Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Part 25: Death Bus Reconnection?

London Reconnections: In the early 1970s, after leaving university, this author worked, briefly, in a very junior capacity for one of the then newly formed Passenger Transport Executives. Trying to weld together twelve local authority and private operators into one coherent bus company was at the time truly "Alice in Wonderland" stuff... Amazingly, about the only thing that there seemed to be general agreement about amongst all parties was that rear entrance buses with open platforms had to go. Firstly, they were expensive - as they required a conductor. This increased the quantum of management complexity in scheduling the workforce as well as costing a lot more than OMO (One Man Operation) – a cost that grew throughout the entire vehicle life cycle. Secondly, the open platforms were dangerous. Passengers were always falling down the stairs - although not as often as the conductors (why? - because conductors would be going up and down stairs over forty hours a week whilst customers usually only went up and down twice a day). Although strictly prohibited from doing so, passengers would also board and disembark at any point that suited them - often whilst the bus was moving. The latest delivery date for the first five "New Routemasters" is early 2012. It used be before the end of 2011. Maybe Boris won't mind if it slips a little more to, say, after the next mayoral election on 1 May, 2012. As Reconnections asks: Is it conceivable - given today's traffic conditions - that motorists will not find themselves having to break or swerve sharply to avoid giving exiting-bus passengers involuntary lifts on the bonnets of their cars? Food for thought . Death buses don't win votes.