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The bendybus unloads and loads quickly so is much quicker than the double deckers. And much more practical for disabled people and those with prams.

Those who are criticising the bus are all from low-density locations not served by bendybuses. Most people that support the bendybuses are those that use them everyday and have found that they are much more practical.

Save the bendy bus.

- Patrick, Hackney, 11/11/2009 17:44
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save them because they are efficient and have a place.Why have 12 meter single Decker buses??CRAZY WASTE OF MONEY

- John, london, 29/07/2009 02:48
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I'd like to support Janet Cooke's statement regarding bus route 38. After commuting on the 38 for 25+ years I can confirm that the route is actually usable now and that any losses regarding ability to jump on and off are far, far outweighed by not having to watch, and then wait, as bus after full bus pass by, a daily occurrence prior to bendy bus introduction.

I'd urge Mr Johnson not to undo an action that has brought about a REAL improvement in service and to the daily life of bus USERS due to loyalty to an ill conceived election promise.

- Tom Power, Hackney, London, 17/10/2008 15:47
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If you travel on buses with a pram or with shopping then you will know what an amazing difference Bendy buses have made. They have plenty of space and are easy to get in and out of. I can only imagine that it you use a wheelchair that the same advantages apply.

Do they block junctions sure - BUT they are also much faster to load and unload at junctions.

Finally - there have been no cyclists killed in collisions with Bendy buses since their introduction.

According to the London Assemlby breakdown, bendy bus routes threw up 5.6 collisions with pedestrians in 2006/07; non-bendy bus routes 5.17. Collisions with cyclists were 2.62 on bendy buses; but 2.78 on non-bendy routes.

- Chris K, London, 09/10/2008 01:44
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quote: "To those who claim they have witnessed fare-dodging, how can they possibly know when only Oyster pay as you go users are required to touch in? All other tickets require no action."

How come then, that when on those rare occasions when an inspector appears, the bus suddenly empties?

- Robert Zimmerman, London, 08/10/2008 21:27
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We should get the doubledeckers back. These "bendy" buses are a dumm Red Ken legacy idea.

- Georgie, Islington, London, 07/10/2008 13:04
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All these comments. Don't some people realise the bendies are suitable for some routes eg 507 but not on certain routes like the 29. If you all use these bendy routes then you know why some bendies are suitable and some are not.

Overall, bendies should stay but there are too many of them

- Tony, london, 07/10/2008 12:30
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Routemasters had a conductor who would help prevent littering, anti social behaviour, vandalism, fare dodging and even "the ever growing threat of terrorism" to coin a Labour phrase. A style icon, they were reliable, with many seemingly 40 years old or more and still going strong. They made it so convenient to travel on as you could hop on and off at any point. They are replaced by Bendy Buses, to me far less safe for passengers as there is no conductor, and the driver has no way of knowing what goes on at the back as its so far away. Id far rather take my chances on the top deck of a Routemaster than at the back of a Bendy where all kinds of anti-social behaviour seems to happen. They kill cyclists and pedestrians, spontaneously combust and are not suitable for our London streets. Oh, and they are certainly no style icon. How depressing for tourists to see these behemoths on our fair streets.

- W. Edwards, London, 07/10/2008 11:53
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Can we please concentrate on the topic. Bendy buses are not suitable for London's streets, that's a fact. I don't care if people pay their fair or not. Secondly, Ken was ousted simply because London was sick of Labour and wanted them to have a bloody nose. Ken was good for London, Boris has not had the time to prove his worth yet, although I do believe what he is doing is right. Get rid of the bendy buses asap.

- Rod, Epping UK, 07/10/2008 10:44
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Why not do a monitored week (both during term time with the same road works taking place) of bendy buses obtaining views of all passengers, monitoring length of bus journey, traffic congestion and then the following week do the same but replace bendy buses with double deckers - this should give a fair representation

- Andy, London, 07/10/2008 10:28
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I am sorry, C May of Bromley, but I don't know what you are trying to say.

Oooops, gotta go, an inspector just came onto this No. 38....

- Robert Zimmerman, London, 07/10/2008 01:26
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The Mad Hatter's Tea Party?

- Vince London, West London, 07/10/2008 01:25
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At last common sense prevails, whilst I agree that there are limitations on the bendies but the fact is they do have a place in London, why should people be embaressed with this 18m monsters? Other cities in UK like Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, York, Gateshead, Bath, Cardiff, Southapton and Aberdeen, Europe and outside Europe has them have them why not London? please don't give me these so-called "they are to big" attitudes because I will not buy into this argument. I believe bendy buses should stay for the sake of financial sense as well as loading advatages. I do believe TfL can crack down on fare evasion on bendy buses they need to go to countries like germany where they have bigger deterrents to crack down on the fare evasions.

- George, London, 06/10/2008 22:40
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Bravo London Travelwatch! Of course the bendy buses should stay and there should be more of them!

To those who claim they have witnessed fare-dodging, how can they possibly know when only Oyster pay as you go users are required to touch in? All other tickets require no action.

Keep up the campaign for commonsense and who knows, even the current Mayor may be persuaded to put aside his irrational prejudice.

Buses are there to transport people, not be some sort of nostagic icon for those who don't use public transport.

- Don, London, 06/10/2008 22:14
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That is 'fewer houses' T Leaf from Islington, or is the poor grammar part of you characterisation?

- B Williams, Friern Barnet, UK, 06/10/2008 20:16
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I'm an VERY unfortunate bus 29 commuter and I say one thing only: get rid of ALL bendy busses as they truly are the BUSSES FROM HELL.
People are squeezed in worst than sardines, fare doggers are rife to say the least. Nowadays I avoid sitting at the back of these busses like the plague.. everything goes on back there: crackheads, tramps and homeless people using the bendy busses as a doss, people playing crap loud music, eating and dumping big piles of rubbish, puking having arguments and fights. In the morning your stomach normally churns due to the stench of puke pretty much at the front as much as at the back of the bus.
On top of that I have been pick pocketed... So DON"T try and sell me the bendy busses: they are sh*t full stop.

- Stef Balbo, london, 06/10/2008 19:36
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"Feedback we have received suggests that many people favour the retention of bendy buses on these routes."

Don't think so sweetheart. I've lived on the 73 route and now live on the 38 route and can say that most people disagree wit you.

- Lemongrass, Hackney, 06/10/2008 19:03
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I think implementing regular and rigorous ticket inspections on the buses may deter the fare dodges, whilst providing more job opportunities. This i assumed would be a common sense and cost effective method rather, than scraping an entire system.

- Sg, London, 06/10/2008 18:26
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How do you know that "fare-dodgers" do not have a valid travelcard. Travelcard holders do not need to touch in and out.

On what basis are you assuming that the people you are seeing are not travelcard holders?

- Dan, East London, 06/10/2008 18:17
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There is nothing wrong with Bendy busses, they have been used in other parts of Europe for years with no more problem than 'standard' buses. It all comes down to driver training and educating cyclists and other motorists. Also note that these buses are used in towns and cities with roads far narrower than London

- Neil, Szczecin Poland, 06/10/2008 17:58
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The idea of replacing Route 507's bendy's with a standard single-deck has been floated - TERRIBLE idea. Honestly, the 507 bendy's rarely cause traffic problems, and they get very packed. The idea of squeezing commuters into standard single decks is ludicrous.

I'll hop on a bendy any day rather than a Double Decker, with pondlife yelling and playing blaring iPods upstairs. If they are that worried about fare-evasion, bring back conductors for the bendy's - at least conductors would not have to plod up and down stairs all day.

On that last point - how is the fare-evasion problem going to be solved with new Routemasters? Commuters won't have to pass the driver, will they? Are they actually bringing back conductors? Not likely!

- David, London, 06/10/2008 17:25
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Bendy buses are danger to all other road users - bikes, cars, pedestrians.

Ban the Bendy Bus forever...

- Sarah, Bexleyheath, UK, 06/10/2008 17:20
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They simply use more road space. I do not like them at all.

- Dbr, London, 06/10/2008 16:52
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I'm amazed to discover that it will cost £12-£13m in additional annual operating costs if bendies are replaced with normal buses (although I can see why - you'll need to run more buses & employ more drivers to maintain the route capacities). If you extrapolate this to all of the bendy routes in London, replacing them all will mean that operators will incure £60m PER YEAR in extra costs! Over a few years, that's enough to pay for the Cross River Tram to be built, which allegedly there isn't enough money for!

Bendy buses have their faults - but I can always get on them without problems, you don't have the anti-social issues of the top deck, and they spend less time at stops, so the journeys are quicker.

The fare-paying bus passengers will end up funding this huge deficit, resulting in higher fares, or services being cut elsewhere, whilst the quality of service on the ex-Bendy routes will degrade. Why on earth should we be suffering and paying more for what will be a worse service? Hardly "value for money," Mr Johnston.

- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 06/10/2008 16:39
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whilst people go on about how they are quick and convinent, there are other road users, such as cyclists, motor cyclists, etc. that need their views taken into consideration. the amoiunt of times i nearly got sideswiped by a no 38 driving up picadilly - a straight road- because the driver overtook me, then after half the bus i.e. a normal bus length would cut back across. some times i think that the back of the bus it's self doesn't know where it's going, let alone the driver

- Robert Valentine, london, 06/10/2008 15:57
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I think the bendy bus should stay. They are reliable on some routes. I would feel safe on a bendy bus rather than a routemaster.

Save the Bendy Buses.

- Joanna, Lewisham, 06/10/2008 15:51
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Bendy buses simply don't suit London. Unlike most European Cities the streets of our capital are narrow and twisting. I have witnessed the level of fare dodging and it is dreadful. Bring back an iconic British red double-decker please Boris! Whilst doing this take a look at life before the Routemaster when over 2,000 red London double-deckers ran on electricity with zero emissions, no, not trams but rubber tyred trolleybuses.

- Mark, Bournemouth, England, 06/10/2008 15:35
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They take up excessive amounts of room, are far longer than their own drivers realise (e.g. they stop across junctions), they encourage fare dodging and due to their size and poor control by their drivers they are a danger to other road users, particularly cyclists.

I saw a great example last week where a BB had driven part way across a junction and then stopped due to the traffic. A police car with full emergency lights then came up the road and was blocked by the back of the bus, delaying them from reaching the emergency.

The only reason to keep them seems to be "you can fit lots of people on them". In that case, why not run a more frequent service at peak hours and you can then take the extra capacity off of the road when its not required, thus eliminating the issues with the bendy bus?

- Rob, London, 06/10/2008 15:35
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I don't like them, but scrapping an entire fleet in one go (if that's the proposal) is a bit financially looney.
Phase them out and phase in the double deckers I would think is the most affordable process.
I do hope though any double decker design is skinny enough for our streets, especially for The City where the most recent incarnations where struggling to pass each other.

- Frank H., London., 06/10/2008 14:56
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Nah, keep the bendy bus, it's much better than the old style buses for fare evasion, it's currently saving me around £500 a year in travel, meaning that I have to burgle less houses.

- T Leaf, Islington, 06/10/2008 14:48
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Squiz, Islington: anyone boarding a bendy with a travelcard (paper or Oyster) doesn't need to present it or swipe it, except if an inspector boards. I'm sure the vast majority of people you think are fare-dodging aren't!

- Roy, England, 06/10/2008 14:38
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Bendybuses have huge blindspots and have taken lives on Londons streets. I'm disapointed that London Travelwatch are not putting the safety of Londoners first as they are meant to look after our interests. Don't cave in Boris we need a strong Major. TFL should never be allowed to put costs before safety as its immoral.

- Buncha, Romford, 06/10/2008 13:26
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Given a choice between a double decker and a bendy bus I take the bendy bus every time. Its quicker and easier to board and takes less time at the stops. More delays are caused by doulble deckers which are slow to board. Many people don't like using or can't use the upstairs. If there is a fare dodging problem then put a conductor on. I have rarely seen ticket inspectors on the routes I use but when I have they don't seem to find anyone but as I am going to and from a London Station most already have a travel card.

- Tony, London, 06/10/2008 13:25
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They could recoup an extra £13million a year by forcing all the bendy bus freeloaders to pay for their trip. I was on the 76 bendy bus last night about 10.30pm at Oxford Circus - about a dozen people got on the back section with me, only two of us beeped our oyster. Do the math - as they say in the US.

- Squiz, Islington, 06/10/2008 13:24
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They have to go! How can you hope to reduce congestion with the double sized footprint of the oh-so-dodgy bendy monstrosity. Surely the debate is not just bendy or routemaster? ANY other bus is better than the bendy.

- Deborah, London, 06/10/2008 13:23
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they have bendys in most big cities across europe have no probs with themif its bigger than you let it go ist wheres the problem.london was crazy to vote ken out anyway

- C May, bromley, 06/10/2008 13:18
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"The 38, for example, serves an area of Islington and Hackney not served by the Tube and when double deckers were used previously passengers often couldn't board the first bus, a situation we believe rarely occurs now," continued Ms Cooke.

"Feedback we have received suggests that many people favour the retention of bendy buses on these routes"

As someone who uses the No 38 almost daily, it has to be noted that anti-social behaviour, and fare-dodging, is almost endemic on the route, and has noticeably worsened since it became a "bendy bus".

- Glyn, Hackney, 06/10/2008 12:50
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Bendy buses have made my daily commute 100% more pleasant. They are frequent, roomy, and easy to use. My memory of waiting for routemasters - mainly standing in the pouring rain while several swept past, packed to the gills - doesn't make me nostalgic for their return. Why don't we make changes to London that benefit Londoners? Bendy buses have improved the commute for millions of people. Congratulations, Ken, an improvement that is to do with raising the quality of life for Londoners rather than one that was motivated by political headline-grabbing.

- Sj, london, uk, 06/10/2008 12:24
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This woman hasn't got a clue... so many flaws in her argument. Here's just one:

"double deckers were used previously passengers often couldn't board the first bus, a situation we believe rarely occurs now," continued Ms Cooke.

Firstly the words 'often' and 'believe' indicate she isn't sure what she's talking about.
Second, if this was true then it was down to the fact that the bendy bus doors open no matter how full it is, so people just push regardless. With a double (or normal single decker) if the bus was full the driver didn't open the front doors, and you had to wait 5 minutes for another one. You can always get on a bendy no matter how full it is - you just have to push.

Another point, bendy buses have done more to worsen congestion and clog up bus stops than the few extra double deckers that will be required.

If you wanted to keep bendies then you should've voted for Ken, and not enough people did. So stop interferring and let Londoners get what they want.

- Tony, London, 06/10/2008 12:15
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Please keep the bendy bus on route 38 - the rush hour journey time since the changeover to the bendy bus has reduced by at least 20 minutes each way. Certainly something needs to be done about habitual fare dodgers but on the whole a much better experience than the routemaster ever was (for the record I was an original sceptic about the bendy bus)

- Andy, London, 06/10/2008 12:07
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These 'bendy' buses have to go. They are ugly dangerous and foreign. London is the greatest city in the world and should have its own unique buses. Its not all about money its also about beauty and elegance. The first few designs I have seen for the Routemaster Mark II are stunning and exciting. Lets for once do something that will make life better and nicer not just save money.

- Mark, London, UK, 06/10/2008 12:02
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Hear, hear. Boris rose to populist pressure in scrapping the bendy bus. Most people's reactions to the bendy bus appear to be largely emotional, as the replacement to the Routemaster on many routes, a London icon, it had a lot to live up to, however, if you look beyond the aesthetic it is a very effective method of transporting thousands of people across the city daily. Yes, they have down sides, including the congestion they cause, however Routemasters were wheezing, inefficient, slow buses built for London in the 1960s

- Mcw, London, 06/10/2008 10:53
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Hear, hear. Boris rose to populist pressure in scrapping the bendy bus. Most people's reactions to the bendy bus appear to be largely emotional, as the replacement to the Routemaster on many routes, a London icon, it had a lot to live up to, however, if you look beyond the aesthetic it is a very effective method of transporting thousands of people across the city daily. Yes, they have down sides, including the congestion they cause, however Routemasters were wheezing, inefficient, slow buses built for London in the 1960s

- Mcw, London, 06/10/2008 10:53
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they have to be barking mad. The bendy bus is a threat to other road users, a massive cause of congestion and an utter pain to have on our narrow London streets. Boris is to be applauded to wishing to dispatch it to the outer realms of Mongolia where there is space to turn one and the idea of a Route Master with similar multiple door entry/exits is sterling.

- Gm, London, 06/10/2008 10:23
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“We see no reason to scrap these buses”

I’ll give you over a million reasons, if you like, love; take a look at the results of the London Mayoral elections when the bloke who said he would keep them was booted out and the one who said he’d get rid of them was embraced by Londoners.

- St, London, 06/10/2008 09:59
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