Bendy bus days numbered as first nine are banished

24 July 2009

Bendy bus in Whitechapel... soon to go

By Mike Brooke

THE days of London’s much-hated ‘bendy’ buses are numbered—with Mayor Boris Johnson’s pledge to banish the articulated juggernauts from the narrow streets.

They complete their last run today (Friday) on route 507 Waterloo to Victoria.

Other routes follow in the next two years—including the most notorious route 25 through East London with its high rate of yob behaviour and fare-dodging.

The 25 often gets raided by cops along Whitechapel Road trawling for dodgers, the last time only four weeks ago in Bow.

WRITING WHALES

The entire fleet of 396 London bendy buses will be off the road by the end of 2011, the Mayor has promised.

“These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time,” he said.

“Pedestrians that leapt, cyclists that skidded and drivers that dodged from the path of the 507 can breathe easier this weekend.

“Bendy buses on all other routes are on borrowed time.”

Engineers are to scrape all traces of ‘London’ from the nine that ran the 507 route and send them packing back to the Midlands from whence they came.

They are being replaced tomorrow (Saturday), by 15 new 35ft long single-deckers running more frequently, Transport for London promises.