Bendy-Buses Are "Exceptionally Effective"

RAC slams Mayor's plan to scrap them

The RAC has spoken out against the Mayor's plans to scrap all bendy-buses in the capital and replace some of them with Routemasters.

Boris Johnson has referred to bendy-buses, such as the 207 which runs between Hayes-By-Pass and Shepherd's Bush, as “writhing whales” and has criticised them for being dangerous, particularly for cyclists.

But an RAC Foundation report argues that replacing them with smaller buses will result in more traffic on the streets: “The ‘new bus for London’ is believed to be a reaction to a perceived dislike by Londoners of the bendy-bus, fuelled by the London press, and an erroneous belief that they are less safe than the traditional London bus, and unsuited to its road network. The bendy-bus is an exceptionally effective mover of large volumes of people and extremely well used on the high-demand routes that the buses serve.

“If it is to be replaced by a ‘new generation Routemaster’, it is likely that many more buses
will be required to carry the same passenger demand. This will add to operating costs with the risk of later increased fares (or even less investment in roads), add to traffic volumes and bus-on-bus congestion at stops, and being a double-decker, is likely to require longer bus stop dwell times, despite open-boarding."

The report argues that bendy-buses operate in many major cities with similar transport challenges to London and says they are environmentally efficient and cost-effective in moving large numbers of passengers around.

The RAC report concedes: “It is true that when bunched in particular, they can block junctions and present an imposing obstacle to other road users. Their deployment is therefore limited to the highest-demand services. Traffic management measures to better accommodate their
operation and improved service control, enabled through TfL’s new iBus system, might
enable TfL to mitigate some of this operational difficulty.”

But in conclusion, the report states: “There is no evidence to suggest that the thousands of users of the bendy-bus would prefer to revert to a double-decker. There is no evidence that the bendy-bus presents a greater risk to road users.

“It is clear, however, that to revert to a lower capacity double deck bus will increase bus
volumes significantly on the busy routes if they are to serve the demand, with a consequent
reduction in journey speed for their passengers and for general traffic. It is difficult to believe that a business case can be made that would justify the prioritisation of scarce funds for the very significant investment in these Mayoral initiatives.”

Responding to the RAC report, the Mayor's transport adviser, Kulveer Ranger, told the Evening Standard: “Unlike the RAC Foundation, the Mayor's focus is not only on drivers.

“He makes no apology at all for pursuing radical measures to increase cycling and walking and greatly enhance our public transport network.”

While some bendy bus routes have already been phased out, the 207 is due to remain in service until the end of 2011.

1 October 2009