus causing more congestion (I presume Red Ken was keen to comply with the EU plans).
andytk said:
andyf007 said:
Spare a thought for the newly redundant driver of the second bus.
Ha. Not in this lifetime. UP here in Scotland there is a shortage of bus drivers. First Bus are desparately recruiting anyone who can get out of bed to drive them. All the buses have posters on the back saying "are you 17+, would you like to earn slave wages..."
Or something along those lines.
Andy
Most ex-London bus drivers, with redundancy money in their pockets and the proceeds from selling their polluted mid-terraces, will arrive in Scotland, buy a bloody castle and live off the remainder. Sod driving buses!
17 year old bus drivers
Andy
The new Merc bendy buses run near the office. They are easy to get on and off as they have 3 separate doors, plus you have to buy your ticket from a machine before you get on (assuming you don't have a travel card) so stops don't take nearly as long. They replaced single deckers (aka cattle trucks). At least there is more chance of getting a seat on a bendy. They also have nifty suspension that drops the side of the bus down to avoid the big step up for old crumblies (like me). Wonder low long before somebody nicks a bus to kit out a low-rider?
kevinday said: Sorry guys you are all wrong. AFAIK The bendy buses are being brought in to comply with EU 'harmonization' requirements. This is despite the fact they take up more road space to move the same number of passengers as a double-decker, thus causing more congestion (I presume Red Ken was keen to comply with the EU plans).
Sorry Kevin but you're wrong too - The london bendy-buses are nowt to do with harmonisation and lots to do with the fact that the buses they replaced were overcrowded. I use them every day and they are way better that a double decker on the routes they're used on (The routes between the major stations where phenomenally large numbers of people need to be moved in a very short space of time). Very quick to get on and off and able to carry about twice the number of passengers than the old heaps (single deckers) they replaced and for that matter almost twice the number that a double decker carry too - (140+ as opposed to around 75).
They're only being used in London on routes where they're specifically suited so you shouldn't see problems with the size of vehicle causing more of an issue than a standard bus either.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff