From the ever-so-handy searchable list of Mayoral questions:
Phase out of Bendy Buses
[Main question]
Question number 1500/2008 Meeting date 16/07/2008 Question by Valerie Shawcross
Contracts for six bendy bus routes are due to expire next year. Can you assure users of these routes that the removal of the bendy buses will not result in a loss of passenger capacity on these routes?
Answer by Boris Johnson
Answer not yet available.
Not like Boris to be stuck for an answer. Perhaps we could get Jeremy Clarkson to answer it for him.
Tags: 8 Comments
8 responses so far ↓
Given that this was one of Boris’ “flagship policies” or “eye-catching initiatives” or whatever, you would have thought that he would have the answer to this question before the election.
Quite, but to be fair they do say ‘allow a week for answers’. I posted it so we could keep an eye on the answer, since I think it’s a weak spot in the whole bendy/Routemaster conundrum, particularly the 507/521 routes. Valerie Shawcross and Caroline Pidgeon of the Transport Committee, judging by their questions this week, have both realised this and I want to know if the Mayor (and Kulveer Ranger, of whom more later) have twigged yet.
What are the bendy buses going to be replaced with? I reckon some third-hand buses from Prague. Boris’s masterplan states that the “21st Century Routemaster” will be on the streets by the end of his first term, item 225: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/budgmtgs/2008/jul22/item07d2.pdf
The Routemaster/bendybus policy area is one big weak point! The risk is that cuts are made to the general level of bus services to pay for the extra buses to replace the bendies, to pay for the “Routemasters” and to pay for the conductors. I hope that someone is going to be asking questions to sound out this area.
His whole transport policy is a bit of a mess, really - the first grilling of Kulveer Ranger last month failed to clear up exactly what he meant by ‘not having a hierarchy of modes’, which seems to be code for allowing more cars on the roads and generally being pro-motorist instead of nasty old Ken.
The problem with this is that Boris evidently wants to expand cycling, big time, and Peter Hendy, in the same session, seemed to contradict Ranger by saying that yes, in some areas there’s enough space to go round, but in others you’ve got to take roadspace off vehicles to allow cyclists to move, which sounds like having a hierarchy of modes to me. Incoherent again. There’s lots more that came out of that session which I have notes on, and hopefully I won’t be too knackered after going to the Science Museum later today…
“Not having a heirarchy of modes” could mean anything, but I suspect that it means that all modes have to fight it out on the ground and “survival of the fittest”.
“Not having a hierarchy of modes” essentially means not penalising the car, not favouring the bus or the bicycle. It is, in short, a disastrous transport policy for anyone to pursue in London, no matter which political party they belong to. Car congestion is a major problem even if your tie is blue.
As for his phasing out of bendy-buses ploy, it will be a disaster for passengers. Routemasters, perfect design though they were, were in their prime when several million less people used London’s buses every day. Many double decker routes are at full vehicle capacity - logistically more vehicles cannot service the route - and thus the only possible conclusion is to provide higher capacity vehicles. Replacing the bendy buses is the opposite of that - Boris will need almost two ’21st Century Routemasters’ for every bendy he replaces in order to keep the service at necessary capacity, let alone allowing scope for increased patronage, a cost factor nobody seems to be acknowledging.
This was a con for the populist vote of keeping an icon! Throughout my life I saw countless people fall from routemasters- mainly the elderly, children, pushchairs flying off as well as tourists (who are unsure how to use them) jettisoned as they sped around roundabouts! They were DEADLY and TFL should release the figures. There was NO safety with conductors as it was NEVER in their job description to intervene in violence. They are ticket collectors, not bouncers! Fare evasion? Is it only London with so many thieves? Other countries work well with random (severe ticket inspections and fines!) Save Our Benders!!