Kingston United

On Saturday 30th June 2018, a number of contracts were either renewed or awarded to London United, part of the RATP group, in the Kingston area, with all four routes having brand new ADL Enviro200 MMCs introduced. A couple of old buses are clinging on, but generally speaking the conversions are pretty much complete for the routes in question.

London United DPS590 is seen at Cromwell Road Bus Station on route 216.

The only non-prefixed route which has received new buses is the 216. This service runs between Staines and Kingston, at a 20 minute frequency from Monday-Saturday, with a peak vehicle requirement for 9 buses. Fulwell (FW) garage continue to operate the route under the new contract, although the allocation is now much more strict than in previous years, where a wide range of types could be found. ADL Enviro200s were the most common vehicles, although Dart Pointers often made frequent appearances and until a few months ago, double deckers also ran the route regularly. However, due to residents questioning the safety of the extra deck, the Scania OmniCity vehicles at the garage have now been banned from the route, which is a shame as the 216 offers some really nice views from upstairs. It is actually a very interesting route that includes housing estates, dual carriageways, narrow villages, running through Bushy Park in Hampton Court and offering some beautiful views of the River Thames. However, the service under a single decker doesn't really look very satisfying, as buses are often crowded due to the low frequency. Generally speaking, the 216 is operated well, with service problems only occurring when traffic builds up along the course of the route.

London United DLE30220 is seen in Wood Street, Kingston.

This substantial batch of E200 MMCs ordered by London United first entered service on the 216, a few days before the contract renewal. However, as soon as the K3 vehicles hit the road, the two batches at this garage started to intermix, with the YX18-plate examples being that of the 216 and the SN18-plate buses being the K3 ones. Most of the time, the route is fully comprised of new buses, although sometimes there is the need to borrow an existing E200 from the 33 or 371. There were rumours surrounding the contract retention of the 216 that the route would be curtailed to Ashford Hospital, no longer serving Staines Town Centre, with these cuts being something which has become very common with cross-border services, although thankfully this one didn't go ahead, as otherwise it would've been detrimental for people living around Ashford who use this bus to access the shops. Overall then, this element of the change can be viewed as successful and as this was a contract renewal rather than an award, there hasn't been the usual drop in service levels during the "introductory period."

London United DE57 is seen on route K2 to Kingston Hospital.

There are five routes in London with the K-prefix, with all of them being single deck services generally providing local links around the area of Kingston. Three of these will be covered in this post, with the K1 and K5 having their ugprades at a later date. The K2 runs between Kingston Hospital and Hook, taking a rather indirect routeing via Surbiton, Berrylands and Tolworth, although it is the only route to serve the fairly large middle destination, which is why it is often a very busy service. This route has a peak vehicle requirement of 10 buses, which satisfy a 10 minute frequency from Monday-Saturday, with this dropping to 4 buses per hour on Sundays and 3 buses per hour during the evening. Being only seven miles in length, the K2 is shorter than your average London route. For the new contract, the K2 remains at Tolworth (TV), but the slightly worn 07-reg "classic" Enviro 200s and occasional Dart Pointers should no longer appear. Very occasionally, a single door bus from the K4 will appear on the service, although this is usually avoided at all costs due to the capacity downgrade. However, if you are not a fan of E200 MMCs, two of the older 07-reg examples are still in regular service, either on the K2 or the 265, although theoretically they could replaced as early as this week.

London United DLE30234 is seen at Kingston Hospital

Most of the new E200 MMCs entered service on time at Tolworth (TV) garage and predictably there has already been some intermixing with those already found on the 265, also operated from this base. In terms of service provision, the route is not perfect, with the fairly intense frequency for an SD service contributing to the bunching I often witness. This does result in some gaps of around 15 minutes fairly regularly, although with the often congested town centres of Kingston and Surbiton which this passes through, perhaps the slight deviations in service quality can be forgiven.

Abellio London 8815 is seen in Kingston on route K3

The K3 is probably the most significant prefixed route in the Kingston area, with this being a long-distance service that also crosses the town centre, providing valuable links in both directions. From Roehampton Vale, there is a quick detour from the main road to serve the Robin Hood Estate in a one-way loop, although after this buses run directly via Kingston Hospital to the Town Centre. After following the mainstream corridor, through Kingston University to Surbiton Broadway, the K3 spends a good 30 minutes completely isolated from the rest of the TFL network, serving residential areas in Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Esher, which are actually outside of the Greater London Boundary. However, as the national rail services here do not accept oyster cards and the non-London bus services provided are infrequent, the K3 is a lifeline to people living in these areas of South-West London and seems busy enough to justify its extension into Surrey. The full route, from Esher to Roehampton Vale, takes just over 60 minutes during the day, with a peak vehicle requirement for 11 vehicles satisfying the 15 minute frequency - this is reduced to every 20 minutes on Sundays and half-hourly during the evening. Abellio London operated the K3 for five years, with a batch of 13-reg "classic" Enviro 200s based at Fulwell (TF) garage, although due to the flexible allocations there almost any type appeared on the route, including Dart Nimbus models and E200 MMCs from the 195 and R70. As the buses displaced from the K3 change are still fairly new, they are now being used on another five year contract for the H25. Friday 29th June 2018 saw Abellio bow out as the operator of route K3, with London United taking over the following morning.

London United DLE20243 is seen at Kingston Hospital.

The assumption of the K3 by London United has been recognised as a homecoming, given that the company operated the service only five years ago, with Abellio only running the route for one contract term. However, instead of returning to its former base at Tolworth, the K3 is run from Fulwell (FW) garage with its own brand new Enviro 200 MMCs. No other bus types have appeared on the K3 since the new contract. The reliability at the moment is starting to show some promising signs - Abellio ran the route decently, with a generally trustworthy service and occasional mishaps mostly involving curtailments. Over the first weekend, London United really struggled with operating the route, which was evident by the often imbalanced number of buses working the route in each direction, in addition to some awfully large gaps of over 30 minutes. However, especially over the past couple of the weeks, the route seems to be running even better than under Abellio and hopefully now that London United have settled into operating the K3, the route is in safe hands for the next few years.

London United SDE7 is seen on route K4 to Mansfield Park.

The K4 is probably the least significant route covered in this post, having both a low frequency and a short end-to-end journey between the two ends. It runs from the Mansfield Park Estate in Chessington to Kingston Hospital, via a pretty direct route through Surbiton along the main Southern corridor, with only one deviation at the top where the K4 serves housing in Athelstan Park instead of going past Kingston University. A 30 minute frequency is provided from Monday to Saturday, with this dropping to hourly in the evenings. The K4 does not operate on Sundays. This route has a peak vehicle requirement for four vehicles and Tolworth (TV) garage is where the K4 is based. As there are no other routes at the garage allocated 8.9m buses, in emergencies a longer bus has to be borrowed from the K2, but on the rare occasions where this does happen the bus curtails at Hook Parade due to the tight turns in Mansfield Park, where this route operates on a hail and ride basis. It was unsurprising that London United managed to retain this route, given that its not particularly difficult and generally speaking the buses seem to turn up on time, which is what matters for a low frequency service.

London United SDE20297 is seen at Kingston Hospital.

The K4 change is the only one which didn't happen on time, with no sight of its promised new vehicles on the contract date of Saturday 30th June 2018. Around two weeks later, two brand new 9.0m E200 MMCs entered service, although rather unusually the other three have disappeared which means that some of the older 08-reg "classic" E200s are still filling in the gaps. One of the older vehicles has also transferred to Epsom (EB) garage as a spare and can usually be found on the K5 or S3.  Whilst the new buses are, in my opinion, much nicer to ride on as a passenger, offering a much more welcoming environment, their entry into service has been controversial amongst drivers who prefer the older buses. This is because the E200 MMC is noticeably wider than their predecessors and as the Mansfield Park Estate is so narrow and bendy, the new buses seem to be getting stuck quite regularly. In terms of usage, the K4 is one of the quietest routes in London and bar maybe in the height of shopping hours or at peak times, not many people seem to actually use the bus from the sprawling Mansfield Park. However, the route can get really busy along the mainstream corridor into Kingston from Hook, if the 71 or 465 haven't turned up for a while and due to the limited capacity of these vehicles the buses can arrive into Surbiton and Kingston quite full. The route is fairly popular in Athelstan Park, but the K1 service also operates here and has a higher frequency. Overall, the K4 change has had both admirable qualities in terms of its consistent service, although whether the vehicles in question prove themselves on the challenging roads is another matter.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Postscript: the "latest news" ticker will be updated on a daily basis from now on.

Metroline Travel: Hampstead, Not Heathrow

This post will focus on the operator Metroline Travel, who have had some recent success in Hampstead in regards to winning a number of single deck services in the area, but also sacrificed the 105 in West London, with both changes taking place in June. However, due to the H2 and H3 change not being complete as of yet, only the 268 will feature in this publication for the Hampstead wins.

An Arriva The Shires Wrightbus Cadet represents the old guard on route 268.

Route 268 is one of the shortest services found in London, running between Finchley Road O2 Centre and Golders Green. Instead of taking the direct route via the 13, however, it serves Belsize Park and follows the Northern Line through Hampstead, with this journey typically taking around 30-35 minutes during the day. This bus serves some of the more affluent parts of the city and whilst it provides some invaluable "round the corner" links, generally the 268 isn't very well patronised unless the Northern Line goes down, in which case the buses are heaving (funnily enough this happened when I first came across the service and I thought it was genuinely a busy route). TFL have seized the opportunity of a contract change to reduce the frequency of the 268, to every 15 minutes from Monday-Saturday and every 20 minutes during the evenings and on Sundays, meaning the peak vehicle requirement is now for six buses. Arriva The Shires operated the 268 from Garston (GR) garage, with this operation being famous for hosting the longest dead run required for a London service, with the Garston-Finchley Road journey being 15.6 miles in length! This was clearly not deemed viable by TFL as the route is now operated from a much nearer depot. Whilst Wrightbus Cadet vehicles have consistently worked the service for many years, in more recent times the main allocation has been 11-reg ADL Enviro 200s which used to work Stagecoach routes in East London. Occasionally, unusual types such as Dart Pointers and even Optare Solo minibuses appeared on the route, although unfortunately due to low trees no double deckers have appeared. In general, the service provided was decent, although the 268 is not a particularly challenging route to run well, with the only real obstacle being traffic in Hampstead Village. Friday 1st June 2018 saw Arriva The Shires bid farewell to the route, with Metroline taking over the next day.

Metroline Travel DE1148 is seen at the O2 Centre on route 268

Conveniently, Metroline can operate the 268 from their Cricklewood (W) garage, which is only around 15 minutes away from either end of the route. The aforementioned PVR cut meant Metroline could source a sufficient amount of existing vehicles for the new contract and due to frequency reductions on other routes like the 187 and C11, ADL Enviro200s from various different batches are found on the service. Despite a couple of small hiccups on the first day, the route has been run very well since the contract renewal and there have been no real strays yet, with the only truly rare possibility being a DEL-class vehicle normally allocated to the 112. The only negative thing about the change, for me, is that there is a discrepancy with the blinds regarding the Golders Green terminus - most buses display "Golders Green STATION", with the last capitalised qualifier being underneath the main blind, but I was surprised to find DE1148 just displaying plain "Golders Green" when I visited the O2 Centre. Aside from this small matter though, which wouldn't bother most people, the 268 has definitely been a successful change and I wish Metroline the best in operating the route over the next five, or possibly seven years.

Metroline Travel VW1189 is seen on route 105 to Greenford Station.

Route 105 is a fairly substantial service in West London, running 24/7 between Heathrow Central and Greenford Station. In the process, it travels through Cranford, Southall and Dormers Wells, with the links it provides being very popular and making the 105 a generally busy route. Unusually, the peak vehicle requirement for this route is achieved on a Saturday, where fifteen buses are needed to run the service - this is presumably because of the notorious traffic which Southall experiences on weekends. Being nine miles in length, the route is neither particularly lengthy or noticeably short, with a typical journey time of around 70 minutes from end-to-end during the day. As usual with medium-long distance trunk services, the frequency is surprisingly low and can be deemed inadequate in rush hour - bar a short period in the AM peak where a 10 minute frequency is achieved, at most other times the route runs every 12 minutes. On Sundays and during the evening, this drops further to every 15 minutes, whilst a typical half-hourly service is maintained through the night. In general, I've found the 105 to be quite an enjoyable route, offering lots of contrast within the journey, whether that being the fairly monotonous high street of Greenford, the narrow residential roads in Dormers Wells, the urban realm of Southall with a strong sense of culture, or the almost rural element of Cranford where considerable speeds are often achieved, whilst the last bit alongside the planes in Heathrow, or even the vehicle tunnel never becomes boring. I would, however, recommend not riding the route during rush hour, or indeed between 11am and 6pm on weekends, as you'll be caught up in horrible traffic!

Metroline VW1388 is seen in Cranford on route 105.

Metroline Travel haven't actually operated the 105 for very long, with First being their predecessors, predominantly using Trident Presidents. When Metroline picked up the route in 2011, the double run via the Compass Centre in Heathrow was dropped, meaning that it now runs directly from the Bath Road to Central Bus Station, which means that the lightly used detour no longer has a TFL bus service apart from the N9. Throughout the seven year contract, the 105 was operated from Perivale West (PA) garage, with a dedicated batch of 11-reg Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL vehicles being used right until the last day. The route was worked solidly with this type for a good few years, as the only other double deck type found at the garage (Scania Olympus) can't work the route due to their length. However, in more recent times, Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles normally found on the 120, as well as newer Gemini 2s which were drafted in for the gain of route 31, have appeared on the 105 alongside its dedicated batch. Generally speaking, the reliability of the service was fairly decent for such a difficult route - understandably there were times where the performance was not up to scratch, but I do feel that Metroline tried hard to make sure they ran the route to the best of their ability. However, as the date of Saturday 30th June 2018 became closer, I was starting to look forward to seeing London United on the route, mostly because the 105s former allocation of VWs were really not suitable for the "high speed" section in Cranford, being some of the slowest examples I've come across. Nevertheless, Metroline were forced to bow out in the early hours of 30th June, with London United taking over the night element of the service only minutes afterwards.

London United VH45266 is seen on Allenby Road working route 105 to Heathrow Central.

Under the new contract, the 105 is operated from Hounslow Heath (HH) garage, which is pretty much as equidistant to the route as the former Metroline base, albeit to the other terminus. Even though the arrival of a batch of new Wrightbus Gemini 3 B5LH vehicles may seem quite boring, interestingly this seems to be the last batch of these buses being delivered to any London operator for a considerable amount of time, as London United have switched to ADL for their next gains, whilst Metroline seem to now prefer MCV. The buses, despite being the first substantial batch delivered to the garage (the three 635 facelift G3s left a while ago), seem to have settled in well and have started to make appearances on the 285 and H91. Additionally, on two occasions, "smiley-face" Gemini 3s normally allocated to the 285 have appeared on the route, although unfortunately on both times they avoided my camera and whenever I've been prepared none have turned up! However, the route has remained fully hybrid since the new contract, with the existing Scania OmniCity vehicles at the garage currently lacking blinds for the 105. In my opinion, the VH-class vehicles do suit the 105 perfectly - the number and destination seem to fit naturally with the type and they are also some of the fastest examples of B5LHs I've come across, with my journey on a Saturday morning being floored down the Bath Road and through Cranford.

VH45262 is seen curtailed to Southall Town Hall.

Inevitably, the first day turned out to be a bit of a disaster for London United, with some very nasty gaps during the afternoon and a noticeable number of bunchings. Curtailments were a big issue as well, with Southall Town Hall and Greenford Broadway being used as early as 8am and 9:30am respectively. Since then, the route has still been struggling somewhat - although generally the service levels have been bearable, it is far from a perfect headway with bunching and curtailments being the biggest problem - I've witnessed a very large number of buses not doing the full route since the takeover, with the proportion of these being significantly higher than at Metroline. When traffic in Southall becomes particularly bad, the route has a tendency to crumble, although I imagine that this is simply London United getting used to running the 105, which certainly isn't an easy task. They do already have experience of this area, in the form of route H32, which is run very well, so hopefully in the near future we'll notice an improvement and London United will be able to justify their win of this significant route. Whilst the start has not been perfect, I have seen changes far worse than this in recent times.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Go-Away, North London Edition

At the beginning of June 2018, three routes in North London changed operators, with two of them passing to Metroline and even though the other is now at Sullivan Buses, the allocation actually consists of an ex-Metroline bus. These three services used to run from Northumberland Park (NP) garage under Go-Ahead London operation. All of these routes are found towards the edge of the Greater London boundary, which meant that chasing them required a lot of effort, especially as the fast Greater Anglia service from Waltham Cross to Liverpool Street wasn't running when I went up there!

Sorry for the inadequate picture - my coverage of the "before" aspect of these routes is quite poor in this post unfortunately.

Route 491 runs between North Middlesex Hospital and Waltham Cross, travelling through Edmonton Green, Galliard Estate, Ponders End, Brimsdown, Enfield Island Village and the Innova Business Park in the process. It is a very busy route for a single deck service, linking many important town centres and settlements to the shops. Go-Ahead London previously operated the service from Northumberland Park (NP) garage, using Wrightbus Streetlites for their five year stint. Occasionally, however, Enviro 200s allocated to other services did appear. The route ran at a 15-minute frequency under the old contract and the service was hit and miss, with some convincing performance levels but this was not maintained at a consistent rate. However, an increasingly skint Transport for London decided that for the new contract, the frequency would be reduced to every 20 minutes and this has occurred despite initial hostility from various residents along the route. The result, proven by my visit on a Saturday afternoon, is buses leaving key locations absolutely rammed, suggesting that this particular frequency cut was a step too far. At weekend evenings, the route runs every 30 minutes. The 491's new peak vehicle requirement is for 9 buses, which complement a journey time of around 60 minutes on average. Generally speaking, there were mixed feelings about the loss of the route, with it contributing to a substantial blow to Northumberland Park (NP) garage who haven't been very lucky with tenders recently, although in my eyes despite the frequency reduction the route is seeing an improvement, as I found the Wrightbus Streetlites found under the old allocation horrid and unbearable in hot weather.

Metroline Travel DE1332 is seen near Silver Street on route 491.

Saturday 2nd June 2018 saw Metroline take over route 491, with the first bus departing at 0610 from Waltham Cross. The new allocation, on paper, consists of 10.2m ADL Enviro 200 vehicles transferred from King's Cross (KC) garage, although delays in the electric and double deck conversions of routes 46 and 274 respectively has resulted in those routes being unable to donate its buses fast enough for the 491. Even though a couple of these 12-reg vehicles have transferred over to Potters Bar (PB) garage, slightly shorter DEM-class E200s native to the garage are being used on the 491 to make up the numbers, reducing capacity even further! As usual, on the first day operation wasn't brilliant, with some concerning gaps in the service as well as a few drivers becoming lost on the route and one even ending up inside Arriva's Enfield (E) garage in an attempt to correct a wrong turn. Since then, operation has improved and Metroline seem to be handling the slightly more difficult operating conditions well. Whilst during the heat these ex-KC Enviro 200s are significantly cooler than their predecessors (which are actually slightly younger than what's used on the new contract), some enthusiasts have been disappointed by their performance, with the buses being rather sluggish and inferior to both the previous Streetltes and the shorter examples on the route, something which is necessary for the fast section of route 491 between Waltham Cross and Enfield Lock. Whilst I have had some 11-reg Enviro 200s at King's Cross (KC) garage floored to bits on the 46, the examples on the 491 are unfortunately nowhere near as good. However, perhaps this is the best decision as the other route these DEs are earmarked for (the 95) spends over 70% of its time on a dual carriageway. Overall though, despite the capacity drop and slower buses, the 491 change has been a success and will certainly make the route more tolerable for the next time I use it.

Sullivan Buses SL98 is seen in Elsinge Estate on route 327.

One week later, route 327 was also lost from Northumberland Park (NP) garage, but to Sullivan Buses instead of following the 491. This was an interesting decision because under the old contract, the 327 was actually directly crosslinked to the 491, with the former route not actually having a specific bus allocated to it. Instead, every 30 minutes, a Wrightbus Streetlite from route 491 would change its blind at Waltham Cross and complete the circular tour of the 327, before becoming a 491 again. This was possible because the 327, which is no more than a shuttle between Waltham Cross and the Elsinge Estate, takes only 20 minutes from end-to-end and its low usage does not warrant a high frequency. However, under the new contract, where sharing at Waltham Cross is no longer achievable, a solitary bus does the rounds on the 327 all day, usually in the form of an ex-Metroline Wrightbus Streetlite demonstrator, SL98, which has actually been fitted with a timetable for route 327 on the cab door, although occasionally an Enviro200 will be sent out instead. This means that the bus type has pretty much remained the same under the old and new contract, although on Go-Ahead's last day a short E200 was used lacking blinds for the route.

The frequency of the 327 has also been reduced to every 40 minutes and the route has been given a ridiculous amount of running time, with this duty possibly being one of the easiest in London for drivers. The evening service has also been withdrawn completely, which means the 327 is now even more unpopular than it was before - despite the expectation that a shopping hours service would be busy on a Saturday afternoon, my bus had no more than three people on board at any one time. If it wasn't for the fact that parts of the Elsinge Estate are isolated from more major routes, I suspect the 327 would be withdrawn completely. However, the quiet nature of this service is perfect for the independent operator Sullivan Buses, who can add this modest route to their ever-growing collection of TFL routes at South Mimms (SM) garage.

Go-Ahead London E67 is seen on route 231.

Saturday 9th June 2018 saw both the 231 and 327 leave Go-Ahead London and their Northumberland Park (NP) garage, with the former more substantial service going to Metroline. The 231 runs between Turnpike Lane Station and Enfield Chase, running alongside the 217 on the Great Cambridge Road corridor until Southbury, where this route turns left and serves Enfield Town Centre. This route runs at a 15-minute frequency, with a peak vehicle requirement of seven buses satisfying the rather short journey time of roughly 35 minutes end-to-end. Route 231 is fairly well patronised, with some buses becoming pretty busy upon departure from Turnpike Lane, but also some quieter trips especially if buses sit right behind a 217 (which the 231 follows for most of its journey), which is unfortunately often the case. Under the old contract, Go-Ahead London used a variety of buses on the 231, although the main allocation was ADL Enviro400 EN-class vehicles, with the last letter showing that they were originally First London buses. However, Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL buses were used regularly, along with some native Enviro400s like the example above, with some even having the traditional grey skirt shown on older Go-Ahead vehicles. The operation was pretty decent most of the time, although the 231 is not a particularly challenging route to get to grips with as long as traffic conditions remain relatively stable.

Metroline TE1441 is seen at Turnpike Lane Bus Station.

Interestingly, the tender document for route 231 specified existing Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL vehicles would be used under the new contract, which excited many enthusiasts. However, introducing a brand new type to Potters Bar (PB) garage and the subsequent training involved wasn't seen as viable by Metroline, who instead use ADL Enviro400 vehicles on the route, a type very familiar to the depot. In general, the newer 62/13-reg TEs have taken a preference to the 231, although there have been a few appearances of older examples which usually favour the Central London 134 service. No hybrid Gemini 3s have been used on the service as of yet.  Apart from the first day, where a few service hiccups were noticeable, Metroline have settled in really well, with the 231 running almost perfectly when I witnessed the route yesterday. In conclusion, the 231 change has also been successful and it seems that all three routes have found a home where they are cared for. Hopefully, Go-Ahead will be able to find some success in the next set of tendering results, where a couple of their routes should be announced.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Wreckage 44, Smart 77

During the past month, Go-Ahead London have introduced some brand new buses onto routes 44, 77 and 87 following their success in retaining all three services.

Go-Ahead London WVL94 is seen at Vauxhall on route 87.

The 87 has been based at Stockwell (SW) garage for a number of years and has typically used the older vehicles found there, including diesel ADL Enviro 400s and Wrightbus Gemini B7TL vehicles and in more recent times a couple of "vantage hybrid" variants of the latter type, although they seem to have disappeared (again). For the contract renewal, the majority of the this routes' new allocation consists of existing, 13-reg ADL Enviro400Hs which were actually ordered for the 87 back in 2013, but were predominantly used on the 88 until it was infested with New Routemasters. However, to make up the numbers required for its six minute frequency, some brand new "smart hybrid" ADL E40H MMCs are also used on the route, which apparently are cleaner than conventional hybrids. The 87 itself runs from Aldwych to Wandsworth, via Westminster, Vauxhall and Clapham Junction, making it not particularly long for a Central London route. Whilst it does offer some lovely views of the Thames, I would personally recommend the 77 over this route for trying out the new smart hybrids, given that the 87 is often filled with traffic from start to finish and is often curtailed at weekends due to protest marches.

Go-Ahead London WDL1 is seen on route 77 at Clapham Junction.

The 44 and 77 are quite similar, in the sense that they are both double deck, high frequency routes operated by Go-Ahead that start at Tooting Station and link the surrounding area of Earlsfield to Central London. However, it is at this suburb where the two services diverge - the 44 serves Wandsworth Town and travels through Battersea and across Chelsea Bridge to terminate at Victoria ; the 77 goes to Clapham Junction instead and takes a parallel route along Wandsworth Road until Vauxhall, where a riverside section leads the 77 to its terminus at Waterloo. For a while, both services were based at Merton (AL) garage, illustrated by the unique demonstrator above working the 77, although this route has now transferred to Stockwell (SW) garage. The 44 generally used ADL Enviro400s under the previous contract, whilst the 77 had a substantial number of Volvo/B7TL Presidents working it until very recently, which is surprising given that it enters zone 1. Both routes were retained upon contract renewal, but with two different types of bus.

Go-Ahead London WSD22 is seen in Wandsworth Town.

Interestingly, Go-Ahead decided to order a completely new type for the 44 retention, this being the Wrightbus Streetdeck micro hybrid, now colloquially referred to as "Streetwrecks" due to their undesirable reliability issues. There aren't very many in London, with only one other batch in North London for the 340. WSD1-22 are based at Merton (AL) garage and from the outside look identical to a Gemini 3, although instead of the B5LH engine the WSDs sound more like a higher pitched Streetlite which whines and screams a lot. They really don't sound very healthy at all, even if there are no apparent problems. Their entry into service was controversial, to say the least, given that at least two broke down upon delivery and a worrying number have gone kaput in their first month of service. Some positive aspects of the buses are that the air conditioning generally seems to be effective and therefore offer quite a pleasant ride, with comfortable seating, although I cannot imagine these vehicles coping on most other London routes. They seem to struggle to reach speeds over 10mph, having poor acceleration and a very whiny engine. The baggage area at the front of the vehicle is also stupidly high up to be useful for anyone not of tall stature - this has also resulted in a rather awkward position for the side blind. All of the batch can now be found in service, mostly on route 44, but occasionally on other services such as the 57 and 163. In conclusion, the Wrightbus Streetdeck hasn't really proved itself to be a trustworthy bus model for future orders, although time will tell to see if Go-Ahead are pleased with their performance. Whilst the breakdown rate is poor and they contain a very unsatisfying engine, I'm glad that they are used on a route like the 44, where the generally slow speeds mean the buses are not stretched too far and can actually offer a decent journey not dissimilar to what a Gemini 3 provides, if you are sitting upstairs. They also have an extra row of priority seats downstairs, which is a bonus.

Go-Ahead London EH285 is seen at Waterloo on route 77.

The 77 now uses the slightly more familiar ADL E40H MMC, although even this contains the exciting new "smart" technology which means this conversion isn't as dull as you might expect, given that there is only one other batch of this variant of hybrid in London. The route became 100% hybrid on Saturday 23rd June and on most days it comfortably avoids the necessity of having to borrow from other routes. Interestingly, instead of starting on their assigned route, Stockwell (SW) bizarrely sent the buses out on the normally New Routemaster only route 88, between Clapham Common and Camden Town, which is arguably more demanding than what the E40Hs are actually allocated to. Whilst I have not sampled the 77, hopefully the smart hybrids are slightly more capable of handling inclines than the previous batch of these buses, given that the 77 is quite hilly at times. Other than that, they feel just like a normal MMC, which is my favourite "new" bus type at the moment, so overall I feel the 77 contract renewal is a positive change.

Thanks for reading this rather short post and stay safe!

Random Observations: July 2018

I realise the last "Random Observations" post was months ago and as I haven't had a chance to cover the most recent service changes, this feels like an appropriate time to publish the next edition.

Arriva London YT1 is seen in Addiscombe working route 312, sporting a brand new logo for the company.

If you have read my 30 lines challenge post, you might recall the referral to an electric bus around Croydon which I decided to chase after my completion of the aforementioned task. Even though the Yutong demonstrator, sporting the code YT1, can now be found working Tower Transit route 236, it made its debut at South Croydon (TC) garage and ran on the 312 intermittently for just over a month. This route was chosen because comparative trials between this and the Optare MetroCity electric buses allocated to the 312 could occur. After a promising start, the vehicle became progressively more unreliable and soon Arriva surrendered YT1, although it can now be found in East London with actual blinds for the 236 - I don't think the slipboards were ever replaced at its former home. This demonstrator has a quirky interior layout, with the rear seats in particular being very high up, offering a panoramic view of the inside of the bus. It also has the more advanced iBus screen, found on the red arrow services, with an ETA for the next stops and other useful features. This electric vehicle hardly makes any noise, with just a reassuring "purr" to accompany the journey. It provides a very smooth ride and the acceleration is incredibly rapid, possibly the best I've seen from an electric vehicle. In conclusion, I'm not convinced that the Yutong E10 will be popular with London operators, especially as it has been offered quite late in comparison to other models, although it's quirkiness and smooth ride certainly give the bus desirable attributes which other electric bus manufacturers should look up to.

Abellio London 8788 makes its debut on route E7.

An unusual transfer of an Abellio Enviro 200, previously based at Fulwell (TF) garage for the 490, provoked a short trip up to West Ealing in order to snap it on the E7. The latter route almost never has a full allocation of its allocated E200 MMCs, simply because there are no longer enough to meet the frequency following a recent PVR increase, so other single deckers from the garage have to step in occasionally. When 8788 emerged, this was presumed to be the permanent spare bus for the E7, which would therefore prevent having to rob any of the other routes, although the vehicle only lasted for around 8 days before vanishing and now it's been absent for almost a month, which means the (often banditised) spare bus is coming from the U7, H28 or 195 again. Due to its age, the vehicle is technically due for a refurbishment, but time will tell to see if it returns on the E7 or whether its transfer really was just a temporary measure.

First Solent 37263 is seen at Hayes & Harlington on a rail replacement service.

 Over the first bank holiday weekend in May, the Great Western Main Line was closed between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead for stopping services, which resulted in a large fleet of buses covering for the lack of trains. Apart from a few overnight trips to Paddington, most buses started at either Ealing Broadway or Hayes & Harlington, with services from the former continuing to Slough or Maidenhead, whilst the Hayes buses covered the Windsor & Eton branch as well as a few other local stations. Both services were very busy from my observations, generally using a mixture of coaches, Abellio London double deckers and spares from the Reading Buses fleet. An oddity I managed to find is the First Solent Trident/Vyking pictured above, which travelled a fair distance to work the rail replacement service. This type is also extinct in London since the removal of the batch allocated to the 388, so it was nice to see an example again as I did enjoy my rides on them before. 37263 is seen picking up passengers at Hayes on the Monday evening, offering a service to Windsor.

London United SP40008 is seen in Cranford working route 111.

A vastly declining number of N94/UD Scania Omnicity vehicles remain in service within the capital, operated by London United from Hounslow (AV) and Hounslow Heath (HH) garages. They are very unique buses, consisting of a low height body which is essentially a lesser evolved version of the regular OmniCity front, but the engine is that of the powerful OmniDekka, making an interesting combination. There aren't many because the N230/UD variant surged in popularity since it was introduced and for the past few years only fifteen of the 56-reg, N94 SPs have remained. Since then, withdrawals have taken place and only eight remain, with some of these expected to go soon as well, given they're a non-standard type, despite their recent refurbishment. They are certainly a quirkier type found in London and I would strongly advise catching them this summer before they go altogether. It's surprising how fast these buses can be and their seats are much more comfortable than that of a typical Scania. Some other odd features include the slightly misaligned iBus screen, which actually blocks the front view partially when sitting on the left hand side, as well as the temperamental iBus speakers that the buses possess - mostly the announcements do not function at all, but when they do it is played horrifically loud and is very startling ; indeed you can hear them from some distance away when on the street! Although these buses do spend a lot of time on the school services 697/698, the best routes to find them for a fast ride would be the 423 and H91, although they're also very common on the 111. I do understand that for some people, trekking all the way to Hounslow is quite difficult, but if you still haven't been on this type I would make it a top priority before you feel that surge of regret when they disappear altogether.

Stagecoach London 36349 is seen on route 323 at Mile End.

One of the slightly more interesting single deck services London possesses is the 323, running at a 15-minute frequency between Canning Town and Mile End. It is one of the shortest services in the capital, taking no longer than 20 minutes from end-to-end and serving alone one of the more fascinating parts of East London. Whilst the start through Devons Road is predominantly residential, where lots of new development has taken place, afterwards the 323 dives under the A12 in a rather unique format ; it has to pause at a bus gate before entering the private land of Twelvetrees Crescent. It is a very odd, leafy industrial area, surrounded by various patches of water but also massive warehouses and distribution centres, including that of Amazon and Sainsbury's. It is a very desolate area and surprisingly was quite popular with workers on a Saturday afternoon, but it is an almost surreal experience and certainly eye-opening in regards to viewing such a forgotten part of London where so many people are employed. After passing through another gate, the bus travels along Cody Road, where considerable speeds can be achieved with the surroundings predominantly consisting of overgrown vegetation and some more derelict factories hiding behind. The next point of interest is Star Lane Station, served by the DLR, whose appearance was quite surprising given the industrious nature of the area. The 323 also gives a rather lovely view of West Ham Bus Garage and its admirable architecture, before running alongside the Jubilee Line and DLR for the final stretch to Canning Town. All in all, a short single deck route with some commendable attributes and certainly one of the most intriguing routes in East London - it has a really tight timetable so the drivers usually floor the E200s too!

Abellio London 9487 is seen in Purley on route 407.

An unusual transfer of 9487 to Beddington Cross (BC) garage introduces the ADL Enviro 400 to the garage - interestingly I believe it inherited the new "MMC" variant before this classic model turned up. It spends pretty much all of its time on the usually single deck 407, which is perfect for enthusiasts like myself who actively pursue double deckers on routes they don't normally appear on. The 407 does, indeed, look rather tedious on an E200 anyway, taking a woefully long time end-to-end from Sutton to Caterham. It is surprising that the route still retains single deckers despite its length and habit of following busy "trunk" corridors, although the low frequency is also typical of routes of this style. The bus itself has moved around a fair bit in recent times, spending a considerable period on the London Overground replacement service between Barking and Walthamstow, before returning to Battersea (QB) garage. However, the somewhat overwhelming nature of its routes reaching into zone 1 was clearly too much for 9487, which can now be found out in the sticks on a daily basis, like this photograph illustrating the vehicle in Purley.

Metroline Travel VW1211 is seen at Haven Green on route E2.

Interestingly, some of the 61/12-reg VW-class Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL vehicles which transferred to Brentford (AH) garage in May 2016 for route E8 have undergone a refurbishment. VW1211 was the first to re-enter service and although progress has been evidently slow at the moment, with only around three complete within two months, the refreshed vehicles certainly do look a lot smarter with a fresh coat of paint and have a commendable amount of padding applied to the seats, which should see them last for a fair few years. Undoubtedly these vehicles will begin to look less presentable over time, but at the moment the refurbished buses look wonderful in the sunshine, such as VW1211 pictured above. Although the overhaul is a lovely addition to these buses, this is a contractual requirement and has commenced rather late. Secondly, Metroline seem to be adamant on only offering a refurbishment programme to buses when they are obliged to - there are older buses than VW1211 such as those on the 207 which are in dire need of a refurbishment, but as they transferred to the aforementioned route during the middle of the contract TFL haven't forced Metroline to improve the woeful state of those buses. Similarly, the previous schedule at Brentford (AH) garage seems to have been abandoned before completion, as VW1034-VW1068 were completed by November 2017 but the last four (1069-1072) haven't entered the workshop yet and are becoming increasingly worn out and grubby. I'm not entirely sure how these have escaped refurbishment entirely - others have speculated this was because they were used for the 635 contract, but this doesn't make sense at all as the 635 was inherited by Metroline way before the Gemini 2s arrived. In addition, the full complement of early VWs are required for the 237 and E2, there are no spares available and never have been. If VW1069-1072 remain unrefurbished in a few years time, goodness knows what state they will be running around in, but hopefully Metroline realise that they can't procrastinate for much longer!

Great Northern 365522 is seen at Finsbury Park.

Since the controversial introduction of the brand new Govia Thameslink Railway timetable, there have also been some subtle rolling stock changes. This mostly involves the Class 365 Networker Express, dubbed the "happy trains" due to their front cab design, which have had their workings under Great Northern significantly reduced since the new timetable. Although a sizeable number still remain in service and a further ten or so have transferred to Scotland, you are no longer able to travel on the Class 365s using oyster. Previously, quite a few services called at Finsbury Park in addition to London King's Cross and I took advantage of this convenient eight minute trip on Saturday 18th May 2018, the last day of Class 365s in regular service under Great Northern. Whilst they're not ideal in hot weather, the refurbishment means the trains are certainly presentable inside, but my favourite aspect of them is their quirky motor and the noise produced, which is incredibly satisfying to listen to and is conveyed particularly effectively in the tunnels outside King's Cross. Although I have never had the opportunity of travelling at high speed on one of these trains, I'm sure it would be a wonderful experience. Although the Southeastern Class 465s offer a similar (but still inferior) experience, they're almost always dirty and are generally unpleasant to travel on, so the 365s win by far for me. They will be sorely missed within London, although if you have sufficient funds which allow you to fork out for a ticket to the depths of Hertfordshire, there are a good number which work services up to Baldock, Letchworth and occasionally Peterborough in rush hour, as well as three on a Sunday. With all the problems with the GTR franchise, I would've been more hesitant regarding the withdrawal of these units as they would've been good back up for the Class 700s, but as said by Lady Macbeth, what's done cannot be undone.

Arriva London DW578 is seen in Enfield Town working route 121.

 I have never used the 121 before, so writing about it may prove to be a bit of a challenge. It is one of the longer services found within the capital, at 12 miles, going from Turnpike Lane Station to Enfield Island Village. The 121 takes a fairly indirect route between the termini, stopping off at Palmers Green, Southgate, Oakwood, Enfield Town and Ponders End on the way. It links several substantial town centres and its 10 minute frequency proves the route is clearly a lifeline for Enfield residents and one of the busiest in the area. It does look pretty interesting, jumping between several different corridors instead of sticking to one throughout its journey. Its allocation consists of Wrightbus Gemini 2 DB300 vehicles, although occasionally Enviro 400s sneak out too. The name of the outer terminus certainly isn't conventional either, although from my previous visit to Enfield Island Village, the name seems somewhat glorified for what is merely a modern housing estate with a river running through it and a reservoir in close proximity, although it does at least make the end destination more appealing if anyone wishes to explore the sites the 121 serves. I'm hoping to complete this route during the summer holidays and I can say it looks to be one of the more convincing ones out there.

Metroline Travel DE1031 is seen in Highgate on route C11.

This picture would've been worthy of some credit if it wasn't for the usual cyclist conveniently deciding to photobomb, so it does not appear on my flickr feed. Nevertheless, a C11 bus is illustrated in one of the more affluent areas the route serves. Personally, I've always loathed using this particular route, using a batch of horrid buses, being almost always rammed and having a rather grim line of route, especially West of Swiss Cottage. Nevertheless, I have found the service invaluable in recent times, especially as it (annoyingly) is very useful for crossing North-West London. It also serves one of my favourite parts of the city, that being the area surrounding Highgate Cemetery. The juxtaposition of the admirable mansions, sealed off from the travelling passengers and indeed double deck buses, overlooking the eerie atmosphere of the graveyard becomes strangely satisfying and addictive in the sense that you want to keep returning there. Last Saturday, after my end-to-end ride on the 214, I deliberately took a longer route to Gospel Oak in order to walk down Swain's Lane, a steep and ominous hill which proclaims the oxymoronic contrast perfectly. It's somewhere I would certainly recommend spending some time and unfortunately the C11 is the best way to get there, but the short amount of time spent suffering will certainly be worth exploring one of the most hidden, yet satisfying parts of this city. Alternatively you can take a 214 which is a slightly longer walk away, but potentially involves catching a quirky, endangered Dart Pointer. The crowding on this service is just as bad as the C11 though!

Thanks for reading and stay safe!