02 August 2009

Bendy -vs- Rigid

The excellent Boris Watch site has produced a straightforward comparison between the rigid Mercedes-Benz Citaros that replaced their older, articulated sisters on London's Service 507 (Victoria-Waterloo) at the start of last week. It's the most compelling case for Boris to have a re-think I've seen.


2002-2009 Nasty Old Ken Era 507

  • 9 buses
  • 18m per bus
  • 162m of bus on the road
  • 49 seats per bus
  • 100 standee places per bus (placarded, TfL capacity figures assume 71)
  • 441 seats in total
  • Standee/seated ratio 2.04:1

2009-2016 Cuddly New Boris Era 507

  • 15 buses
  • 12m per bus
  • 180m of bus on the road
  • 21 seats per bus
  • 76 standee places per bus (placarded, TfL capacity figures assume 49)
  • 315 seats in total
  • Standee/seated ratio 3.6:1

So:

  • the number of seats has been reduced by 29% so you’ll get a seat less often if you’re a regular user
  • the amount of bus on the road has increased by 11%, 18m, or an entire bendy bus
  • the cost per year is £214k more than keeping the bendies
  • the inside has exactly the same ambience as the bendy
  • there’s no change to the open boarding procedure, so there’s no fare evasion decrease to offset the cost