At the moment, there is a fight between Abellio and Stagecoach. It all started on Saturday 10th May, when route 136 got extended from Peckham to Elephant And Castle. They did this to help out with Abellio London route 343, which was getting extremely overcrowded in the North Peckham area. It was getting so overcrowded, that a TV show about London's buses called Route Masters, actually had a whole section with people complaining about the 343. But, on the same day as Catford Garage open day, the 136 got extended to Elephant And Castle.
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| An allocated bus on the 136. |
Since the extension, route 136's Enviro 400's have gained white blinds, because of the extension. However, an increasing number of ALX400 buses with yellow blinds are appearing on the route, with yellow blinds. I managed to get on one myself, and I saw many going in the other direction, like:
The 136 also sees Euro 6 Enviro Hybrids on the route, although I didn't manage to get a picture of one. Also, Abellio London seem to be taking advantage of the fact that another route is serving Southampton Way, so instead of trying to provide an even service on the busy stretch, some 343 drivers wait at bus stops until the 136 is ahead of it, so the 343 doesn't get overcrowded. Even in the odd-peak periods this happens, so when I was passing the Alsace Road I wasn't surprised when I saw this:
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| The bus behind the 136 is a 343! |
When I rode the 136 on 17th May, it was quite busy. I knew the extension was necessary, and I'm sure people in the North Peckham area are very happy they have another bus they can use. Thanks for reading!
