guys you complain about the 176... surely if you bus hop - say get on an empty 40 which are regular at most times of day - to camberwell you will find the 176 a lot less crowded at that point... The 12 is certainly a long winded route and getting around westminster (even before you cross over the bridge) and through to traf sq can seem like you've wasted a great deal of your life. the return journey is much better though. My daily journey to work, westminster, usually involves 2-4 buses northbound and generally 2 buses back. I use different routes to (takes about, including waiting times, 45 mins - yes thats wiv 4 buses!) and from (takes just over an hour)work. I'm not much of a fan of waiting around at train/tube stations as these ways can certiainly sometimes take either the same or longer time than catching a bus. The best way really is to try it yourself and come up with the best route that suits you.