Worst local transport journeys

[Robert Poste's Child]

Inspired by EDNate and the number 185, what's the worst localish journey by public transport? Not bad one-off journeys (hello, Southern), weather-related (Boris sauna-bus) or redevelopment (London Bridge 2013 to 2017 inclusive and still having flashbacks), but journeys that are awful in their own right.

The number 12 from Oxford Circus to the library is convenient in that you don't need to change but you could literally get to Birmingham in the time it takes.

[Bic Basher]

The 176 to Tottenham Court Road can easily take 80 mins from The Grove end of LL as it gets snarled up at The Strand, changing drivers at Camberwell Green or complying with Southwark's 20mph zone which has also helped to slow down an already slow bus route.

185 to Lewisham is also too long winded. The 484 at Goose Green or the P4 from the Wood Vale end of LL are much faster.

[singalto]

I got on the 176 by St Martin in the fields at 3.30pm yesterday and arrive in ED at 5!

[Robert Poste's Child]

Pity the poor folk who stay on till Penge...

[Robert Poste's Child]

The 42 is a nice scenic route to the city but has taken me over an hour and a half sometimes due to bottlenecking around Tower Bridge.

[ed26]

Any bus that starts around here and goes out of London rather than in e.g the 197 towards Croydon and 177 towards Greenwich / Thamesmead. Both are always filthy, full of litter and seem to carry more than their fair share of rowdy kids and people who shout obscenities at the drivers and other passengers.

Getting the 37 back to ED/Peckham from Brixton direction - frequently a 20+ minute wait and packed when it finally arrives.

And getting anywhere around Holborn from here in rush hour: choices a) worry about whether you'll get on a Thameslink and then walking 20 mins from City Thameslink b) getting the 176 to Aldwych and walking up Kingsway c) bussing to E&C and then squeezing on the Northern Line to TCR. None are a favourite option at 7-8am.

[sandyman]

The 12 used to go all the way to Notting Hill Gate. Even though it was a Routemaster then it was still an epic journey.

Worst experience I had recently was getting on a 176 at elephant. Driver changed on Walworth road outside Edwards bikes so we were advised to switch to the 40 behind. One stop later at Camberwell Green that also decided to wait while drivers changed and the 176 breezed past...

[FriendsOfTheTerrapin]

176 - The Bus of Shite...

[nxjen]

ed26 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And getting anywhere around Holborn from here in

> rush hour: choices a) worry about whether you'll

> get on a Thameslink and then walking 20 mins from

> City Thameslink b) getting the 176 to Aldwych and

> walking up Kingsway c) bussing to E&C and then

> squeezing on the Northern Line to TCR. None are a

> favourite option at 7-8am.

Taking any bus to Denmark Hill or Camberwell then changing on to the 68 is a good alternative. Or as you say getting the 176 to Aldwych then walking: depending where you have to get to in Holborn, this can always include a pleasant walk through Lincolns Inn Fields

[nxjen]

sandyman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The 12 used to go all the way to Notting Hill

> Gate. Even though it was a Routemaster then it was

> still an epic journey.

>

It used to go even further, on to Shepherds Bush Green

[Lynne]

Getting round St. Dunston's on the 185. I once got off and walked past the jam and got on a bus 5 buses ahead of the one I'd left, only a few hundred yards further on.

[Sue]

It's London. There's traffic :) and constant roadworks :)

I avoid any bus going down the Strand or anywhere on the South Circular during the rush hour, if possible.

[bloodoranges]

100% the 176 is the worst now, I usually cycle but when I can't I have the worst time. Multiple buses can't stop because they are full. it takes me over an hour to go from Upland Road to before Waterloo.

[JohnL]

I used to catch the P12 to Canada Water and they regularly chucked us off somewhere in Bermondsey (near Millwall's ground) - you can walk from there I think if you don't mind walking.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Any bus that goes through Camberwell seems prone to being delayed to swap drivers due to the bus garage. Doesn't seem to happen so much if you go via say Brixton though there's another hotspot in Kennington.

[jim_the_chin]

My first and last poem ever, on the subject of the 176 back in the day:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,216140,340577#msg-340577

Any bus that decides to drive reealllyy slowly, I suspect near the end of the drivers shift. Always happens when in a hurry.

[Bic Basher]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Pity the poor folk who stay on till Penge...

It's timetabled to take 104 minutes to get to Penge from TCR!

[Robert Poste's Child]

Dear God. You'd never want to have a night out in the West End again, would you?

[Robert Poste's Child]

jim_the_chin Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My first and last poem ever, on the subject of the

> 176 back in the day:

>

> http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?2

> 0,216140,340577#msg-340577

>

Genius!

[Jennys]

The 37 and the P4 are surely the worst buses in the area but I have always found the 176 reasonably reliable. What is annoying is that 1. Buses wait ?to regularise the service? or as happened to me once, to allow the driver to pop into the newsagents opposite East Dulwich Station to buy a chocolate bar. 2. When stops are closed because of roadworks, for example, they used to set up a temporary stop nearby but now they just go to the next bus stop which is often quite a long way ahead.

[dbboy]

Hopefully the P13 will have returned to route on Underhill road tomorrow and the Langton Rise/Woodvale junction will be back to normal post road works so the two bus stops will have re-opened?

[Earl Aelfheah]

Anywhere on bus if you're heading into central london. Just takes too long. Public transport generally, is pretty poor. Trains are fine when they run, but they tend to be irregular outside of rush hour, and not particularly reliable.

[NewWave]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Anywhere on bus if you're heading into central

> london. Just takes too long. Public transport

> generally, is pretty poor. Trains are fine when

> they run, but they tend to be irregular outside of

> rush hour, and not particularly reliable.

Agree-I work in Oxford Street and I'd love to get a bus to work, its cheaper for one thing, and I truly hate using the underground.

Sadly since moving to this area I am pretty much dependant on the overground and tube The tube is usually fine but the overground is overcrowded and unreliable with a hideous interchange at Canada water.

and often no overground at weekends or late in the evening (working shifts I need to get into work at weekends and often finish at 10.30pm)

tbh my daily commute is hellish. its the worst thing about living here. getting to my dentist in Notting hill takes 90 miniutes each way I stay with this dentist because all the local ones my OH has gone to locally are pretty bad but really? 3 hours return commute is just a nonsense.

I may as well have a dentist in Hastings it'll take same amount of time !

[malumbu]

Not a worst journey as from posts elsewhere you will see I quite like the bus. But a few whinges.

Bunching, when buses on the same or similar route bunch together - think 185 and 176.

The dumped car on Camberwell New road on the bus lane near to the Catholic School that meant 30 minutes delay as the main carriageway is just so damn busy - it was covered in tickets but WTF didn't the council remove it rather than costing 10,000s in delays to workers and others.

Waiting for yonks for a bus, to find another one just behind, empty, that then overtakes you and gets there far quicker as few passengers to drop off (obviously some to pick up).

Loss of the 63 all the way to Crystal Palace.

The 63 picked up in Farringdon with Honor Oak on the front that turfed us out at Peckham with the driver denying any knowledge.

Taking about ten minutes to go round Vauxhall bus station when heading South.

A night bus which went via Surrey Quays about five miles out of my way and of course I fell asleep and woke somewhere I didn't want to be

And some higlights. The driver who offered me some boxing gloves when I had a disagreement with a scooter driver in the rain by the Elephant on Friday. I saw the funny side, the scooter driver didn't. and had a nice handshake with the driver.

The jolly lady bus driver on the P12 - is she still on it?

Years ago on the 159, then a routemaster, when we were all ordered off as some yoofs were being naughty. The yoofs buggered off and the conductor invited us back on again with a smile.

The bus on the Brixton Road that gave me a lift when I had buckled a wheel. No jobsworth there

[hpsaucey]

Whinge - 63 bus driver told to terminate and chuck everyone off in Peckham after an already bad delayed journey. Following 343 bus driver who wouldn't accept our follow on ticket along the same route portion despite the fact that I had two small kids and it was a bloody freezing cold night! Grumpy jobsworth.