On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 18:51:32 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message .com,
Rupert Candy writes
Paul Corfield wrote:

Well I did promise to give you an update on the 159 when more details
emerged. The new contract award was announced yesterday for the 159 -
it
is staying with Arriva London South but will get new double deckers
which certainly means it loses its conductors as well.

Thanks for the update Paul - presumably this means more VLWs like the
137? It could be a lot worse...

Indeed, I for one think that the VLWs look very smart. I've also heard
some surprisingly positive remarks about their appearance from non
transport interested friends and colleagues.

I would agree with you on that. I think Wright have produced an
excellent vehicle and deserve their success. The 3 axle air conditioned
Wright Explorer that Kowloon Motor Bus have in service in Hong Kong is a
very smart vehicle indeed - I used one when I was in HK in January.

The loss of the RM continues to be a source of concern, though. I
can't visualise bendies on the 38; but then I couldn't; envisage them
on the 73 either, so that proves nothing! :-)

I can envisage bendies on the 38 quite easily apart from the left turn
into the Piccadilly contra flow bus lane although that was eased out a
while back to allow LFDDs to make the turn. While I will be very sad to
see the 38 go over as it is a route I have used for years I don't mind
bendy buses. I understand all the criticisms that are made and some
aspects of bendy bus operation remain unproven but the RMs are in a
dreadful state now and they are going to be withdrawn come what may. I
think TfL will be in for a rough ride over the rest of this year because
the press will push the RM story for all it is worth and the public will
gain much more visibility of their removal. However there is no
political risk to Ken from the policy so nothing will change.

Any more news, Paul, about the mooted "heritage routes"?

Well the routes have gone out to tender as tranche 203B in the TfL
tendering programme. I have seen no details as to where they will run
but I understand that the vehicles must be Euro 2 emission control
compliant [1] and that buses cannot be routed via Oxford Street. The
basic proposition is that the routes must be commercial in nature (!)
and there is no clarity as to whether Travelcards / Bus Passes will be
permitted.

Now given that existing sightseeing routes are permitted to carry
ordinary passengers paying cash fares alongside those who are taking a
tour or "hopping on and off" with a day ticket but typically are NOT
beseiged with eager Londoners wanting to travel on them I think there
will be problems in getting bids from bus companies to run these routes.
The other issue is where are the RMs going to come from? Most of the
surplus ones have been sold on by the private bus companies where they
own them and no one knows what TfL are going to do with the proportion
of the fleet that they own and lease to operators.

IMO the key to commercial success is Travelcard / Bus Pass availability
and the recognition that the routes are part of the TfL network with all
of the support that that brings. If TfL say the routes are "private" and
not part of the network then I can't see them succeeding.

My more cynical view is that this tendering exercise is a gesture by TfL
who will then blame the private sector for not coming to the rescue of
the Routemaster. All TfL need to say is that they will approve any
reasonable request for a London Local Service Agreement from a competent
operator who wishes to run a RM route in Central London - I wonder why
they haven't said this?

[1] and just how many RMs are compliant with this standard?
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!