Dave Hill’s recent pieces on the NB4L have caused the usual Hilton-bashing in the comments (comments from two new faces are particularly good since they evidently have inside knowledge) – since Hilton has been on top irrational form this has been rather enjoyable, but there’s a serious piece missed here – obviously the professionals at TfL rather than the amateurs have to settle this, so it’s worth drawing your attention to the latest TfL Surface Transport Panel minutes which give us a bit more clarity on the one/two crew door/open platform debate:
The new bus is designed to be operated with a second crew member and to have an open rear platform. However, for greater operational flexibility, the specification required the rear platform to be able to close, which would allow the bus to be operated by one person, for example, during off-peak periods. In addition, bidders were asked to consider an option for a two staircase layout for improved passenger flows and quicker boarding and alighting times.
At the end of the tender period in August, two bidders had withdrawn leaving a field of four. Stage One of the evaluation process, to select a shortlist of two based on technical and commercial merit, has just concluded. TfL is about to enter the intensive negotiation phase during which the precise requirements of the technical specification and the details of the commercial package will be firmed up with each of the remaining bidders.
It is expected that TfL will award the contract by the end of 2009 to a single manufacturer and the detailed design and development phase will commence in January 2010. The prototype is expected to be delivered by the end of 2011 with production and delivery of the new buses scheduled to begin in early 2012.
Quite what we’re supposed to make of that I don’t know – never mind how many crew, they don’t know how many staircases it’s going to have, and besides the commercial negotiations aren’t complete yet. How this unfirm financial package relates to Boris and Kulveer’s threadbare claim about it costing £3m (or £3.3m) I’ve no idea.
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“In addition, bidders were asked to consider an option for a two staircase layout for improved passenger flows and quicker boarding and alighting times.”
I understand the dilemna – but has anyone seen how much room (upstairs and down) the stairs take on a bus? There will be much reduced room upstairs and down.
This also gives a problem for disabled and elderly access to the bus, I am fit and young, but I can see it’s not easy to get up the steep stairs on a double decker – what about when I’m 60?
The result will be a lot of ‘physically challenged’ people standing around downstairs giving the impression the bus is full – and an empty upstairs – apart from the few kids wrecking the seats etc.
This is how Boris thinks – like a true Tory he only sees things from his point of view – as is inevitable with the pursuit of libertarianism.
Does he not realise that the reason the double decker has been so successful is because of it’s long lasting design – tinkering with that is likely to re-create issues already ironed out through nearly half a century of road testing.
It would be much better if Boris started some ‘joined up thinking’ on transport and instead of creating ‘space age bus ideas’ he concentrated on ideas like this bike rack on the front of this double decker in British Columbia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Victoriadoubledecker.JPG
I love the idea of ‘hop on hop off’ buses – which is what the routemasters provided, but there needs to be a conductor or otherwise after the first casualty of the new bus they will all get taken off the streets while a review is undertaken – which will conclude you need an extra crew member.
Still, it’s not for politicans to think for themselves, their job is to waste money on ideas that will never work and then act surprised when they fail – usually citing some ‘unforseen circumstance’ as the cause rather than their own stupidity.
Not sure you can complain about a lack of joined up thinking. It all goes in the same direction.
Cars are good. Private transport is the best way. Public transport should be used to work and no more.
[...] readers will know that we’ve long wondered why Boris and Kulveer pretend that the NB4L is around a £3m cost to TfL, when any moderately [...]