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NEW LOOK ON LONDON STREETS

E more I experience London Transport at first hand, and the more I read, or for that matter write, about its seemingly endless trials and tribulations, the more I become convinced that there are in fact two London Transport undertakings.

One is the much-maligned, enterprise-starved, trouble-ridden undertaking that everyone criticizes and no one loves.

The other is the genuine undertaking which is rather more enterprising and not quite so trouble-ridden as people would believe; the undertaking whose actual bus crews are, on average, no worse than those of any other sizeable undertaking throughout the country and which has, from time to time, carried out some interesting experiments with buses and coaches of advanced design.

These experiments of the past are conveniently forgotten by the critics of today, but I seem to recall experiments with pay-as-you enter double-deckers, forward-entrance double-deckers and a double-deck coach of very advanced design many years ago. Perhaps London Transport's only fault was that these experiments were not on a sufficiently large scale—apart, perhaps, from the forward-entrance double-deckers (although these latter were restricted to the country bus area).

This does not alter the fact that I believe that London Transport should be, and must be, much more enterprising in the future, particularly when drawing up service schedules; but there are growing signs that this will, in fact, be the case. The largest mistake made by the Board, and by the Executive before it in my opinion, was not to get to grips with the busmen earlier.

LATEST BUSES AND COACHES GENERALLY WELCOMED

Only in 1965 was the Board able to get round to introducing . "modern" types of bus on a large-scale experimental basis, and some experiments remain to be introduced at the time of writing. It took the agreement reached following the report of the Phelps Brown committee of enquiry to clear the way for introducing rearengined, front entrance double-deckers, introducing more 72-seat Routemasters, and extending the use of one-man single-decker buses into the central (red) bus area.

How have the London bus crews, and the London public, reputed to be so different from bus crews and the public in other parts of the country, taken to the new types of vehicle? I have been doing some travelling about to find out the answers to this question.

Country area Fleetlines

The first buses of the new type to enter service were eight Daimler Fleetlines which took over the operation of route 424 (Reigate to East Grinstead) on September 15, 1965 (CommERciAL MOTOR, September 10 and 17). Shortly afterwards, on October 3, 72-seat Routemasters replaced RTs on country bus routes 409, 410 and 411. On November 4, 1965, I travelled on service 424 with Mr. W. S. Rennick, assistant divisional superintendent (south), country buses and coaches, and Mr. F. A. Thurgood, assistant divisional engineer, south-east district, returning to Reigate via routes 409 and 410.

London Transport's original intention was to operate the Fleetlines as one-man buses with the top-deck sealed off outside peak periods; but owing to the slowness of the Ministry of Transport in passing the necessary legislation (still awaited at the time of writing), the bus we travelled on from Reigate at 11.25 a.m. carried a conductor. The bus crew were as friendly and helpful as any you could hope to meet anywhere in the country, and this was an advantage for the mothers with push-chairs who travelled on this particular trip.

The usefulness of the luggage space which replaces the nearside bench seat normally found at the front of the lower saloon of rearengined double-deckers was soon demonstrated, and at one stage push chairs were stacked both on this luggage space and beneath the stairs. Altogether seven push chairs were carried on this one particular journey. These were all handled by the conductor, which made me wonder how mothers would manage when the buses are switched to one-man operation.

To me the step from the platform into the lower saloon, specified by LTB, seemed rather high; but probably no more so than on a Routemaster. No passengers complained about it, however, although the conductor had to lift one small child up the step.

Generally speaking, passenger reaction to the new vehicles was favourable. They thought the vehicles warm and comfortable and an improvement over the older types. One passenger complained that the brakes were too fierce, which she noticed when walking forwards to alight from the bus. This complaint was echoed by the driver who, I rather suspect, was inclined to demonstrate this aspect of the vehicle's performance. The passenger in question, however, said that this fault was general on the new buses.

Reaction among bus crews manning the Fleetlines could be divided into two categories—the older men who accepted the new vehicles with reservations, and the younger who were enthusiastic about them. Mr. Rennick and Mr. Thurgood seemed to share the enthusiasm of the latter category.

Traffic on the routes now covered by the new RML buses was light on the afternoon I sampled them. An inspector who boarded one of the buses reported that more passengers were travelling on the Westerham to Bromley section of route since the RMLs had taken over. This was partly due to a small transfer of passengers from Green Line coaches when the new buses appeared.

Again, the new vehicles were appreciated; but some passengers complained that the heaters were not very effective. A combination of teething troubles with the heaters and the use of an open platform at the rear of the buses was the probable explanation for these complaints. Certainly the vehicles I travelled in were warm.

Atlanteans to Pimlico

Next stage in the experiments with new vehicle types was the long-awaited introduction, on November 7, of Leyland Atlanteans on central-area route 24 (Hampstead Heath-Pimlico). The previous week 72-seat RMLs had taken over route 76 (Lower EdmontonVictoria) for comparative trials, and a switch-over will be made sometime in the future when the Atlanteans will replace the RMLs on 76 and vice versa. More recently the balance of 50 Atlanteans entered service on route 271 (Highgate Village-Moorgate) and at the same time RMLs took over on 67 (Northumberland ParkLondon Docks).

The cold spell was at its height when I sampled service 24 one day in January, in company with Mr. E. A. Norvill, assistant divisional superintendent, west division, central (red) buses. Traffic was busy all the way out to Hampstead Heath and much of the way back but there was no obvious delay at stops due to the front-end loading and use of doors. The most noticeable feature was the absence of bell-ringing, either for stopping or starting.

We picked our bus for the journey at random, and the crew had most certainly not been forewarned of our arrival, but once again it was a case of a friendly, willing crew. Although we arrived at our destination somewhat late, due to traffic conditions, the bus pulled straight out again for the return trip in an attempt to gain time. This move was criticized, however, by another driver who seemed to think our crew should have had a short break.

The conductor of the Atlantean was quite enthusiastic about the bus although he would have preferred a recess beneath the stairs where he could stand whilst the bus was loading and unloading. He admitted that this only applied part of the time as he would often be engaged in collecting fares whilst the bus was at stops— something which was not (legally) possible with rear loading.

Fare collecting was much easier and the bench seats at the rear were no disadvantage, thought the conductor. He found the best method was to proceed round each saloon in a clockwise direction when collecting fares.

Both driver and conductor thought the loading was slightly slower but more orderly. The use of front-entrance buses meant better queueing, as the drivers could control the stopping position better. Once boarded, the passengers spread out more quickly than on rear-entrance buses. The crew also felt that the passenger flows from each deck met more satisfactorily. But most important of all—they felt that co-operation between driver and conductor was better. They were "more of a team".

Again the luggage space at the front nearside was utilized. Passengers had commented that the heating was good on these buses, but. quite frankly, the heating on this particular day was barely coping with the extreme cold. This was particularly noticeable in the lower saloon where the heater outlets are in the rear bulkhead only, apart from a cab heater.

One point which interested me was that the driver was selecting his gears manually, despite the provision of fully automatic transmission. Furthermore, he was using first gear to start each time. "They need to have a bit more acceleration", he told me. This was possibly psychological, due to the engine being away from the driver. Certainly with bottom gear being employed, the acceleration seemed powerful enough.

New Green Line coaches Without a doubt. the Green Line coaches of London Transport are the most striking new vehicles introduced by the Board to date. Some 14 of these coaches were introduced at the end of last November (COMMERCIAL MOTOR, October 29), the chassis being AEC Reliances with the 690 engine and semi-automatic transmission, fitted with 36 ft. 49-seat bodies by Willowbrook Ltd. based on the standard BET outline. Large panoramic fixed windows are employed in conjunction with forced ventilation and individual jet vents. Externally the vehicles are enhanced by a pastel grey livery with one broad band of Lincoln green at waist height. Vehicle classification is RC.

My only personal complaint about these vehicles is the height of the entrance steps; but Mr. R. S. Turnbull, operating assistant in the department of the operating manager, country buses and coaches, told me that they had not received any specific complaints about the steps. Mr. Turnbull said the crews were now familiar with the RCs and were quite enthusiastic about them. Although passenger reaction was also favourable, some passengers had complained about the height of the seat backs.

A run over the Victoria to Slough section of the 705 route, on which the new coaches are operated, was an interesting and comfortable experience. This section of route includes some limited-stop operation, and quite high average speeds are obtained. Despite the severity of the weather (freezing rain was falling throughout the journey) the coach was comfortably warm and the individual ventilators were needed to maintain the right temperature. The crew on the outward trip were quite enthusiastic about the coaches; on the return trip I encountered an older crew who were not so happy.

Passenger reaction has been favourable, although some passengers actually found the seats uncomfortable. Most of them liked the new seats, however, and the wide entrance and "air conditioning" were also appreciated.

To return to the above-mentioned bus crew; they had some valid points about the new vehicles, quite apart from the natural reluctance to accept new ideas found in older people. The length of the coaches (the first 36 ft. vehicles to enter LTB service) embarrassed the driver, although he admitted it was a question of getting used to them. He thought the coaches were too wide and long for the type of work, the Victoria to Sevenoaks section of route being in marked contrast to the straighter and wider roads of the western section.

The driver also complained that the windscreen steamed up, despite the demisters, and the signalling window had a habit of freezing up. Furthermore, the rain gutter above the windows ended at the corner in front of the signalling window, causing water to pour down the window, obscuring the offside mirror. On the credit side, however, the driver claimed that the coaches gave a good ride, especially when full.

This good riding was confirmed by the conductor, although he complained that the brakes were rather fierce; this factor, in conjunction with the wide expanse of screen, made him feel particularly vulnerable. There was nowhere for him to stand in safety once the fares had been collected. For my own part, I appreciated the excellent visibility from the front nearside seats and the general comfort of the vehicles, so much better than the glorified buses normally used on Green Line duties.

Passenger comment As an important part of the experiments, London Transport invited passenger comment on the new vehicles. Most of the points made on the new coaches I have already described; but some of the comments about the new Atlanteans are very interesting. Allowing for the fact that people with grievances are more likely to take the trouble to comment than those who appreciate the new vehicles, a fair selection of comments has been received— many of them contradictory. To take some of them at random: Stairs dangerous, narrow and winding. Doors time-wasting and inconvenient in traffic. Safety aspect of doors approved. Excessive heat. Commendable warmth of vehicles. Give very smooth ride and very comfortable. Vibration of bodywork. Very quiet. Engine noise at rear. Nice wide gangway. Seats are narrow. Cheap and tinny appearance. Centre grab pole dangerous. Driver's visibility reduced. Windows too small and draughty when open. Does not blend with the London scene.

Well, you certainly cannot please everybody. I only hope that London Transport will consider that the exercise was worthwhile, and will not be swayed by the remarks of the cynics. The Board must pay regard to the general reception given to the new types of vehicles—both from the public and the operating staff—and there is no denying that this reception has been favourable. The Atlantean may not "blend with the London scene"—neither would horse buses on the streets of London today! The days of the rear open platform double-decker and the glorified bus on Green Line services must surely be numbered.