| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:No 65 Bus Route - Is it the worst in London? | |
| Posted by: | Bryan Betts | |
| Date/Time: | 25/03/10 13:35:00 |
| There were remarkably similar complaints about 10 years ago, when the 65 was operated by Armchair. Buses would regularly run in twos and threes, with all the delays that suggests. Armchair lost the route in 2002 - presumably in part because of the complaints - and it passed to London United. To begin with the service was superb, with buses running frequently and to schedule. Over the years though it has gradually deteriorated, to the point where it feels almost as bad as it was 10 years ago. Like Michael Greer, I've personal experience of it - I spent 1.5 hours waiting outside South Ealing tube in the rain early one weekday evening late last year, for example. The excuses are always the same - roadworks, congestion, yada yada. I'm familiar with queuing theory and how it helps to explain when buses might run in twos and threes (I guess this is covered in the book that David Whitelam mentions), but the fact is that when London United took the route over it managed to run a very good service. So what has changed? I can't help wondering if the company has either reduced the number of drivers and buses on the route, or has made some foolish change to its operating procedures designed to "improve efficiency"! |