Demonstrating Metroline's Organisation: Route 222

One of the most recent bus service changes has seen the operation of route 222 transferred from London United to Metroline West, with a batch of brand new buses, although none of them entered service on the first day. This post documents what should've been a simple operator change, but instead turned into a rather complex re-shuffle of lots of buses in the Metroline fleet.

ADE40131 was part of a regular batch of E400s that used to work the 222. It is one of a few left at Hounslow for use on the 81.

The 222 runs between Uxbridge and Hounslow Bus Station, running through West Drayton, Cranford and Hounslow West in the process. It's one of the busiest routes in Hounslow Town Centre, and it recently joined the increasing number of routes than run 24/7 in London. The former allocation consisted of ADL Enviro 400s based at Hounslow (AV) garage, although Scania OmniCity buses were also found on a regular basis. In terms of reliability, London United were praised throughout their contract for generally maintaining a decent service, even when the route was operated with single deckers a few years ago. The 222 is quite popular with enthusiasts, due to the mixture of urban high streets, outer London residential running, and the possibility of a "thrashy" journey, particularly around the Sipson area. Many enthusiasts were gutted that London United had lost the service, especially because the company had given up so many other major routes at the time. Since the contract change, some of the ADL E400s are still at Hounslow (AV) garage working the 81, although others can be found working on the long-term London Overground Rail Replacement service, or up in North West London on the recently acquired route 258.

Personally, I've always been quite fond of the 222, as it's one of the more interesting routes found in quite a dry part of West London. Although I've generally been unlucky with fast trips, the external surroundings are interesting enough to keep you entertained, especially around Heathrow. I had mixed feelings about Metroline running the 222; even though they are capable of providing an excellent service, the large number of bus types previously found on the route would be ruined, as Metroline tend to be much more strict with allocations. Nevertheless, I wasn't dreading the changeover, and I was intrigued to see how Uxbridge (UX) garage would cope with this difficult service. Predictably, Metroline ordered some Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles for the new contract, which started on Saturday 16th September 2017.

Metroline VWH2172 is seen at Hounslow Bell Corner on the first day of the new contract.

 The first night was easily the most shambolic changeover of 2017. As the 222 is a 24 hour service, the first Metroline bus followed straight on from the last London United trip, which gave enthusiasts the opportunity to spot two different operators running one route at the same time for around 45 minutes. However, drivers were given the wrong duty cards at Uxbridge (UX) garage, so whilst they thought they were running on schedule, the iBus controllers would see the bus as in a completely different position to where it should be, due to this confusion of trip numbers. As a result, buses were constantly being curtailed at places such as Heathrow North throughout the night, as the vehicles were so far ahead/behind schedule that fixing the service in an hour or two simply couldn't happen. This meant that there was effectively no service between Uxbridge and Cranford for 2 hours of the night, which is a sizeable chunk of the route. When I found out about the incident in the morning, I simply burst out laughing and Metroline certainly hadn't given a good first impression for the regular night users of the 222, who essentially had no bus for much of the night. However, after the first day hiccup, the service has actually been very good, with no real issues with reliability or even duty cards - I'm sure Metroline will never make that mistake again! Even though the dodgy start foreshadowed a shambolic and disorganised future, almost everyone can agree that the operation of route 222 looks promising and hopefully Uxbridge (UX) garage can keep this up.

Metroline VWH2183 is seen at Uxbridge Station at the end of a route 222 journey on the first day.

A controversial frequency cut to every 10 minutes coincided with the new contract, which has resulted in busier buses and overcrowding in the peaks, as this route already struggled with its previous timetable. Due to space constraints at Uxbridge (UX) garage, where the route is controlled, Metroline recently acquired an outstation at Uxbridge Industrial Estate, where the 222 buses are stored overnight. So far, the allocation has been pretty strict, although there have been occasional appearances of ADL E400s currently allocated to routes 607 and U4, and a solitary appearance of a Wrightbus Gemini B7TL, bringing another new type to the 222. However, for the past month or so the main allocation of route 222 hasn't actually consisted of its batch of Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles. Only 5 of the new buses for the 222 had been delivered by the contract date, and even these weren't fit for service. As a result, the 222 had to borrow some buses from elswhere, and route 114, also running from Uxbridge (UX) garage, was the victim. In order to give a good first impression of the new route 222 operation, blinded buses had to be sourced from the route 114 allocation of 16-plate Gemini's. These buses are almost identical to the route 222 examples, although they are already fairly worn-out after working such a heavy-duty service, which was evident when I rode the service on the first day. So, whilst everything has seemed normal on the 222 in terms of vehicle presentation, the 114's appearance for the past month or so has certainly been questionable.

Metroline Travel VWH2323 pauses at Ruislip Manor Station, towards the end of a route 114 journey to Ruislip.

The buses currently on the 114 are actually brand new; they were initially intended for use at Willesden (AC) garage for routes 260 and 302, although the lack of 222 VWHs means that they have been diverted, so the two Willesden routes can keep their grim Volvo Presidents for a little longer. So in theory, route 114 users have received another vehicle upgrade, and when I rode one of the new examples on Saturday 16th September, the bus was in a pristine condition, containing that addictive rubbery new bus smell. However, you may have noticed from the photo that there is one significant issue with these brand new Gemini 3's working the 114. They don't have blinds for any Uxbridge (UX) routes, and have been running around banditised (with a sheet of paper in the window) for almost a month, which is unacceptable in my opinion. If this temporary allocation was only present for one weekend, then I think the lack of blinds could be understandable. However, these buses have been working the service blindless for almost a month now, and they're going to be staying on the route for a few more weeks. Evidently, the presentation on route 222 has been prioritised, and the 114 has been dumped with buses that aren't fully equipped for the service. I was expecting Metroline to add some blinds to these buses within a week or so, but I think it's outrageous that this ambiguous and confusing display has taken place for this long, and I do hope Metroline are punished as a result. The new buses for the 222 have only just entered service and unfortunately I haven't been able to take a picture of one, but I'm sure you've seen enough Gemini 3's in this post to know what one looks like on the 222!

Metroline Travel TE948 is seen at Uxbridge at the end of a route U4 journey.

 The contract for route U4 was retained back in April, which promised the withdrawal of the elderly Volvo Presidents that used to make up part of the allocation. However, the replacement Enviro 400 vehicles (displaced from Potters Bar garage) only arrived in September, and haven't really worked the U4 much at all. In fact, the poor old Volvo Presidents are still working the U4 on a regular basis, as these E400s are currently being used on the 114 and 222 due to the lack of available Gemini 3's.

 In general, we can infer that Metroline have been quite successful with the 222 takeover, as the service on that route has been decent (bar the first night). However, it's a shame that other routes like the 114 have suffered as a result of Metroline's lack of organisation, and hopefully the 222 VWHs enter service promptly so this debacle can be sorted out.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!