In Part 1 of this series we looked at the recent history and circumstance that have left London with the bus network it has today. Now we can properly begin to look at how it …
Continue readingCategory: Buses
A Brief Guide to the 2014 TfL Fare Increases
After a much longer wait than is typical, this morning the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced the fares levels that will apply to TfL services and National Rail services within the TfL zonal area …
Continue readingWhere the Roads Run Red: The Future of London’s Buses (Part 1)
Earlier this year the London Assembly Transport Committee decided to investigate both the current state of and future prospects for London’s bus network. Their investigation process involved two public meetings at City Hall, an online …
Continue readingEnding Cash Fares On The Buses: Does Daniels Dream of Electric Beeps?
In the world of London transport, there are few topics as emotive as fares and ticketing. From price, through the location of sale, to the method by which payments are made, ticketing is a subject …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Kings Cross In The Fifties
Work is now nearing completion on Network Rail’s project to rebuild Kings Cross, revealing the station’s impressive frontage for the first time in many, many years. We’ll be taking another look at the station next month, but in the meantime this seems like a good opportunity to take a brief trip back into the past…
Continue readingIn Pictures: The Imber Buses
Earlier this month a number of vintage buses took part in the annual charity bus service that runs from Warminster to the abandoned village of Imber on military land at Salisbury Plain. Below are a …
Continue readingWarminster – Imber Village Routemaster Special Service Tomorrow
Every year, a vintage bus service runs from Warminster to the abandoned village of Imber on Salisbury Plain. With all profits going to charity, it’s an interesting opportunity to travel on a Routemaster outside of …
Continue readingFirstGroup Announces Sale of Eight London Bus Garages
Somewhat out of the blue FirstGroup have announced the sale of eight of their bus garages in the capital. First began a rationalisation of their bus operations last year, and further sales had been expected, …
Continue readingTfL Make Changes To Bus Transfer Tickets
One of the London Bus Network’s least known features (second, perhaps, only to the fact that there is actually no such a thing as a “compulsory stop”) has long been the existence of the “transfer …
Continue readingRoute 24 To Be First Bus Route Fully Served by NBfL
TfL have released a press release confirming that Route 24 (Hampstead Heath – Pimlico) will be the first London bus route to be fully served by the New Bus for London. Although actual timings are …
Continue readingRoundtable: The TfL Draft Business Plan
Transport news, like London buses, often seems to come in clumps. With the various recent announcements it would thus be easy to miss that TfL have published their draft Business Plan for the next decade. …
Continue readingObituary: Colin Curtis OBE, BSc (Eng), CEng, MIMechE, MIRTE
It is with great sadness that London Reconnections has learned of the death of Colin Curtis, at the age of 86. Colin was a key figure in the history of London Buses, and his book …
Continue readingNew Trains, Buses and Complaints: A Look at the TfL Board Papers
With the Olympics and Paralympics over, September brings something of a return to normal for London’s Transport network. On the Underground, this means the unfortunate (but sadly necessary) return to weekend closures. In the corporate …
Continue readingTfL Looking to Phase Out Road-Side Ticket Machines
It appears that TfL are currently looking to remove road-side ticket machines (RTMs) on the bus network, with a public consultation on this now online here. RTMs are largely a legacy of the pre-Oyster age, …
Continue readingAn Olympic Travel Roundup
With just two weeks to go until the start of the Olympics, London’s transport system is gearing up for what could be one of its most challenging six weeks: ferrying an extra one million passengers …
Continue reading