London buses - are we worse off?

[bushopper]

NC for this as transport related issues seem to get everyone agitated these days.

Do you think we are worse off with all the redesign and rationalisation of the bus network in London?

For instance, one used to be able to use the 11 bus to get from Fulham Broadway to Liverpool Street on a single £1.75 ticket. No need to change.

Now, to cover the same route, you would most likely need to take 3 buses, and even if you tried to access the 'one-hour' hopper fare, it's unlikely you could as the traffic makes it virtually impossible to cover the whole route in one hour.

Also those with walking difficulties or unwell usually suffer as connecting bus stops can sometimes be 100 metres or more away

In winter, bad weather or when carrying shopping or luggage it can be a nightmare too.

What has been the point of it all?

I don't want London to become as shit as the rest of the country. I want the rest of the country to up its game.

Andy Burnham has floated ideas to get greater Manchester public transport up to standard. Its certainly not too bad in Manchester but a) it's more expensive b) it's less comprehensive.

Upthread @SwedishDeathClearance said "Sorry but that is such an affluent view point
The bus is £1.75 and the tube is £3.40"

It's way more than that in Manchester. The bus in particular costs about £4 for any journey. My tram pass is edge of zone 2 ( a 15 min jouney - 5 stops). Costs £4.40 for a day which in reality is my return journey. Then I either walk 30mins or drive and park 10mins, its not door to door.

Manchester roads have become impassable but that's a different sorry tale.

The 133 used to take you from Streatham directly to Liverpool Street (transport hub) now it goes to Holborn. The original route was invaluable now it’s a pain.

I agree- It isnt a race to the bottom

Housing costs are much higher in London than Manchester and the lowest wage is not that different since the NMW increase as London wage doesnt seem to have uplifted as much

Not as fantastic as you might think. My rail company (Southeastern) reports multiple issues every day - signals failures, broken down trains, and more - which can take out the line for an hour or so. Yesterday we had the power turned off so no trains home.

I live 12 miles from my office. Being in south London there's no underground within 9 miles, so that isn't an option. I can do it by taking three buses - if traffic is normal and all the connections work, that would take two hours, but if there is extra traffic (e.g. if the trains aren't working) that timing goes out of the window.

Driving would take an hour in normal traffic. Not that it's an option - there's no parking near my office, what there is about a mile away would cost over £20 per day , plus the congestion charge and - from August - the ULEZ charge.

@WhateverHappenedToMe

Not as fantastic as you might think. My rail company (Southeastern) reports multiple issues every day - signals failures, broken down trains, and more - which can take out the line for an hour or so. Yesterday we had the power turned off so no trains home.

All that happens everywhere. At least in London there are usually alternatives. If your train gets cancelled, then normally you have alternative options. On my railway line, if a train gets cancelled, it's every 2 hours at best, so you've at least 2 hours until the next one, or you're stuffed if it's the 8pm Saturday evening one as the next is Monday morning!

Hello from SE London!

I live in a very small village with just a few buses a day but the timetable is not dictated by vocal pensioners. If anything, the priority is getting schoolchildren to their various secondary schools but of course adults can use these buses. Every so often there is a consultation process and everyone is invited to give their views on the service.