Forum Topic

Retendering of local bus services have your say

TfL are currently consulting on the retendering of bus routes.Please bear in mind TfL’s advice on suggestions, comments, etc on routes:  They are looking for comments from the public to Stakeholders in this case London TravelWatch. They would particularly welcome information on any particular problems you may have identified rather than a specific suggestion for extension or enhancement of an individual route. This is because the best solution to a problem may be a change to another route rather than the one being directly reviewed. Closing date for comments put on the forum by 23rd September.  I will then take them forward to Tfl. Suggestions might include:                                                 ideas which enhance social inclusion;                        corridors or areas which might benefit from new or enhanced Sunday or night services;                        areas or corridors on which you feel increased frequency or larger vehicles are needed to  cater for demand;                         identifying routes which you feel are unreliable;                        ideas which improve integration with other transport modes or interchange with other bus  routes or improve access to major developments.”  The routes affected are: 207, N207, 427, 427, 607 195 266, N266 260 120 70, R70 94, N94 11, N11 195 X26 110, 111 81 211, C1

Libby Kemp ● 6156d10 Comments

Bet you don't get many 'Freeloaders' on the 607!

Colin Vaughan ● 6150d

I didn't realise that it didn't, actually. The 607 is much faster, of course, but you can't beat the amount of space you get on the 207. It makes a crucial difference if you've got a pushchair, wheelchair, suitcase, etc.....

Lina Leaman ● 6151d

I think the 607 should run on Sunday's as the 207 is always overcrowded.

James Sirman ● 6151d

So are those after a freebie Lina.

Colin Vaughan ● 6152d

It's not just the 207 which is permanently overcrowded. It can be hard to get on the 283 to Barnes or the 220 to Putney. The best route is the 94 which comes so frequently that I don't even bother running for it. Can be tricky to board in Oxford street, though.....But the bendies are so spacious and well designed. I'm really going to miss them.

Lina Leaman ● 6153d

Well its slow now Tom, its hard to see your logic on this one as a Tram(?)would have to share road space with other vehicles.In London the only other Tram system is in Croydon as you probably know. The only part of that which is successful is the part which runs from Addiscombe into Central Croydon. Why, because it only comes on to the road where people want to get to, that is Central Croydon. It uses under used Railways, and Private rights of way.Speeds of 50 mph can be achieved,so it is quick, which is what people want.An all along the road system which must share with other traffic cannot be any quicker. Fifty miles an hour would not be possible along the Uxbridge Road even if you somehow magiced all the other traffic, including Commecial traffic and other Bus routes away.In fact it would be highly dangerous in the narrow parts of Acton etc, plus the fact it would cost up to not short of £1 billion to construct and crucially to maintain. Even if you started now it could not be ready before 2018 at the earliest, and in the current economic climate long after that.Crossrail may aleviate some of this.We have a perfectly good Railway running parallel with the Uxbridge Road for much of its length and it is underused.Although not near enough to Shepheards Bush, if it satisfies through passenger demand farther backalong the route, it will free up bus services like the 207.The ironic thing is that the 207 route, which is relativly straight is one of the few routes in London where the bendie works reasonably well, apart fron the anarchy of fare evasion. But that is probably one reason why it is so crowded, as many people using it are getting a freebie!

Colin Vaughan ● 6154d

What difference would it make if it were a Tram Tom?

Colin Vaughan ● 6154d

Considering it's a crowded bendy that should be a tram, going back to double deckers will result in a slow, crowded service that's more expensive to operate.  Luckily this doesn't have to happen before 2012, so there's time for grown-up policies to appear at City Hall first.

Thomas Barry ● 6154d

Probably not Lina, as the non fare paying will not be able to get on so easily!

Colin Vaughan ● 6154d

I really do wonder what is going to happen when the 207 stops being a bendy. At the moment, if you try and get on it at weekends, it is ALWAYS crowded, despite the extra long length. If they are going to replace it with a regular sized bus, they will have to send one along every 2 minutes to cope with the demand!

Lina Leaman ● 6154d