On Thu, 20 Dec 2007, Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
> Mizter T wrote:
>
>> is guilty of subscribing to the orthodox media opinion when she claims
>> that London's "bendy- busses" (sic) are "loathed and problematic" - the
>> opinion of Londoners on these buses is by no-means universally hostile
>> as is often portrayed in the press (though I certainly know a few
>> non-transport enthusiast normal people who detest them, but many more
>> who find them quite acceptable).
>
> It's quite possible that opinions vary given the actual bendy bus people
> are likely to use. The number 25 serves QMUL (and also my home) and I'm
> hard pressed to think of *anyone* with a good word to say about bendy
> buses in general.
A quick online quiz of my friends (not all native english speakers, i
should mention) yielded the following comments:
"they are rubbish, I hate them. i prefer the one with the double floor"
"dodge fare heaven...!!! Route 29 Rules..!!!!"
"I like them. But maybe only cos I get to go on them but rarely, so
they're still a novelty. I like that you can get on at any door you like."
"1. Bendy buses are relatively low in the no. of passengers to road space
usage ratio. --> waste space
2. It is more difficult for a bendy bus to go round corners. --> waste
time
They are not helping with the congestion. Double deckers are much more
efficient."
"i hate them"
"meep"
I'll let you know if anything more sensical comes in.
>> And of course there is the fact that these would be two-man buses,
>> requiring a conductor. As great as conductors may be, that is a very
>> significant expense - London's bus network is already subsidised, so
>> unless the subsidy is increased there would have to be cut backs
>> elsewhere. If the network was less frequent, less comprehensive or more
>> expensive to the passenger in terms of fares, then ridership would be
>> likely fall.
>
> That's a good point but I think too many people overlook the level of
> faredodging on the bendy buses - how much would ticket insepctions claw
> back? I don't doubt that it probably wouldn't reach the cost, but
> passengers also find the bendies in particular to be scarey to travel on
> (again this may be a 25 specific problem) and having a member of staff
> on board who isn't locked away in a booth at the front would reassure
> many.
I've often heard it suggested that these problems are linked: the
dodgeability of fares means they attract people we might charitably
describe as 'low-life scum', who then make travel a bit frightening for
everyone else.
tom
--
File under 'directionless space novelty ultimately ruined by poor
self-editing'
