ABOVE: On Sunday 22 February 2026, a Roof Bar near London Victoria station gives the opportunity for an unusual view of eight buses in the environs of the Bus Station.
Quarter One Snippets (2026)
Stories, pictures and opinions from the last three months that don't merit a full article of their own...
28 March 2026
2026 Travels so far...
Figures for 2026 up to 27 March
Does not include Transport for London bus rides or Classic Bus Running Days
The Search for a 26-reg bus...
The search for a 26-reg bus in service, as I write this, goes on. As is usual nowadays, delays to getting charging infrastructure into bus depots is resulting in new buses being parked up for extended periods before they enter service.
I did manage to capture a photograph of an almost brand new into service bus in Oxford Circus in March, but it was a 75-reg:
I did manage to capture a photograph of an almost brand new into service bus in Oxford Circus in March, but it was a 75-reg:
ABOVE: Metroline Travel BDE 3050 (LF75 OYJ), a BYD BD11, is seen in Oxford Street in the early morning on Thursday 12 March 2026.
Will I be able to claim a 26-reg bus by the time the Quarter Two Snippets come round?
Latest Superloop Service Launches
Transport for London (TfL) launched its twelfth Superloop service on 24 January 2026 - the SL11. (Yes, the twelfth - the BL1 Bakerloop was the eleventh!)
The service replaced the 472 bus between North Greenwich and Abbey Wood - the first example of a Superloop replacing, rather than running alongside, an existing service. Here's what it used to look like:
The service replaced the 472 bus between North Greenwich and Abbey Wood - the first example of a Superloop replacing, rather than running alongside, an existing service. Here's what it used to look like:
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 12275 (SN14 TWP), an ADL Enviro400H, passes the Millennium Leisure Park near North Greenwich, whilst working on route 472. This is Sunday 19 March 2023, long before the 472 hit the headlines.
I was able to get out to try the SL11 on the first day. Having boarded the bus at Abbey Wood with two friends, we walked straight into what appeared to be a live internet broadcast. A young lad was filming the journey, and providing a running commentary as the bus made its way to North Greenwich. He was even interviewing some of the people in adjacent seats.
It was an incredibly busy journey - virtually full at times. My estimate is that the load was 80% enthusiasts and 20% regulars. It's lovely to see so many people embracing our hobby, and bringing modern tech into play. There were countless videos on YouTube by the evening. I can only offer old-fashioned stills...
ABOVE: Finding a New Routemaster on the first day of route SL11 was tricky, so this shot, taken facing into the sun, was the best I could get. Go-Ahead London Central / TfL LT 851 (LTZ 1851) is seen here deploying the ramp at Abbey Wood station on Saturday 24 January 2026.
The route is supposed to be operated by Wrightbus New Routemasters. However, most of them weren't ready for the first day and Go-Ahead London Central, which took over the route that day on a new contract, had to scramble an alternative fleet together in the days leading up to the change. A fleet of some of the oldest buses still in London service:
ABOVE: More typical of the first day of route SL11 was London Central WVN 29 (BG59 FXF), a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2. This is also in Abbey Wood.
When a New Routemaster went past our aged SL11 on that first morning, half of the top deck cheered (whilst the other half probably wondered what was going on)!
Have a look for yourself - that moment is probably on the internet somewhere...
Artificial Intelligence
I asked two different AI tools to create a map for me of route 1 (Aldershot to Camberley, Old Dean), for my recent article, asking them to look at BusTimes.org to see if they could produce better, brighter maps than my usual PowerPoint efforts (even though I don't think my efforts are that bad).
Craiyon produced a beautiful, full colour map (below) which, unfortunately, bore limited resemblance to reality. There are two separate routes indicated between Aldershot and Camberley, running either side of Fleet Pond, a nature reserve which does exist, but is not as big as Aldershot which is how it’s made to look here.
Old Dean also seems to be far removed from the rest of Camberley. It’s north-east of the town but, on this map where North is broadly to the right, the inference is that Old Dean is quite a few miles to the west.
I haven’t looked at the other things on the map – they may represent specific things that can be found in the area (Farnborough Airport is there), but I don’t know the area well enough to be able to judge.
Craiyon produced a beautiful, full colour map (below) which, unfortunately, bore limited resemblance to reality. There are two separate routes indicated between Aldershot and Camberley, running either side of Fleet Pond, a nature reserve which does exist, but is not as big as Aldershot which is how it’s made to look here.
Old Dean also seems to be far removed from the rest of Camberley. It’s north-east of the town but, on this map where North is broadly to the right, the inference is that Old Dean is quite a few miles to the west.
I haven’t looked at the other things on the map – they may represent specific things that can be found in the area (Farnborough Airport is there), but I don’t know the area well enough to be able to judge.
Co-Pilot, on the other hand, produced a very decent and semi-realistic map. The real route crosses the M3 motorway near Frimley, but this map leaves it decidedly to one side. Frimley “Train” (ugh – Americanism) Station is shown twice, in two different places, and no other stations appear at all. But otherwise, a decent attempt:
I also had a go at getting Craiyon to produce a map to show the routes covered in last week's article. Here's my version first:
And here's what Craiyon produced. Not sure where to start...
ABOVE: Craiyon's map
I'll stick to my maps for now!
I also asked Craiyon to draw me a picture of a rabbit driving a bus (like you do). The result is … intriguing.
The bus itself is a bit odd as well. Front of a Routemaster, back of a Leyland Atlantean and nowhere to board… (except through the hole in the roof)?
The Link that refuses to go
I took another ride on route 32 from Newbury to Basingstoke recently – on a double-decker for the first time. The Stagecoach South route was known as “The Link” until 2023, and it seems as if some parts of it still are. I passed one stop after another that still advertised the service as “Link”.
And even at Basingstoke Bus Station, the change has been made by putting a sticker over the route number on the bus stop poster. But no-one had even bothered to lift the cover on the poster cabinet – they had just stuck the new number directly onto the glass / plastic cover, and not even particularly well. So sloppy!
Need assistance?
They're a lot more thorough with their poster management at Southall Station (Elizabeth Line), especially for those who need assistance. Here's what I assume happened... A member of staff needed to go and assist with duties on another part of the station. Before they went to do this, they took the trouble to put a poster up in one of the proper poster display panels to say that they would be back "within the next 10 minutes":
The task is obviously taking longer than expected as the poster has been there for some weeks. I hope they're OK.
Middle Door or Not?
I've seen a few debates online around whether buses outside London should have a middle door to help ease the flow at bus stops. Personally I would say that a single door helps protect revenue (no sneaking on unobserved at the back) and makes the ambience of the saloon nicer. It can also allow more low floor seats or extra wheelchair or buggy space.
Reading Buses has replaced dual-door buses on its flagship route 17 (Tilehurst to Wokingham Road, Three Tuns) with single-door vehicles, saying that it doesn't make much difference to flows. There are some dual-door buses around outside London but they're vastly in the minority.
Reading Buses has replaced dual-door buses on its flagship route 17 (Tilehurst to Wokingham Road, Three Tuns) with single-door vehicles, saying that it doesn't make much difference to flows. There are some dual-door buses around outside London but they're vastly in the minority.
ABOVE: Brighton & Hove 322 (YX69 NWK, "Prince Regent"), an ADL Enviro400ER, is a dual-doored vehicle, as can just be seen as it passes through Hollingbury on route 5B on Friday 17 November 2023.
Two doors might also confuse those folk who don't use buses much. I was on one of the Bristol metrobus services recently and a passenger came downstairs to get off at Bristol Parkway station. They looked for the tap-off reader behind the front nearside passenger seat, but there wasn't one. So, when the bus stopped, they tapped out via the driver's machine, said thank you, and left the bus.
They didn't spot the middle door, despite the gaping gap in the saloon. They didn't spot the two tap-off readers either side of the middle door. They didn't see the sign on the stairs reminding people to "get off at the back". They didn't realise their mistake until they passed the exit door from the outside.
I felt a right fool!
Information, Information, Information!
This is supposed to be the information age, but you'd never know it!
After overcoming my Metrobus humiliation, I went to catch a train back to London from Bristol Parkway station. "This train has 10 carriages", declared both the information screens and the station announcements.
For those who don't know, a 10-carriage train on this route is going to be two five-car units stuck together. Each unit will broadly have two coaches of First Class and three Standard Class. Depending which way round the units are, the First Class sections could be at the very front and the very back (coaches 1, 2, 9 & 10); or at the very front and halfway along (coaches 1, 2, 6 & 7); or halfway along and at the very back (coaches 4, 5, 9 & 10); or all in the middle (coaches 4, 5, 6 & 7).
This information was not shared at Bristol Parkway, so where does one wait on the platform for, say, the front of Standard Class, which might be Coach 1 or coach 3? Is the back of Standard going to be Coach 8 or Coach 10? If one stands in the middle, might you find yourself halfway along a row of four First Class coaches?
That's not the worst of it, though. Seat reservations refer to lettered coaches, but the position of those coaches depends on which way round the units are and which way round the two units have been connected. Coach A? Could be at the very front, or the very back, or halfway along. Where should I wait?
After overcoming my Metrobus humiliation, I went to catch a train back to London from Bristol Parkway station. "This train has 10 carriages", declared both the information screens and the station announcements.
For those who don't know, a 10-carriage train on this route is going to be two five-car units stuck together. Each unit will broadly have two coaches of First Class and three Standard Class. Depending which way round the units are, the First Class sections could be at the very front and the very back (coaches 1, 2, 9 & 10); or at the very front and halfway along (coaches 1, 2, 6 & 7); or halfway along and at the very back (coaches 4, 5, 9 & 10); or all in the middle (coaches 4, 5, 6 & 7).
This information was not shared at Bristol Parkway, so where does one wait on the platform for, say, the front of Standard Class, which might be Coach 1 or coach 3? Is the back of Standard going to be Coach 8 or Coach 10? If one stands in the middle, might you find yourself halfway along a row of four First Class coaches?
That's not the worst of it, though. Seat reservations refer to lettered coaches, but the position of those coaches depends on which way round the units are and which way round the two units have been connected. Coach A? Could be at the very front, or the very back, or halfway along. Where should I wait?
No Music, Thank You
In the last six months I have travelled on three buses where there was music playing out over the bus speakers. I have already mentioned my introduction to "Virgin Radio Legends" on the Lambourn to Swindon bus, and a Central Connect service a while back was blasting out music when I was trying to contemplate the funeral that I was heading to.
The third recent case was the X442 service, a fast link between Staines-upon-Thames and Terminal Five at Heathrow Airport. This route is run by Carlone Buses using minibuses, and my journey was again punctuated with music. The difference this time is that the music was actually quite pleasant - some sort of traditional Greek-style middle of the road music.
It was only a 23-minute journey so just about bearable, I suppose, although I prefer the silence. Bus drivers should not play music out loud as they're only likely to match the tastes of about one in 10 of the passengers.
I was more annoyed about the fact that the bus, having been parked up in Staines Bus Station for 10 minutes, started out on its trip three minutes late and finished three minutes late - which meant that I just missed the 482 bus home. I saw it go - if the X442 had been on time, I would have caught that 482.
The third recent case was the X442 service, a fast link between Staines-upon-Thames and Terminal Five at Heathrow Airport. This route is run by Carlone Buses using minibuses, and my journey was again punctuated with music. The difference this time is that the music was actually quite pleasant - some sort of traditional Greek-style middle of the road music.
It was only a 23-minute journey so just about bearable, I suppose, although I prefer the silence. Bus drivers should not play music out loud as they're only likely to match the tastes of about one in 10 of the passengers.
I was more annoyed about the fact that the bus, having been parked up in Staines Bus Station for 10 minutes, started out on its trip three minutes late and finished three minutes late - which meant that I just missed the 482 bus home. I saw it go - if the X442 had been on time, I would have caught that 482.
ABOVE: Carlone Buses 67 (RE74 YXH), a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter EVM Cityline, at Heathrow Terminal Five on Tuesday 20 January 2026.
But Yes, please, to Important Announcements
I was travelling on the Bluestar route 2 from Southampton to Eastleigh when the driver made an announcement from his cab about a forthcoming diversion. He didn't leave the cab or open the cab door, and he didn't use any PA equipment. He just called out but somehow made himself heard.
Well done for that, but I found myself wondering whether people sitting on the bus in headphones will have had any idea that an announcement was even taking place? And also, surely a 67-reg bus should have a PA system installed?
This bus was extremely busy, as the previous journey had failed to turn up, and this one, in the height of rush hour, was a single-decker where all the others on the route seemed to be double-deckers. The result was inevitable:
Well done for that, but I found myself wondering whether people sitting on the bus in headphones will have had any idea that an announcement was even taking place? And also, surely a 67-reg bus should have a PA system installed?
This bus was extremely busy, as the previous journey had failed to turn up, and this one, in the height of rush hour, was a single-decker where all the others on the route seemed to be double-deckers. The result was inevitable:
ABOVE: A crowded Bluestar 224 (HF67 EUE), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, working route 2 towards Eastleigh and Fair Oak on Wednesday 28 January 2026.
Most Uncomfortable New Bus Award
The award for the most uncomfortable new bus that I have travelled on goes to the tri-axle Volvo B8L MCV EvoSeti fleet used by Thames Travel on its "River Rapids" service.
ABOVE: On Friday 23 January 2026, Thames Travel 80996 (BU25 ZHX), a Volvo B8L MCV EvoSeti, drops off in Norfolk Street, Oxford, at the end of a run on route X40 from Reading.
These new buses were launched, with an eye-catching new livery and improved timetable, on the X40 (Reading to Oxford) last year.
Legroom on these new buses is so poor that I just do not fit into the front seats - too tight. And the forward view from further back is restricted by high-backed seats and another of those blessed TV screens right in the middle of the line of sight, churning out adverts and useful messages such as "don't hold the handrail on the stairs when the bus is moving" - well that's how I interpret it:
The above picture shows that there is plenty of room for the required information screen in the space above the window, if the "Bus Stopping" sign were to be incorporated into that display. With a bit of help from MS Paint, allow me to demonstrate:
I admit my jiggery-pokery has created a dangerous-looking road with multiple dips, but at least you can see it!
Such a shame that a smart, modern high-spec bus has been ruined by squeezing in too many seats and putting the information screen too low down.
Incidentally, the driver of the X40 told me, as I boarded in Reading, that the journey was going to take "about two-and-a-half hours". Very curious as it should be 93 minutes on that particular trip (it actually took 98).
Runner-up in the category of most uncomfortable new bus goes to the Volvo BZL double-decker. I boarded one on TfL route 58 (Walthamstow to East Ham). I just about fit into the outside front seat, but the contours of the bus mean that the legroom for the inside seat contracts from that of the outer one. Again, I just don't fit. Are all of the people who specify and design bus interiors short of stature?
ABOVE: Stagecoach London 86188 (LJ24 ZNX), a Volvo BZL DD, is seen at Selby Road in Leyton, working route 58 (East Ham to Walthamstow), on Sunday 18 January 2026
Even Computers Get Confused!
If you use Thameslink or the Elizabeth Line when there is service disruption, you can often see trains heading in from different directions that are due to arrive at the common section at around the same time. Sometimes, these trains keep swapping round on the board, as though they are racing to the point where they join up to see who can get there first.
This happened when I was at London Blackfriars, waiting to see whether the late-running 20:24 to St Albans was going to get into the central core ahead of the punctual 20:27 towards Luton. First and second trains kept switching around between the two, five or six times, and it's not surprising that the computer blew a bit of a fuse - eventually forgetting about the 20:24 entirely and showing the 20:27 as both the first and the second train:
This happened when I was at London Blackfriars, waiting to see whether the late-running 20:24 to St Albans was going to get into the central core ahead of the punctual 20:27 towards Luton. First and second trains kept switching around between the two, five or six times, and it's not surprising that the computer blew a bit of a fuse - eventually forgetting about the 20:24 entirely and showing the 20:27 as both the first and the second train:
ABOVE: Taken on Wednesday 18 March 2026
Incidentally, the 20:24 came first in the end!
Sorry, what?
It's not always the computer completely at fault, though. Advice out of a computer, when 'help' is needed, is only as good as what is programmed into it. I was recently trying to pay for an online purchase when the credit card input screen failed to load. This was the error message that came up instead:
Not Quite Fare...
First Essex is now supposedly running a tap-on operation, with a daily price cap of £5.80. I made use of this recently, but, when I tapped on on the second bus, it didn't take. The driver asked me to hold my credit card in position and pushed a couple of buttons. I thought he was trying to fix the issue, but he issued me a £3.00 single ticket. It only left me 20p out of pocket in this case, but that's hardly the point!
ABOVE: First Essex 67738 (SN62 AJU), an ADL / Transbus Enviro300, is seen in Maldon High Street on route 331 (Chelmsford to Burnham-on-Crouch), on Monday 26 January 2026.
More than Fare...
I boarded the 288 "Town Bus" in Maldon - a local service that links the centre of town to some of the outliers - to discover that this was a free bus service. Seems to work well here but a very rare feature of Britain's buses.
ABOVE: On Monday 26 January 2026, Stephensons 474 (EU65 EOK), an ADL Enviro200, heads down Maldon High Street on free Town Service 288
A Photo I had to include...
Here's 230 001, the battery 'fast-charging' train that has been introduced onto the West Ealing to Greenford shuttle route in West London. This was taken at Greenford station on the first morning of service, Saturday 31 January 2026. I think I was the only enthusiast who only made one single trip on the train. Based on the videos online, it looks like most people went up-and-down for hours!
The National Rail terminating platform at Greenford sits between the two London Underground Central Line platforms. I made my getaway in the Central Line train towards West Ruislip, that is just pulling in on the left, mere moments after I took this picture!
The National Rail terminating platform at Greenford sits between the two London Underground Central Line platforms. I made my getaway in the Central Line train towards West Ruislip, that is just pulling in on the left, mere moments after I took this picture!
I managed to get this picture (uncredited) included in a special montage that was put together for a celebratory event at our office. Even though no-one knew it was my picture, I was very proud of its inclusion!
Coming Soon...
The pictures below are linked to articles that I will be bringing to you over the coming weeks:
|
|
|
|
Also Coming Soon...
I had this through by email recently:
I wonder whether it will be any more user-friendly than the old one? We will soon find out..