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How would Arthur Daley have shifted this lot? A set of London's bendy buses are up for sale — the first step of Boris Johnson's pledge to eradicate the “miserable, inhuman and socialistic” vehicles from the city.
The company which leases the fleet to Transport for London has put adverts in the trade press in a bid to start disposing of the 58ft monsters. But the adverts may be a tad optimistic.
They promise the buses are “popular with passengers and operators in over a dozen cities” — not mentioning the political row they sparked in the capital, with claims they were unsafe, unreliable and encouraged fare-dodging.
Initially a tranche of 31 second-hand vehicles are being offered. They are operating on what will be the first bendy routes to go: the Red Arrow 507 between Waterloo and Victoria and the Red Arrow 521 between Waterloo and London Bridge. Both will be run using conventional single-deckers.
Mr Johnson has said that all London's 350 bendy buses, currently on 11 routes, will be replaced over the next four years as contracts expire. He called for them to be “pensioned off to a Scandinavian airport”. Sadly, none has yet been in touch.
In fact, the bendy's poor image in London seems to be rubbing off on their sale prospects. Glenn Salmon, salesman for leasing firm Lombard, told the Standard: “They've got a bad reputation because of various press reports but there's nothing wrong with these buses, they do an excellent job. They're seven years old and we're hoping to get between £70,000 and £80,000 for each of them.”
Mr Salmon admitted that despite the adverts appearing six weeks ago, there had been “no takers at all”. He said: “It's still relatively early days. We have had four or five people ringing but there hasn't been a sale yet.”
Two of the enquiries have been from park-and-ride operators and others are from abroad, including South Africa and Australia. Roger Evans, Tory group leader on the London Assembly, said: “I don't think we'll see any requests from members of the public to buy a bendy for the back garden or calls for a bendy heritage route for tourists.”
Bendies were introduced by Ken Livingstone in 2001 and touted as an answer to congestion. In 2005 they were temporarily taken out of service when three caught fire. Answers given to the London Assembly showed they caused more than twice as many pedestrian injuries and collisions with cyclists as other buses.
They have fewer seats than doubledeckers and three of the four least reliable routes in London use bendies. However, their supporters say Mr Johnson's replacement programme will cost money that TfL does not have and lead to greater congestion, with a larger number of conventional vehicles required to maintain the same capacity.
Mr Johnson, said today: “Many feel that bendy buses are unsuitable for our narrow streets and will welcome the publication of this advert. I hope they find a good and more suitable home.”
Reader views (20)
I believe the Mayor won the lection partly on maligning these wonderful buses. I love travelling in them. However, other road users, even those outer Londoners who may come across them on odd occasions, find them nuisance on the road. These are sutable for some routes. I travelled in bendy buses in Germany some 40 years ago.
The drivers need to be trained properly and they have to be dedicated drivers for long vehicles, or else there is risk of misjudgment and someone coming under it. (risk with all long vehicles)
Now about them going in flames, I am intrigued that in Gernamy they don't. so were they faulty or not serviced properly?
these buses fill up and decant with ease. they are comfrotable to travel and they do not shudder like some cheap new double deckers do.
I loved the routemaster and I know the former Mayor did too. Ken changed his mind on safety as there were some accidents. Now we were promised routemaster but we will get some version of it!
Has anyone costed this changeover ordered by the Mayor Boris? Is he going ahead just because he promised in the ploy to win the election? We will pay for it.
I fell that bendies should be retained on suitable routes.
- Kishore Dattani, London , UK, 08/08/2009 00:03
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"There's nothing wrong with these bendy buses" .... apart from bursting into flames every now and again! From my office I am also regularly entertained by them blocking traffic at Victoria as they arrive at the bus terminus only to find there's no room. Less captivating is watching the flying doctor put his helicopter down in the park while they scrape another cyclist from under a bendy.
- Paul, London, 22/05/2009 09:11
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Perhaps Scandinavia have already sussed that they don't work in SNOW. Remember february?
- William Grierson, Kimpton-UK, 22/05/2009 08:54
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I fully agree with the Mayor of London. I work in London quite regularly and theses buses are a menace. The block the road to other traffic esp when they get stuck at a red traffic light and the back of the blocks the route for vehicle moving on green. I was sat in one on my way to office and the driver caught a pedal cycle put near the kerd. The bike must have got caught under the bus due to the crunching sound I heard. The driver who was from some overseas location carried on driving oblivious to the event. Yes - quite dangerous. Sell them quickly.Bring back the original London bus, and the conductor, and help revitalise a manufacturing business in the UK. Forget the cost, there's much more waste in other areas of Local Authority services.
- Steve Nicholson, Chorley. Lancs. England, 21/05/2009 23:19
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Marvellous comment from Reuben of Morecambe, Eric would have been proud of you.
- Crystalclear, london, 21/05/2009 21:39
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There's nothing wrong with these bendy buses. They are functional and highly suited to most of the routes. The problem is the media hype surrounding them, much of which has been hopelessly inaccurate.
- Robert Jamieson, London, UK, 21/05/2009 17:26
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MP's expenses for 2008-2009 totalled GBP90,000,000.
The House of Conmen and the House of Frauds could buy up all the available bendy-buses and MP's could sleep in them in a derelect car park.
Even that would be too good for the conniving hypocrites loitering with intent within the Palace of Westminster.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK, 21/05/2009 17:15
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Frank of London thinks that bendy buses are wagons for "poor" people.
Does he think that poor people do not travel on other types of buses? Let's hope that whenever he next travels on a bus one of those "poor" people sits next to him; with luck it might give him the fright of his life!
- William, London, 21/05/2009 16:33
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In resonse to D Willits: At no point did I refer to which bus I was getting on. In fact I have only just moved to Deptford. Until recently I used the 149 or 38 mid-route.
I also never said that you get a seat on the bendy bus. I was referring to the fact that you can at least board a bendy bus, even if it is a tight squeeze. Meanwhile double-deckers with empty seats upstairs, are often so crowded downstairs that bus drivers refuse to take on more passengers.
Drivers need to instruct passengers to fill up the empty seats upstairs - particularly those towards the rear of the top deck.
- Gerald, Deptford, Deptford, UK, 21/05/2009 15:46
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The main good thing about 'bendy' buses is that you can get on without paying, as long as you use the middle or rear doors. The drivers can't check whether or not you have paid your fare, or simply can't be bothered hassling passengers.
Now if they had really really long buses, you could get on at your bus stop, then walk all along the bus right to the front, and then get off again, and you would have arrived at your destination! All without the bus moving at all. Saves fuel. Its called 'walking'.
- Haskey, London SE1, 21/05/2009 14:09
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I am not sure I buy the fare-dodging argument. I have found myself on a bendy bus more or less every day for the past 2 or 3 years (routes 453 and 12) and when there is a control not that many people (certainly not more than on regularly buses) seem to be taken off the bus to be given a fine.
If you see me getting on a bendy you will probably think that I am dodging the fare because I do not place my Oyster card on the reader. I have a monthly bus pass and only people with pay as go are required to touch their cards. So most of those fare dodgers are probably just pass holders.
- Zefrog, London UK, 21/05/2009 14:05
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- Gerald, Deptford, Deptford, UK
"Everyone moans about the bendy buses but at least you can get on the first bus and get to work, rather than having to wait ages for the next one"
What an idiot you must be if you believe what you said.
The bendy bus you are referring to the 453 starts in Deptford of course you can get a seat on it.
- D Willets, London, 21/05/2009 13:39
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Wagons for poor people. Good riddance.
- Frank, London, 21/05/2009 13:22
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National express should express an intrest for these buses. Perfect for journeys between towns.
- A. Winsley, london, 21/05/2009 13:14
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Ironically the Red Arrow routes are probably the only routes in London that are suitable for bendi operation.And it's a sure thing that you wont need 72 double deck buses on the 38 once people discover they have to pay a fare again! Despite all the spin from Livingstone/Hendy and cronies, the majority of people on these buses do not pay and that is a fact based on my own experiences of travelling five days a week on the 436. Thats not the fault of the bus though - its the fault of the system and those that oversee it! No other business would let so much money fall through their hands - they are a bunch of total incompentants!
- John Stephens, Oxford UK, 21/05/2009 12:17
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Perhaps Andrew Gilligan could report on the passengers who remain stranded at bus stops when seats remain empty on the upper deck of double-deckers. Double-deckers drivers can't be bothered to tell passengers to move upstairs or towards the back of the lower deck. They allow passengers to congregate between the doors on the lower deck. Everyone moans about the bendy buses but at least you can get on the first bus and get to work, rather than having to wait ages for the next one.
- Gerald, Deptford, Deptford, UK, 21/05/2009 12:11
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Apart from the occasional fire, I think these buses are great. You can almost always get a seat, and they are dead warm...
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 21/05/2009 12:00
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With luck we will see a few destroyed on Top Gear and the like
- Mike, London England, 21/05/2009 11:51
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These are among the best buses in the world and do what it says on the box "Move large numbers of passengers wishing to make short journeys while using the least roadspace!"
The situation on the 2 red arrow routes will soon become apparent when the large number of passengers who at present have 3 door buses to enter at stations find themselves stranded and unable to board the daft short (12 metre!!!)buses and from what I have read "OPEN BOARDING" is being retained!!
The buses being introduced are similar to those that used to operate these routes and as well as not being fit for purpose in being able to carry the load they had a habit of getting stuck in side streets as they had difficulty in turning!!
Their replacement will also waste millions in extra operating costs with the need for a near doubling of staff and buses on the 2 red arrow routes while on route 38 the number of buses needed will rise from 47 to 72 and yet only 50 Routemasters were used before!!
I have also noticed that instead of removing the remaining cash fares from buses Boris has instead decided to remove Ticket Machines from bus stops and action which will eventually lead to more incidents like the one recently when a bus driver and passengers lives were put at risk by knive wielding robbers demanding he hand over the fares taken.
The fact is without Trams Artics are the only viable solution to coping with the millions of passengers that London has and they will be back!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 21/05/2009 11:46
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the "bendys" are ok on major trunk routes or airports , and the red arrow routes in london .
But it pose's the question , after all the money TFL spent on the infrastructre for the "bendy" (ie moving buses stops , making corners less tight and sorting bus stations out to get 18mtr buses in) will it be cost effective to change back to brand new rigid single deck buses ?
the eldest bendy in london is from 2002 which is 7 years old now , which TFL now see's as a full life from a bus , there are part of the UK where ex London buses from the 80's (and no not the Routemaster) still operate on a daily basis , but these were actually owned by London buses , all TFL contractors do is lease buses , and belive it or not tyres , not many bus companies outside of London own their own buses anymore
- G The Bus Driver, romford uk, 21/05/2009 10:14
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