Just been sent an email from TfL, reminding me of the de-bendification and
de-Arrowing of the 521 next week.

I don't get sent emails every time a route is amended*, so have TfL been
tracking my Oyster PAYG travels, realised I'm a 521 semi-regular, and
thought they'd be helpful? If so, this is useful, courteous and quite 'Big
Brother'. On balance, I approve.

Chris

* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

Chris Read wrote:
Just been sent an email from TfL, reminding me of the de-bendification and
de-Arrowing of the 521 next week.

I don't get sent emails every time a route is amended*, so have TfL been
tracking my Oyster PAYG travels, realised I'm a 521 semi-regular, and
thought they'd be helpful? If so, this is useful, courteous and quite 'Big
Brother'. On balance, I approve.

Chris

* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

TfL didn't email me when they de-bussed the N213!

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

"Chris Read" wrote in
:

Just been sent an email from TfL, reminding me of the de-bendification
and de-Arrowing of the 521 next week.

If so, this is useful, courteous and
quite 'Big Brother'. On balance, I approve.

I've had emails from them about tube lines, stations or bus routes I use
and nothing about any others. It's useful but it does feel a bit big
brotherish.

D

On Aug 25, 8:07*pm, "Chris Read" wrote:
Just been sent an email from TfL, reminding me of the de-bendification and
de-Arrowing of the 521 next week.

I don't get sent emails every time a route is amended*, so have TfL been
tracking my Oyster PAYG travels, realised I'm a 521 semi-regular, and
thought they'd be helpful? If so, this is useful, courteous and quite 'Big
Brother'. On balance, I approve.

I believe such communications are indeed based on one's usage of
particular routes or stations, though I've no idea how the
calculations are done (and how frequently they're done, how often it
gets updated etc etc etc). It's possible to opt out of receiving such
stuff by logging into Oyster online and changing your communication
preferences.


* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

I don't think it is possible.

By the by, you speak of the route being 'de-Arrowed' - is the "Red
Arrow" name being laid to rest then, and if so why I wonder?

On Aug 25, 8:40*pm, Arthur Figgis wrote:

Chris Read wrote:
Just been sent an email from TfL, reminding me of the de-bendification and
de-Arrowing of the 521 next week.

I don't get sent emails every time a route is amended*, so have TfL been
tracking my Oyster PAYG travels, realised I'm a 521 semi-regular, and
thought they'd be helpful? If so, this is useful, courteous and quite 'Big
Brother'. On balance, I approve.

* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

TfL didn't email me when they de-bussed the N213!

N213? Nah mate, that never even existed...

"Mizter T" wrote:

By the by, you speak of the route being 'de-Arrowed' - is the "Red
Arrow" name being laid to rest then, and if so why I wonder?

Yes, apparently. Not sure why, although possible reasons may be:

i) What is it supposed to mean, as a brand? IIRC, when the brand was
introduced, the routes were distinguished by being limited stop. Now they
stop almost everywhere other buses do - exceptions (521) being London Bridge
(south side), Mansion House station (e/b journies) and Aldwych (n/b -making
use of the underpass). I suspect non-locals presume some obscure connection
with the RAF display team.

ii) The Red Arrow network has shrunk to only two routes -albeit this
happened a few years ago - hence the brand has become largely irrelevant.

iii) TfL have shown a desire to simplify things - eg blind displays; all
buses painted red - and this fits in with such a policy.

iv) I wonder whether non-locals thought these 'special' buses had higher
fares etc.

Just speculation on my part, really.

Chris

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:14:33 +0100, Chris Read
wrote:
iv) I wonder whether non-locals thought these 'special' buses had higher
fares etc.

They did once. 503 was the best bus for my journey to school but I didn't
like paying the extra (new) penny (or was it 1 1/2p?). I usually got a 76,
which was cheaper but involved more walking, especially if I didn't manage
to hop off at the lights.

Colin McKenzie


--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at the
population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

On Aug 25, 8:07*pm, "Chris Read" wrote:

* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

Not via an E mail but this link has the TfL published list.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/livetra...ce-changes.pdf

--
Paul C
via Google

On Aug 26, 2:00*am, Mizter T wrote:

By the by, you speak of the route being 'de-Arrowed' - is the "Red
Arrow" name being laid to rest then, and if so why I wonder?

It is being laid to rest. I have yet to read an official explanation
as to why. My suspicious mind says that having these routes branded as
something "special" has caused issues relating to the change of
vehicle. While it's fair to say bus routes are obviously busier in the
peaks the Red Arrows had a sort of special "aura" because of the huge
crush loads they shift from railway termini. If you read back over
many of the moans about removing bendy buses the Red Arrow routes were
nearly always identified as the exception that proves the rule that
it's daft to get rid of them.

Well that's my 2p worth of conspiracy theory!

--
Paul C
via Google.

"plcd1" wrote:

"Chris Read" wrote:

* But would quite like to, so I can keep a rolling check on service
changes.
Will have to see if this is possible.

Not via an E mail but this link has the TfL published list.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/livetra...ce-changes.pdf

Useful, thanks.

Another eastward extension for the 205, I see. That route must rival the 388
for 'terminal creep'.

Chris