It's noisy, bumpy and not very comfortable - but, according to Vogue, the number 19 bus route is also one of the 14 most stylish locations in Britain.

The style bible's "glamour issue", out today, ranks it alongside The Wolseley restaurant and Blakes Hotel, saying it is "the shuttle service for 'nice' girls as they hop between jobs in West End art galleries and their Chelsea apartments".

The service goes from Battersea Bridge to Islington, via Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Piccadilly Circus, but Vogue's Vanessa Barnaby said: "It's people rather than the place that make something glamorous."

So is Vogue right? The Evening Standard boarded the number 19 at Piccadilly Circus to find out...

Charlie Hill, 28, public relations executive from East Sheen: "The number 19 is glamorous because of the area it travels through. The people on it are part of the 'pashmina brigade'. I work in Chelsea and mostly take the number 22 to work. It goes through Putney and Parson's Green and I think that's pretty glamorous - it's full of young professionals who work in offices along the King's Road."

Emma Ropner, 38, a creative writing student, from Chelsea: "I'm a rural-urban girl and split my time between London and my house in Yorkshire. When I'm travelling to the country I always take the number 19 to Piccadilly Circus and then the Tube to King's Cross to catch my train. Vogue has definitely got it right - it's full of well-dressed, goodlooking people, particularly single working men in suits. I love it."

Patricia Zajdel, 24, administration manager from Chelsea: "I work for a cosmetics company and we have two offices, one in Chelsea and the other in Holborn. I regularly take the number 19 bus between the two. I must admit I haven't noticed that it's any different from any of the other bus routes I've taken. All the people on it look pretty normal to me - they're not especially glamorous."

Alex Wurfield, 17, a sixth form student from Pimlico: "I've just had lunch with my boyfriend on the King's Road and now I'm off to my afternoon lessons. I'll take the bus to Sloane Square and then take a 137 to Marylebone, where my college is. I use this route quite a lot and it's true, there are a lot of glamorous people on it. They're welldressed and good looking. You see some very handsome guys as well."

Miranda Casini, 39, a housewife from South Kensington: "My youngest child goes to a nursery in World's End so I take the bus to collect him if I don't have time to walk. I would say that most people on this route, whatever age, are quite smart. That must be because of the area the bus travels through. I guess if you compare it with somewhere like Walthamstow it's glamorous. I would say it's genteel."

Will Irvine, 34, from Hoxton: "I work for a management construction company near Bank and I use the number 19 once a week to visit our architects in Battersea. I certainly notice the difference. It's a lot classier. The people who travel on it are well-kept."

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