Enthusiasts United In Negligence

Routes 81 and 211 have both recently changed operators, with the former departing and the latter joining the company London United. Despite running in very different parts of the capital, they're both major services and should've received a good amount of attention on their respective first days, but a number of different circumstances meant that this wasn't the case.

Central London routes are always a nightmare to snap in the sun. Even this spot was so risky...

Even though it hasn't existed for very long, the 211 has become a well-established Central London service, carrying passengers all the way from Hammersmith to Waterloo, via Fulham Broadway, King's Road, Sloane Square, Victoria and Westminster. At peak times, 16 vehicles are required for the bizarre 11 minute frequency, with a drop to 4 buses per hour on Sundays and during the evening, which is surprising for a route operating almost entirely within zone 1. The 7 mile trip from end to end can be accomplished in around 70 minutes during the day, although this figure would be much lower if it wasn't for the congestion-filled streets which the 211 unfortunately tries its best to serve. Painfully slow journeys weren't always the norm though - my fastest ever Trident ALX400 was on this route, where the driver used kickdown relentlessly for an astonishingly fast end-to-end trip. The smooth ADL Enviro 400s which replaced them were much less thrilling, but offered comfort and air cooling, so the 211 kept its place in my top ten favourite bus routes. I used the route most regularly when it was allocated these vehicles, being such an enjoyable way to head into Central London after appointments at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. When New Routemasters eventually dumped themselves on the 211 at Battersea (QB) garage, the quality of service seemed to deteriorate rapidly, whilst rides became more of a burden. These LT-class vehicles were found in a common user pool consisting of routes 3 (for a time), 159 and 211, but if a conventional vehicle ever needed to be used the latter service was almost always chosen. Given that Battersea (QB) garage have had the 211 for so long, this could easily have been one of the biggest changes in the bus calendar, but with all routes that use New Routemasters, the allocated vehicles simply transfer to the new company and apart from some different logos, there is almost no noticeable difference before and after the contract date.

Excluding the background, playing a game of spot the difference between the Abellio and LU 211 photos might be somewhat difficult.

On Saturday 29th June 2019, London United (LU) assumed operation of the 211 from their Stamford Brook (V) garage, a perfect location for the Western terminus of Hammersmith. Abellio decided to confuse everyone and swap a load of New Routemasters between Battersea (QB) and Walworth (WL) garages towards the end of the 211 contract, but a fixed batch did migrate over to LU and were ready to work the route from day one. The last ever journey under Abellio was poorly attended, with only a very select group of admirably dedicated enthusiasts bothering to ride it, but if there were any other contract changes that weekend I'm sure even they would abandon the 211. Buses were scarcely photographed on day one too; uncomfortably high temperatures deterred most from leaving the comfort of their homes and I ended up following this trend, despite usually enjoying the chaos of a first day. From my infrequent London Vehicle Finder spot checks, the service was in tatters at first, with almost every other bus being curtailed during the afternoon, but it seems to have improved a little since then. Stamford Brook controllers will have already familiarised themselves with the excruciating task of operating a Central London route with routes 9, 27 and 10 (deceased). A common user pool has already been established with the former two services and the 211, but so far none of the E3's conventional ADL Enviro400 hybrids have been brave enough to show up on the newcomer. They could easily appear if reblinded, especially since the fallback 27 will be departing for Abellio (funny how this tender game works) in November, so maybe the 211 will become the new dumping ground for conventional buses during New Routemaster shortages. Either way, I hope London United aren't defeated by their difficult start and I wish them good luck for the next five years.

This photo was taken on 2019's hottest day, because I cleverly decided to leave my 81 snapping session until the last minute...

In contrast to the 211's territory where bus usage is rapidly declining, routes in the suburbs are thriving, including cross-border ones like the 81. It runs considerably further West than any other TfL bus service, linking the Berkshire town of Slough with Hounslow, via Langley, Colnbrook, Longford, Harlington Corner and Hounslow West. It is an impressive 12 miles in length, taking around 65 minutes to complete, with the peak vehicle requirement being for 16 vehicles. A 12 minute frequency is provided from Monday to Saturday, with 4bph on Sundays and 3bph during the evening, although
there are some enhancements during the school run. It's hard to believe that it primarily used single deckers just under a decade ago - the combination of long distance and local trips, around the Heathrow villages or along Bath Road, mean buses are pretty well-loaded throughout the day, but are noticeably busier towards Hounslow in the evening peak. The convenience and value of an oyster card has clearly driven away custom from the local First Berkshire services around Slough and Langley, which have been drastically cut over the past few years. If you haven't ridden the 81 already, I urge you to take a trip to Slough and back; it has to be one of my favourite routes in West London. It's incredible that the same journey involves negotiating the bustling hubbub of Hounslow, cruising down the Bath Road dual carriageway, admiring the planes taking off at Heathrow Airport and passing through extremely quaint villages, some of which are endangered with the upcoming Heathrow expansion. It'll be fascinating to see what happens to the 81 if plans for a third runway come to fruition - even if a direct service from Slough to Hounslow is retained, I'm sceptical that it'll be anywhere near as attractive.

One good thing about snapping the 81 is that lots of the route is exposed, so finding a sun spot is never difficult.

Hounslow (AV) garage intermittently operated the route for 84 years, and solidly since 2005, so its departure was quite remarkable. It's certainly questionable as to how London United have lost three major double deck routes which so conveniently terminate in the depot forecourt - Metroline have certainly taken advantage of their generosity in allowing interlopers to stand there. Some garages simply wouldn't have it. Nonetheless, RATP have done extremely well elsewhere and were still extremely competent on the 81, having the necessary experience to take appropriate action in times of disruption, particularly if it was M25-related. Even on the last day buses were curtailed to locations like Langley and Hounslow West when required, contrasting the increasingly common sense of abandonment felt before a route changes operator. I first started using the 81 on a regular

basis in the late 2000s and vividly remember the variety of bus types that appeared, along with the accompanying looks of disappointment whenever it was a Dart Pointer, given that it was usually too full to stop. Volvo/B7TL ALX400s and Plaxton Presidents dominated afterwards, but even towards the end of the contract there was usually a 50/50 split between ADL Enviro 400s and N230/UD Scania OmniCitys, with the former type being preferred for long distance journeys, since they're equipped with comfortable Esteban Civic seats. Occasionally you could find one of the unique low height 56-reg N94/UD Scania OmniCitys (to the right), famous for their deafening iBus speakers and ability to sustain speed. Only four remain in regular service, so I'm delighted that SP8 ended up being my last ever London United 81, with the presence of other enthusiasts and wonderful external surroundings making it a fabulous trip. Having experienced difficulty snapping one throughout the last week due to their erratic behaviour, it was especially rewarding to have one turn up by chance. Thank you Hounslow garage, for providing so many fantastic experiences on the 81. I hope that they can actually find some success when the next West London services are up for tender!

One advantage of snapping in the early evening is the lack of traffic - usually this spot would be impossible!

Naturally, you'd assume that such a respectable trunk route changing operator would result in an army of photographers descending upon Hounslow, but the turnout of first day photos was substandard. Saturday 27th July 2019 was pretty rainy and miserable, although this usually only discourages a handful of photographers who only snap in full sun (I don't entirely blame them, but there is only one changeover day!). Having to share with the number 208 in South-East London could've forced busy enthusiasts to prioritise, but having direct trains to/from London Victoria means a Lewisham to Hounslow journey is hardly torturous. However, the Essex Bus Rally & Londoner In The Country show also occurred on this date, occupying several precious hours for those who attended. It was a thoroughly enjoyable affair and definitely more satisfying than an uneventful first day, so the vast majority of enthusiasts understandably didn't put themselves through a commute excruciatingly lasting for nearly two hours. Frustratingly, the Hammersmith & City Line wasn't running from Liverpool Street, which meant I couldn't habitually avoid the deep level tube, but I was still crazy enough to cover all three events. These factors meant that only those truly dedicated to obtaining first day photographs actually bothered with the 81, especially because snapping bus routes  in the evening is an absolute pain - buses are infrequent and the more exotic vehicles tend to be subbed early on, so I ended up returning to the route on the following Monday.

I'm really happy that a 222 showed up in the background, as these sister services are once again at the same company.

Instead of joining the other double deck services at Brentford (AH), Metroline decided that it would be better to operate the 81 from a brand new base, known as Lampton (SG) garage and conveniently only five minutes away from Hounslow Bus Station. It's a pretty compact site, with no room for any other substantial services, but Metroline have obviously considered it to be a worthy investment. Buses often run to the depot and back between trips to make driver changeovers even easier, with the potential to send buses out at short notice being very reassuring, especially when there are delays. Metroline presumably undercut London United as they had a large pool of VW-class Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TLs collecting dust, but as these were from several different batches they decided to over complicate everything and send them to Harrow Weald (HD) garage, so the 186 now has an extremely messy allocation. This allowed the pool of 62reg VWs to leave HD and deposit themselves on the 81, presumably because Metroline wanted a neat allocation for positive first impressions. If that was the motive, I'd argue that they haven't been entirely successful, since only a handful of these VWs have received a refurbishment, with the others looking slightly knackered inside. In addition, heavy maintenance is undertaken at Brentford (AH) anyway, who have to loan a couple of buses to the 81 on a daily basis, with the ex-First VW1833 almost always doing the honours. As usual, the service was horrendous on day one, with a break down early in the morning not helping matters, but my brief experience was still positive, since the Gemini 2s are very fast and offer a much smoother ride than pretty much everything Hounslow sent out. The service has improved drastically over the past couple of weeks and will almost certainly match the high standards set by London United. I don't think I'll ever associate the 81 with Metroline, given my childhood memories, but I still wish them all the best, mostly so the passengers don't have to suffer!

Thanks for reading and take care!