19 July (Part 3) - The Transport Users’ Sub-Committee : Bus matters
The discussion on TfL buses pretty much reflected my journey to and from the
Transport meeting. The only bus that takes me all the way to the Civic Offices
is the 229. Not a route one would normally choose to get to Bexleyheath but my
camera gear is very heavy and lugging it to Abbey Wood Station is unattractive.
What’s more I can see the 229 bus stop from my lounge window and can get to it in two minutes.
Checking the Bus App soon after 6pm I saw that a 229 was due but there would not
be another for 27 minutes; this at the height of rush hour on a twelve minute
interval service. I twiddled my thumbs at home until ten minutes before it was
due and then went to sit at the stop. By then the App was showing two buses on
their way, both due in nine minutes.
Expecting to wait I sat there head in the phone and almost missed the bus
because one turned up in a lot less than nine minutes. The circuitous route got
me to the meeting with fewer than ten minutes to spare.
On the way home, the App said there would be a 23 minute wait at the
Highland Road stop so I walked to the Clock Tower to try my luck on the newly electrified 301. By
coincidence that said 23 minutes to wait too. However a 301 turned up unannounced in about eight minutes.
The TfL bus lady on a video link at the meeting was equipped with various statistics from January to March this
year and routes 96, 132, 229, 286 and 492 were the worst performers. Gas and
water works were said to be the problem. For the 229 it was said there were road
works in Abbey Wood but I don’t remember any. School buses, routes in the 600
range, were among the very worst performers (less than 40% on time) causing children to be late for
school and sometimes punished for it.
Councillor Frazer Brooks said that the count down boards at bus stops were
horribly unreliable sometimes getting down to Due and then the buses
disappeared. Conversely some buses turn up unannounced. Every bus user must have
seen the same but the bus lady claimed never to have heard of such a thing.
Frazer had to repeat his story five or six times until eventually the TfL
representative said she would have to take the issue away for investigation. One
might easily lose confidence in TfL’s competence. Maybe like the Mayor, they avoid
buses.
Councillor Jermy Fosten said that the 229 is a massive issue in his ward and waits of
20 to 30 minutes are commonly reported. He too had experienced the same. In
Abbey Road there is no longer an alternative route. He said it sometimes misses
stops too. (May I add that I have twice in the very recent past walked the 229 route
from Lidl in Eynsford Drive all the way home without having one pass me.) It is
totally unreliable although I have not seen any stop skipping. I thought that
was confined to the 301, albeit rarely.
Jeremy thought that the 244 which terminates at Abbey Wood station could be
usefully extended along Abbey Road towards Erith. A good original thought which
the TfL lady noted.
As has been reported elsewhere the 96 to Bluewater is now saved until 2033 with
a break clause in the contract set for 2030. The frequency is unchanged. The 301
has been starting earlier in the day since last Saturday 11th July. Chairman
Steven Hall said he heard that the 301 was a lot less than reliable, I agree, it can be
absolutely awful at times; but the TfL lady knew nothing about any problems.
The 301 is a very useful route for those living in and around Abbey Wood as is
the SL3 but they are never around when needed. From arriving at Abbey
Wood station to alighting at Lion Road the journey took me 54 minutes last Wednesday.
Frazer Brooks asked what criteria govern a bare bus stop and one with a shelter and seats.
Usage is the probable answer and TfL lady said she would come back with more information.
The day of the meeting was the last for comment on the DLR extension to Thamesmead.
Bexley Council’s submission
may be read here. (PDF)