Comments on: Ken Livingstone is a…

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:12:51 +0000

Let me come clean straight away – I’m NOT a bus enthusaist at all, but reading this blog, I wonder how many of you actually use London buses to commute every day. I do. I’ve been in London for 24 years now and seen all the transport services decline badly, buses especially. Granted, the Routemaster was an outdated design, but it was easy to maintain, narrow so that other traffic in London’s congested streets could pass it, speedy, and practical. The arguments about safety have been well articulated above – a supine, gutless government, promotion of litigation and lack of personal responsibility are the issues here. Accessibility – well, it would have been cheaper to give disabled people free taxi cards than spend hundreds of millions on new buses. And don’t get me started on women with those BLOODY buggies – losing six or eight seats to an overgrown pushchair beggars belief….

From a complete amateur but a regular commuter, the new buses (and I’ve no idea what you call them) are noisy (especially with stupid automated announcements -for-morons which have just started), uncomfortable (try having your arse roasted by sitting over the engine compartment!), badly designed (vast waste of internal space, pitching passengers around and down the stairs, and out of seats which don’t have rails in front), tremendously ugly in terms of interiors, and, above all SLOW!! I’m not saying bring back the RM but at least lets have something which copes with the traffic and commuter conditions of London and not just off-the-peg rubbish.

By: Andrew Jeffreys

Andrew Jeffreys — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:48:12 +0000

Don’t mind me, I just got curious about the RM vs M skirmish and have finally tracked it down… I won’t knock the RM despite getting less enthused with them the more they were tinkered with but I’d agree that the rear-engine and minibus eras are greatly under-represented in preservation and could do with more examples. I suspect, however, that the commercial origins of many of the early minis sent many of them to scrap whereas even now it’s possible with a bit of luck to find the odd DMS or contemporary types that might be saveable.

By: Steve23589

Steve23589 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:35:06 +0000

#49 – too right there is! And not before time! There seems to be this almost fascist attitude that the RM is king and nothing else counts or should be counted. What a load of nonsense – it was an excellently engineered vehicle, but outdated even when it was introduced.

There are huge numbers in preservation and long may there be, but move on – the RM should have gone years ago and now it has finally gone it is never ever coming back, so face up to it!

By: ejc

ejc — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:04:26 +0000

A lot of Routemaster-bashing seems to be going on at the moment, and someone needs to stand up for the old girl!
The RM was a great bus. It was the epitome of its age, when public service meant just that. Specifically designed for a specific role. It represents a time before the throw away society we now live in. When if things could be kept going they were, instead of chucking them for something supposedly better.
It was the last in its line of front-engined, rear-platform buses with conductors.
Subsequent types have been great- I am a big Metrobus fan, but we can see their descendants in service today, the RM we can’t. Maybe they did go on a bit too long, but that’s only because an ideal replacement couldn’t be found, and still can’t. Basically it was something different.
We should remember all of London’s great buses equally, but a little respect for one of London’s longest serving workhorses please.

By: Edward Pearce

Edward Pearce — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:01:48 +0000

They probably lust over the engine block cos its overheating. Clapped out old rubbish which should have been scrapped years ago. Give me an MCW any day.

By: Andy Moore

Andy Moore — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:25:26 +0000

If Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson want a real vote winner, i suggest he go out to all the provinces and round up all the Olympians, Titans, Metrobuses etc and put them back on the streets of London.
Quality Vehicles which “Normals” didnt moan about.

And can someone answer me a strange question.
Why do RM “Cranks” get there jollies from whipping up the bonnet at Bus Rallies and lusting over the engine block.

You dont see us rear engined fans round the back of buses “getting off” on eyeing the engines up.

And…….how many more times are you gonna recreate the barking route 62 road run Mr Blake….???

By: Terence Moore

Terence Moore — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:53:59 +0000

Hellfire !.

Lets not stop there. What about the Ford Iveco Turbo Daily and Doormobile minibuses which were used but the much mourned and missed Luton & District Bus company. These little Hoppanstopper buses plied their trade round all the housing estates of Luton, Dunstable, Hitchin, Letchworth and no doubt many more towns where the BIG buses couldnt reach.
I started my bus enthusiasm on these little workhorses and im sure they deserve a little mention too. (Ah, those were the days. Round the Jackmans Estate and the Grange Estate every 8 – 10 mins !).

And while we seem to be on the subject of bashing the dreaded RM, i cant imagine sitting on one all the way from Hitchin to London Victoria, (Route 718 i believe). What a bleeding ordeal. Now a nice SNB would be a pleasure.

By: Edward Pearce

Edward Pearce — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:32:50 +0000

Here, here. And the RMs should have been taken off the road years ago. Im sure half of them were only just roadworthy.

By: Andy Moore

Andy Moore — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:29:27 +0000

I think i’ve touched a bit of a raw nerve here and good for it.

I’m glad im not alone in my admiration for rear engined buses.

So what if they look like slabs or shoe boxes, but they were still on the roads of london for the best part of 25-30 years.

By: Edward Pearce

Edward Pearce — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:56:28 +0000

As I said its time the old timers laid the wretched RM to rest. Indeed I pay good money to see one scrapped! MCWs and Leyland Nationals rule. Far more superior to that open ended muck! Oh yes Merton when it was solid DMS and Harrow Weald when it was wall to wall LS,s and MCWs…..ah those were the days!