Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Meet the new London routemaster

BBC

Will the Borris bus succeed? Do you like the design?

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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on November 16, 2010 at 21:13

*cough* more mercedes cars are sold to China than to anywhere else in the world..

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Permalink Reply by John D on November 16, 2010 at 21:15

But do they have open platforms ?

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Permalink Reply by matt on November 16, 2010 at 21:28

According to this report from the Beeb, yes it has an open platform.

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Permalink Reply by matt on November 16, 2010 at 21:30

*splutter* is that so

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on November 16, 2010 at 22:07

Matt I think you've hit several nails (1, 2 and 3) on the head. The quarter-mile long bendy buses are functional, but designed not only by Mercedes Benz in Germany but for German conditions, i.e. wider, straighter roads than obtain in central London.

I think another assumption (well, it would never have needed to be considered) in the design of the bendy bus, was that the honest German passengers would not dream of not paying the fare they owe. They could surely not stand the disapproving looks of their fellow passengers.

Transplant the ultra-long bus to London conditions and the rear section becomes an artful fare-dodger's dream. We all pay higher fares because of fare evasion and typically you only need to travel a few stops in the rear to witness it.

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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on November 16, 2010 at 22:45

so.. let's clear up a few of these 'daft' misconceptions..

What are these mysterious German conditions? Not all Germany has straight/wide roads, in fact only Berlin has really wide streets.. and bendy-buses are used all over the country.. but what we do have is, observance of by-laws -people just don't park on bus stops or block them .. or they get fined.. but it is generally not done. That's your problem, nothing to do with the type of vehicle.

Yes, you're right we don't usually show tickets on any form of transport and all our metro/railway stations are all without gates because the majority don't fiddle - but that is also because our local bus/train fares aren't extortionate. some do and if they get caught they get fined - no identification and the police are called. no messing about.

I don't think mercedes built the first bendy-buses either .. it's just that the current citaro (long and short) model is the bus most popular with operators in Europe. We have more Polish built bendy-buses in service here in Berlin than German ones.

This wonderful new Boris bus looks to me like a cross between the highly successful C5 and the Dyson 'suck-it-up without a bag' thingy..

Form should follow function as they say.. but this thing was only built to outrage the senses and certainly won't be a success - that is, if they ever find room for the motor and batteries..

and to demonstrate once again form and function:

This vehicle offers more seats upstairs than the Boris Bus in total. Downstairs you can get two wheelchairs and two pushchairs or 30 standing and still seat 20 behind the middle door. The back staircase is used to exit from upstairs the middle door downstairs. Like all our buses also has A/C.
The white guideline for the blind on the pavement to the entrance of the bus. To be fair this bus is just moving off.

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on November 18, 2010 at 10:00

Stephen I think your fine photo makes the point about (different) German conditions better than I could with just words. Form and function indeed; the handsome, efficient bus depicted is ideally suited to the background conditions; but are German cities really this spacious and traffic-free most of the time?

Even if the above photo is not typical of conditions in London or Germany, the bendy buses of London are still well-suited to many routes in the capital; in particular the number of entrances & exits (coupled with a single level and Oystercards), facilitate a quick stop and running to timetable. As anyone familiar with public transport management will know, these factors are vital.

But, all the bendy buses need frequent visits by inspectors to catch the rampant 'rorting' or cheating (and preferably deal with them in the German way).

I do think there's a place for more than one kind of bus in London. A comparison with the extremely successful Dyson vac is probably too generous, but one of those bus types should include the new Routemaster.

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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on November 16, 2010 at 22:43

In view of my generous retainer from Premier Wen Jiabao, I am mystified by all your lack of faith in the Beijing Straddler, the billion people carrier of the near future.
Yes, it will have lots of space for fat people.
No, there will be no need for space for prams, buggies etc.
Yes, it will fit on Wightman Road and Green Lanes.