BLINDLY CHANGING

Well, it is time for the 88 to some of the last non-OPO LTs for the OPO 88 conversion. And they do have interesting blinds:

London General LT509 formerly on Route 88, Clapham Common (© Aubrey)

(Yes, I know the N11 has converted partly to LT already).

The return of the block capitals to the blind, albeit in a fairly interesting fashion. Fairly similar to the "Kindle Bus":


Metroline TEH1224 on Route 16, Victoria (CC Aubrey)
That is how e-ink displays are changed, hence the black on white panel.

Thanks, Leon Daniels?

Back to the 88, the LTs are, erm... The normal, usual stuff.


London General LT509 on Route 88, Clapham Common (© Aubrey)

Yep, they are well known for also having a very condensed font for Clapham Common.


London General LT481 on Route 88, Vauxhall (© Aubrey)

Or basically just having very notable fonts for the front destinations.


London General LT481 on Route 88, Clapham Common (© Aubrey)

But the fonts seem to be normal here.

The 88 is the last route to get non-OPO LTs, with the 16 being the first route to be fully converted to OPO LTs. Even so, the 16 had finished converting before the 88 due to the 168 kerfuffle (yes, a 16 and 168 post is due out).


London General LT505, LT481, EH32 on Route 88, Clapham Common Old Town (© Aubrey)

Drivers and passengers alike both prefer the Enviro 400H to the LT. When I spoke to a driver on stand, he preferred driving the Enviro. Coincidentally he had an Enviro, so yeah... Another irony is that the EHs are now appearing on their initial intended route, the 87!

Public opinion has swayed so much against the LT, they are to fit opening windows on them. In order to fit opening windows, the existing windows have to be removed. Right, who gets the job with the hammer smashing LT windows?

Long Citaros for Long Route 358

Route 358 has its 53-reg Scania Omnicity single deckers replaced - the first time this route has actually gotten new buses to replace buses ordered under a TfL contract for this route. Prior to 2003, the route was under either a temporary contract to TfL or a Metrobus commercial service. The route started in 1989 as a commercial route with just two return journeys. It is now a high frequency TfL contracted route.

Metrobus MEC61 on Route 358, Crystal Palace Station (© Aubrey)

The first day of service was with about 4 Citaros, all initially having no destination displays. However, by lunchtime, this had been sorted as seen.


Metrobus MEC58 on Route 358, Elmers End Green (© Aubrey)

The route is now one of two bus routes that use the Citaro due to the Shortlands Station bridge. The other route is the 227, running only between Crystal Palace and Bromley North (which is also served by the 358 too).

The second day of Citaro service on the 358 brought more Citaros.


Metrobus MEC57 on Route 358 and Stagecoach Selkent 23106 on Route 227, Crystal Palace (© Jacek)

Rides on it were actually pretty good. Very quiet as well!


Metrobus MEC61 & MEC57 on Route 358, Orpington Station (© Lewis)

They were phased into service over that initial weekend of the 11th/12th September 2015, all without front logos (which they have since gained).


Metrobus MEC59, Green Street Green (© Lewis)

Some buses were still being delivered to the garage or were out for testing when they started entering service.


Metrobus MEC57 on Route 358, Orpington Station (© Jacek)

They look smart, look the part, and hopefully will do well in intensive service over the next few years, travelling along the joint-longest day stopping bus route (joint with the 111).


Metrobus MEC54 on Route 358, Green Street Green (© Aubrey)

At least some have the front logos applied correctly.


The same bus is then seen returning to Crystal Palace at the same place (© Lewis)

Lewis and I got on that bus, and then suddenly we didn't have a nearside wing mirror.


Metrobus 566 overtakes MEC54 on Route 358, Green Street Green (CC Aubrey)

The bus had somehow smashed the wing mirror against a sign or something else. This was also just after a driver change as well, thus it had that incident before the driver's first stop!
We let the Omnicity to pass so we could get on another Citaro. It ended up being a Citaro bunch race between me/Lewis and Jacek (who got on the Citaro behind from Orpington Station) until Crystal Palace!

Overall, it's a positive opinion towards these buses.

Night Tube Changes, But... (NBAD 8)

...no night Tube, obviously. TfL decided to increase the frequency of 53N and N68, give 24 hour weekend service to Routes 132, 486, 154 and permanent 24 hour service to Routes 222 and 238 (thus 222N and 238N). But two significant changes were:

Route N47 is rerouted via Route 199 between Canada Water and Lewisham, being renumbered N199.


Stagecoach London 10135 on Route N199, Trafalgar Square (© Aubrey)

This makes Route N199 one of the longest bus routes in London, in fact overtaking N9 and making it just as long as N89. However, the service is worsened for those who use it in the later times of the morning and at around midnight.


Stagecoach London 19842 on Route N199, London Bridge (CC Aubrey)
It isn't even 4:30am and this is the last N199 to St Mary Cray. Early morning journeys are curtailed to Bellingham afterwards, which gives people with early morning starts a very long journey via 208, 47 (and 15) instead of one direct N47. On Sundays, these journeys run to St Mary Cray (and the last bus northbound does another southbound journey). With N47, the last southbound bus was 5:27am on Saturdays (5:20am on Sundays) to St Mary Cray.


Stagecoach London 10132 on Route N199, London Bridge (CC Aubrey)

As seen by this bus, the last two journeys (Mon-Sat am) are shorts to Bellingham, leaving people that need to go further to trot along on slower day buses. This did not happen with the N47, with all buses on the N47 running full route.


Stagecoach 10203 on Route N199, Charing Cross Station (CC Aubrey)

This is 5am, and the last N199 arrives at Charing Cross. The last N47 every day was at least at around 6:20-6:30am arriving at Trafalgar Square.
The first N47 at any point was the 11:24/8pm service from Trafalgar Square (11:40pm on Mon-Fri), but the first N199 is the 12:56am from Lewisham to Trafalgar Square.
A heavy reduction of services on the fringes. NBADs will have to start earlier in the night, but think of the poor regulars whose latest N47s have been replaced by a 208-47 journey!

Route 47(N) (night service of Route 47) replaces part of Route N47:


Stagecoach London 18488 on Route 47N, London Bridge (© Aubrey)

Also, Route N133 is extended to Morden via the 118. Banditry ensures.


Arriva London T98 on Route N133, London Bridge (© Aubrey)

The route now has buses which start and finish slightly earlier, but otherwise the timetables do not have many differences, except the obvious extension to Morden.


Arriva London T88 on Route N133, London Bridge (© Aubrey)

And the obvious banditry.


Arriva London VLA1 on Route N133, London Bridge (© Aubrey)

In one direction only.

The TfL surveyors were at London Bridge and Morden (at least) doing the new changes. The N199 was emptier than the equivalent N47s which are pretty full as commented by them. Overall, the changes exist and slightly benefit a few. At least Shoreditch has another night bus service to relieve the N35 (the 47N).