TFL transport chaos

[Lamelie]

Has anyone else noticed incredible disruption specifically on buses over the last few days? I usually take buses a couple of times a week but been very busy the last few days and noticed the following:
•50 minute journey last Thursday taking over two hours with bridges shut and multiple diversions. Chatting with my son and he was experiencing similar with different bridges and diversions at the same time.
•regular commute taking double the time due to emergency work (this doesn’t fit into my conspiracy, it’s a burst sewage pipe)
•less than one hour journey Saturday taking 2 hours including random bus stopping early and kicking everyone off. Buses disappearing from and not turning up on bus stop display and TfL text service.
•just now bridges shutting and again buses disappearing from info sites.
•twice information on bus display inside doesn’t match the number. So get on one bus and found myself on another 🤯
Obviously the answer is to avoid buses but a couple of these journeys was because tube lines were shut. Currently sat on a train not leaving London Bridge 20 mins after departure time with no information. Is this just random or a concerted attack-specifically the mismatch between the info outside and inside the buses and the information disappearing from apps and signage makes me think cyber.
YABU- just coincidences.
YANBU- it’s early zombie apocalypse/ Russia/ TFL ransomware

I’m not in London anymore, so I don’t know, but I haven’t heard this from any one I work with.

When the bus disappears, is it just from the tfl app? Is it on the bus times app?

I do still have to go into London for work sometimes, and I do wonder if they actually want to force all vehicles - including buses - off the road. It’s terrible.

I avoid it wherever possible, so I really feel for you.

I live in London and am not aware of any kind of issues. I do mainly get the tube which has been fine but colleagues come in by train and/or bus and it doesn’t seem any worse than usual. I think you can sometimes have a bad run of transport luck.

Cycling is more reliable

There’s been quite a bit of disruption at London Bridge over the past few weeks. Engineering works - it’s a pain.

Thank you for responses!
I’m often too tired to cycle. And the late night two hours from Euston to zone 2 south London was with a bag and dog, so non starter. The buses disappearing/ stopping is really weird. You can literally be standing at a bus stop looking at it, with a text from 87287 saying it’s due and the bus stop notification saying the same and it veers off or displays not in service. That coupled with the getting on a 185 and all the electronic displays inside saying 12 makes me wonder whether it’s a IT dos situation.

Not the same experience as you but I am fed up with TFL site (and the data it supplies to google maps etc) totally failing to reflect planned diversions eg for the royal parks half on Sunday, let alone for unplanned like yesterday morning's disruption on the A3.

i was going to write to them

Buses just disappearing isn't new. But incredibly frustrating. I contacted them a few weeks back because I was stuck at a bus stop and the XX just kept disappearing. They replied with 'The YY is, so maybe there's an issue with the XX'! I mean really! It does suggest they don't actually have that good of a handle on what's where. This was a particularly bad example but it's not new.

We have this sort of thing routinely where I live (not London). Our bus “service” is provided by Stagecoach and the regular roadworks are provided by the county, but it makes travelling around an absolute mission.

It’s also £3 per journey by bus, even for my school age dc, which just adds insult to injury.

Ah @DoubtfulCat that does add insult to injury. Even scampering around on trains and buses all day is only £10. My two hours back from Euston was £1.75.
Changing buses within the hour for one fare means I can get to work 40 mins away for £1.75 rather than the £3.80+ £1.75 for bus then train. Grrr

Buses are not worth getting in Central London, especially in rush hour. In zones 1-2 it's quicker to walk - why not try that? We have one of the the largest and most complex mass transit networks in the world, hardly surprising that the tech occasionally glitches.

I hate posters who block every suggestion and I did end up walking from Moorgate to London Bridge yesterday and Fulham to Wandsworth Bridge rail after the dreadful journey there making us miss tow goals! but I’m old and have rheumatoid arthritis so a nice sit down on a door to door bus is perfect. Do acknowledge it’s cheap through!

Fair enough if walking is hard for you but great that you're doing what you can - Moorgate to London Bridge is a nice walk. Personally I find buses horribly stressful - usually overcrowded and there's always a crying baby, at least one person doing a call on speakerphone or watching videos without earphones, and at least 6 people with disgusting spluttery coughs!

Yes! Walking’s not hard and I enjoy it but I’m aware of the spoons theory and sometimes if I’ve got elderly dog and luggage there’s no option.
New job tomorrow, long shift and I’m not going to risk two buses for £1.75 and take the more expensive train.