Save me from the 78 bus

[richfish]

I have recently started using the 78 bus during rushhour to get me from Peckham Rye to Aldgate. What a nightmare experience. The buses are unbelievably tiny single deckers that seem to roll a lot making a standing journey feel like a sickness inducing trip to the fairground. The seats have almost no leg room at all and so standing is the only option for me. To make it worse this is a hugely popular route and the buses are absolutely packed beyond belief so for 40 minutes or longer we all roll around standing on each others feet with no room to breathe, feeling terrifed by the experience and yet merrily passing every packed busstop from the Old Kent Road onwards. Crazy. How can this happen?

Does anyone know how I can alert LT to this problem? Even better has anyone on here got the power to change it and give us a bigger bus?

[KalamityKel]

welcome to the real world of public transport along with thousands of other commuters each day!

Stop complaining and just get on with it!

[jaybee82]

Join the queue mate...behind about half a million other Londoners, including myself.

You could always get a taxi??

[SeanMacGabhann]

I would imagine a relatively small percentage of bus commuters use the 78 compared to the double deckers taking people into town and richfish is right - travelling on say the 63 or 40 is like flying firstclass compared to the 78 - so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss him

When I travelled on it for 2 years I sent a number of complaints to the bus company in question and TFL - standard replies of "monitoring bus routes, demand, yadda yadda". I know many of the passengers I spoke to did the same so I wouldn't expect to see a change soon. The 42 which shares some of that route occassionally goes mad and has a double decker

In the end I think it's better walking to the 40 route and going to Aldgate that way

[EDOldie]

I might have this wrong but didn't the 78 route originally run from Dulwich Plough (Barry Road) to Aldgate and was downsized (in every sense) when the 40 was introduced?

They were the majestic Routemaster back then, oh, and people queued in those days too.

[PeckhamRose]

The address to write to them is on the bus itself, and also I think on TFL website.

(Puts her biking gear on.)

[LadyTaTa]

Richfish, I totally agree - even if they used double-deckers for rush hours and then used smaller buses in the day it would make sense. It's absolutely packed on Sundays too. I frequently use buses, but can say that the 78 in rush hour is easily the most panic-inducing route.

[Sandperson]

Jump on a bike. you'd be there in 45 mins.

[Ladymuck]

Sandperson Wrote:

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> Jump on a bike. you'd be there in 45 mins.

Or less!!

[Keef]

Yeah, and you can ride alongside buses whilst angrily bashing the window! (Old one for SP there ;-))

[Sandperson]

I banged on a bus driver's window just this morning Keef! Are you following me? He cut myself and another cyclist off into the kerb.

[Keef]

Did you have a fist fight in the street once he'd stopped?

[Ladymuck]

Sandperson Wrote:

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He cut myself

> and another cyclist off into the kerb.

It happens a lot of the time...gives me a good excuse to stick two fat fingers up and have a good swear though...aaahhh, feel much better now!

[Jah Lush]

EDOldie Wrote:

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> I might have this wrong but didn't the 78 route

> originally run from Dulwich Plough (Barry Road) to

> Aldgate and was downsized (in every sense) when

> the 40 was introduced?

>

> They were the majestic Routemaster back then, oh,

> and people queued in those days too.

Almost right old bean. The 78 used start from the top of Lordship Lane (Hornimans).

[EDOldie]

You sure? I thought they terminated and started at the Plough.

[Jah Lush]

Absoutely. I used to catch the 78 from stop at the Grove Tavern.

[boosboss]

I don't use the 78 very often, but it seems that when I do there's always people arguing on it. Last week a row broke out between two passengers over the push and shove to get on. The man called the woman a cow and she retorted with what finished the argument "Better a cow than a c**t"! Made me smile anyway!

[KalamityKel]

they also, like the 176s, used 2 b green

[Peckwich]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> they also, like the 176s, used 2 b green

I was about to say the same thing. Same for the 343 which used to be called P3. I'm sure the 78s were also double decker when they were green.