Jump to content

Articulated buses in London: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Linked 'Piccadilly' to page
Line 156: Line 156:
===[[London Buses route 453]]===
===[[London Buses route 453]]===
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:London General MAL108 on 453.JPG| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]].
File:London General MAL108 on 453.JPG| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]]. This is the new 2008 [[Euro 4]] style bus.
File:London bus route 453.jpg| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]].
File:London bus route 453.jpg| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]]. This is the older style bus when [[Stagecoach Group|Stagecoach]] operated the route before [[Go-Ahead London|Go-Ahead]] did.
File:London General MAL97 BD57 WDA.JPG| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Marylebone]].
File:London General MAL97 BD57 WDA.JPG| The [[London Buses route 453|453]] bus heading towards [[Marylebone]]. This is the new 2008 [[Euro 4]] style bus.
File:453 to Deptford Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 700876.jpg| Two [[London Buses route 453|453]] buses at a bus stop & heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]].
File:453 to Deptford Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 700876.jpg| Two [[London Buses route 453|453]] buses at a bus stop & heading towards [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]]. This is the new 2008 [[Euro 4]] style bus.
</gallery>
</gallery>


Revision as of 15:35, 13 January 2011

Main article: Articulated buses in the United Kingdom
One of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro bendy buses introduced to London
The Red Arrow articulated bus fleet at Waterloo Bus Garage
An Arriva London articulated bus

Articulated buses, popularly called bendy-buses, were introduced to London in June 2002[citation needed] when the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced new Mercedes-Benz Citaros to Red Arrow commuter services 507 and 521.

While articulated bus operation had been standard in many other countries, the UK had only sparingly tried their use.[citation needed]Therefore, the introduction of the type in London caused a lot of press attention.[1][2]

As part of his 2008 Mayoral campaign, in 2007 Boris Johnson pledged to withdraw bendy buses and introduce a modern replacement of the Routemaster bus.[3] In 2009, the first three bendy bus routes were to be replaced with conventional low-floor single and double decker buses, and a prototype for a Future Routemaster was to be on the streets by 2013.[4][5]

Background

Articulated buses have been introduced on several major, high-capacity routes in the 2000s, coinciding with withdrawal from passenger service of the Routemaster bus from the streets. The Routemasters, involving a step upwards and poor accessibility did not conform to the Disability Discrimination Act. There was also the risk of litigation over accidents involving the Routemaster's rear open platform.[citation needed]

Articulated buses with multiple doors and simultaneous boarding arrangements are capable of loading and off-loading many more passengers in less time than conventional double decker buses and Routemasters. Articulated buses also have a much higher passenger capacity, being able to carry over 140 people per vehicle compared to 77 in a Routemaster although the proportion of standing passengers is increased.

Articulated buses take up more road space per vehicle (18 metres or 59 feet long compared to 9.1 metres or 30 feet for a Routemaster and 10 metres or 33 feet for a double decker), although in terms of road surface used per passenger, there is little difference between double decker buses (which stack passengers vertically on two floors) and articulated buses - 11.8 cm road surface length per Routemaster passenger against 12.8 cm per articulated bus passenger: 8.7% more.

The increased vehicle size means they are more likely to block junctions and cause difficulties for other road users. Press coverage regarding cyclists and motorcyclists has been generally negative due to the reduced viewpoint of the driver and greater likelihood of cyclists to enter blind spots.[citation needed]

Incidents

Fires

During the initial stages of deployment of the articulated buses, between December 2003 and March 2004 there were three similar fires on the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses, causing concern over the possibility of an in-built risk to the public. In one incident, a bus caught fire on its delivery route to its operator.[6] The fires caused the temporary withdrawal and modification of the entire fleet of 130 buses, and some fixed standard Citaro buses.[7]

The buses, which were dubbed by the London Evening Standard as "Ken's chariots of fire",[6] were brought back into service after engineers replaced and modified problematic pipework in the bus engines. A later fire was ruled out as unconnected.[6] A TfL spokesman stated that "Fires on all buses are rare, and bendy buses are no more prone to such incidents than other bus models".[8]

Increased fare evasion

The introduction of articulated buses has increased fare evasion as passengers are able to enter through any door, leading to the buses becoming known to Londoners as "The Free Bus". On other UK buses (including articulated buses outside London), entry is only permitted via the front entrance, which is monitored by the driver and thus discourages evasion. As a result, Transport for London recruited an extra 150 Revenue Protection Inspectors to police revenue collection.[9][10][11]

Safety criticisms

Opponents of articulated buses claim that they have a poor safety record. The London Evening Standard has claimed that they are involved in 75% more collisions than other buses. TfL has disputed this, pointing out that as there are more articulated buses, they encounter more road users.[12]

In September 2007, Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party candidate for the 2008 Mayor of London elections has said that his first act as mayor of London will be to scrap bendy buses and replace them with a 'modern-day Routemaster' with an open rear platform and a conductor, describing the articulated buses as 'cyclist killing'.[13] The then incumbent, Ken Livingstone, pointed out that no London cyclist had ever been killed by an articulated bus.[14] During the televised mayoral debate on 8 April 2008, Jeremy Paxman asked Johnson what the cost of his proposal would be twelve times but received no answer.[15]

Planned withdrawal

Main article: Buses in London

In August 2008, following the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London, it was announced the bendy buses would be withdrawn as their 5 year operating contracts came to an end, starting from May 2009, and completed by 2013 (or 2015 depending on contract extensions).[16] Transport for London now intends to withdraw all articulated vehicles by 2011.[17]

Research by London TravelWatch has indicated that such a withdrawal could prove costly to TfL. A study conducted in September 2008 found that replacing articulated vehicles on routes 38, 507, and 521, whilst maintaining overall route capacity, would cost an additional £12.6m per annum, due to the additional vehicles necessitated.[18]

The first articulated vehicles to be replaced were those on route 507, which were replaced by twelve-metre long single-deck buses in July 2009. Route 521 was converted to operate with similar buses in September 2009. Articulated buses were replaced by double-deckers on route 38 in November 2009. Route 149 was converted to double deck on 16 October 2010, and route 18 on 13 November 2010. In both cases the peak vehicle requirement increased.[17]

Withdrawn buses have already found their way to other parts of the UK with some going to Arriva Midlands in Leicester and some to Arriva in Liverpool.

List of articulated bus routes in london

London Buses route 12

London Buses route 18

London Buses route 25

  • The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus.
    The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus.
  • The 25 bus heading towards Ilford.
    The 25 bus heading towards Ilford.
  • The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus.
    The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus.
  • The 25 bus at Tower Hill with the Shard London Bridge being built in the background.
    The 25 bus at Tower Hill with the Shard London Bridge being built in the background.

London Buses route 29

London Buses route 38

London Buses route 73

London Buses route 149

London Buses route 207

London Buses route 436

London Buses route 453

London Buses route 507

London Buses route 521

  • A top view of 521 bus.
    A top view of 521 bus.
  • The 521 bus in London Bridge bus station.
    The 521 bus in London Bridge bus station.
  • The 521 bus leaving London Bridge bus station.
    The 521 bus leaving London Bridge bus station.
  • The 521 bus on the London Bridge.
    The 521 bus on the London Bridge.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-9767163-details/'Bendy+bus'+safety+fears/article.do
  2. ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/24/firebreathing_buses_threaten_london/
  3. ^ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23411785-details/Scrap%20the%20bendy%20bus%20and%20bring%20back%20Routemasters,%20says%20Boris/article.do?expand=true
  4. ^ "The beginning of the end for the bendy bus" (Press release). www.london.gov.uk. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2009. Transport for London (TfL) today announced that...three bus routes – 38, 507 and 521 – will no longer use bendy buses when their contracts expire next year. TfL has awarded new contracts to Go Ahead to operate routes 507 and 521...and to Arriva to operate route 38...Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:..."Many Londoners, particularly cyclists, see the awkward elongated bulk of the bendy bus as completely unsuitable for the city's streets and, during the Mayoral election, this became a huge issue. I am making sure the buses are removed in the most cost-effective way, and today's new contract announcement marks the beginning of the end for the bendy bus in London."...peak frequencies will be increased...Route 38...will be operated by double decks 24 hours a day from November 2009 (the night service, N38, already uses double decks). Routes 507 and 521...will operate with 12 metre single deck buses, which have two sets of doors and can carry 70 passengers, from June 2009. Passengers will be able to board via both sets of doors to ensure the buses can move away from busy rail stations quickly and help prevent over-crowding. A weekend service will also be introduced on route 507 operating with 5 buses per hour during the day. Other bendy bus routes will be reviewed as their contracts expire. Route 38 is currently operated by Arriva, and routes 507 and 521 are currently operated by London General (part of the Go Ahead Group)...These changes mean that 83 bendy buses will be removed from London's streets. To carry the same number of passengers, the frequency of buses on these routes will be increased. {{cite press release}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "A New Bus for London - Next steps". Transport For London. undated. Retrieved 20 December 2008. We will now pass the best designs and concepts on to bus manufacturers, so they can be developed into final design proposals. A competitive tendering process will then determine to which company we award the final contract to build the new bus for London. This should be decided by the end of next year. The first prototype of the new bus will be on the streets of London by 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) [dead link]
  6. ^ a b c Katharine Barney (2 October 2007). "New bendy bus blaze scare". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2008-11-15. Cite error: The named reference "fire2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Bendy-buses withdrawn after fires". BBC News. 24 March 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
  8. ^ Bendy bus fires 'not connected' BBC News 2 Oct 2007
  9. ^ "London fare dodgers 'cost £30m'". BBC News. 24 May 2006.
  10. ^ "Call for crackdown on bendy bus fare dodgers". The Guardian. London. 25 May 2006.
  11. ^ "Bendy buses taken out of service". BBC News. 24 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Bendy buses - the fatal facts". thisislondon. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  13. ^ Paul Waugh (2007-09-11). "Scrap the bendy bus and bring back Routemasters, says Boris". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  14. ^ Euan Ferguson (2007-09-16). "A bumbler with high ambition". London: Observer. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  15. ^ YouTube - Boris Johnson has no idea how much his proposals cost
  16. ^ Buses Magazine, August 2008 issue, page 5, Ian Allen Publishing
  17. ^ a b "Route 18 is fifth in London to banish bendy buses". Transport for London. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Consultation on Articulated Bus Routes 38, 507 and 521 (sec. 4.8.1)". London Travel Watch. Retrieved September 30, 2008. [dead link]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Articulated_buses_in_London&oldid=407671687"