Boris Johnson Get's One Right

This week, my favorite London Mayor challenged the Chancellor, George Osborne, a fellow Conservative, to clearly indicate, in his next budget, when he will reduce personal taxes.  Well done, Boris!  While I have been mostly supportive of the actions of the Conservative led coalition government, I too want a commitment to lower taxes.  I'll put up with the increase in VAT, for a while, to help eliminate the budget deficit, once that is done, I want taxes brought down.  Labour has been critical of the Conservatives, because of the Coalition's aggressive deficit reduction policy.  While admitting that they, too, would have had to make cuts, the Labour leadership claim they would have taken twice as long to reduce the deficit.

Government spending cuts are never going to be popular amongst those voters who have grown accustomed to receiving benefits from the public treasury.  However, by balancing the budget twice as fast as Labour would, it gives the coalition the opportunity to cut taxes before the next national election.  Tax cuts are popular with voters who benefit from them, plus will help improve economic activity.  The Conservatives strategy will allow them to weather the bad will created by doing the tough things to balance the budget, while leaving a couple of years fro them to rebuild good will, by tax reduction, in time for the next election.  This is quite a clever long-term play and one, so far, that Labour hasn't been clever enough to perceive.

By challenging Osborne, Boris Johnson has placed himself in a position to ride the coming wave.  It is rumored he has national ambitions and may, one day, make a run for the Conservative Party leadership.  Some speculate that could be the reason for his tax statements, this week.  I hope he stays Mayor, for the foreseeable future, so we don't end up with that nasty Red Ken back in.  Calling for tax reduction makes up for his silly Thames Estuary Airport advocacy, last week.  Boris, more tax cutting, less goofy new airports, please.

What Are You Waiting For?

London has a wonderful payment system for public transport.  Known as "Oyster," it's a credit card sized card, which customers can use as a pre-pay, top-up card.  They can also put Travelcards and bus passes onto it, eliminating the need to carry paper tickets.  Oyster is accepted on London buses, trams, the Tube, and overground trains operating within London.  A customer can register his or her Oyster card and if it is stolen, TFL will protect the customer from the loss of any money on the card, when it is reported missing.  Alternatively, if one is concerned about recorded wherever one travels, you can leave the card un-registered, which makes its use anonymous.

When Oyster first came out, I hesitated getting one.  As I live just outside London, I didn't travel in the city every day, at that time.  I used to buy one day Travelcards, when I did come into London, which gave me unlimited use of public transport on the valid day.  I was worried that, with Oyster, where one is charged for each journey, I might end up paying more than a Travelcard.  On the other hand, a Travelcard is only worthwhile, if you make enough trips to exceed the purchase price.  Oyster solves the problem.  The card will only charge you up to the cost of a Travelcard, or if used exclusively on buses, the maximum will be the equivalent of a one day bus pass.  Thus, either way, you get the lowest price.  If you don't travel enough to meet the price of a Travelcard, you only end up paying for the trips you use.  If you do reach the Travelcard, or bus pass cost, it automatically caps the charges at that amount.  If that wasn't enough, you get discounts on the cost of single trips, compared with paying cash.  For example, a single bus journey is now £2.20, cash, but only £1.30 on Oyster.

Oyster also makes boarding the bus much quicker.  Just press the card to yellow, circular "reader."  It will beep once, which means the card has been accepted, and you are on your way (young people's concessionary Oyster cards beep eight times, rapidly).  This is much quicker than  buying a cash ticket.  The faster the bus is loaded, the faster we are on our way.  Queues move quickly and everyone benefits.

However, a significant minority of passengers slow the whole process down, by not having their Oyster cards ready when they board the bus.  These passengers, the majority of whom seem to be women, wait until they board the bus to begin looking for their cards.  It's so frustrating waiting while a woman fishes around in her handbag, looking for her Oyster, when most folks get them in their hands while waiting for the bus to approach.  Some want me to drive off, while they look, but there are a few reasons why that's not practical.  First, if it turns out I need to issue a cash ticket, we drivers are forbidden from issuing cash tickets while the bus is in motion.  This is a safety issue, as issue a cash ticket can distract us from driving.  Another reason, also safety related, is that we aren't supposed to be operating the bus with a passenger standing that far forward.  Additionally, if I start driving, I can loose track of the passenger who hasn't paid, allowing him or her to disappear into the crowd on the bus and travel without paying.  Finally, the psychological pressure of everyone on the bus waiting for the person motivates that he or she find the card quickly.  It's also easier to launch the person from the bus, if he or she ends up not having a valid form of payment, if we are still at the bus stop.

In summary, if you are using cash to travel on London's buses, get an Oyster card today and start saving money.  If you are an Oyster user, please have your card ready when you board, rather than start fishing for it on the bus.  Here's a hint: if you always keep your Oyster in the same place, it will be a lot easier to find.

Boris Johnson's Flights of Fancy

This week, London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, dragged out his old idea of building a new airport in the Thames Estuary.  Now, I really like the Mayor.  I think he's a great improvement over the previous Mayor, Ken Livingston, but I find this idea one of his weak spots.  To a great degree, I think this comes down to politics.  The previous, Labour government approved building a third runway at Heathrow.  Some odd people opposed this and I think the Conservatives campaigned on cancelling the third runway, to gain votes form those people opposed to the project.  This was such an odd situation, because traditionally, the Conservatives have been on the side of business.  I think the majority of businessmen, in London, favor expansion of Heathrow.  Heathrow is the busiest London airport and close to the West End.

In any case, Boris couldn't really run on a campaign favoring expanding Heathrow, when his party was officially opposed to it.  So, when faced with questions as to what he would propose doing about the need for more airport capacity, in London, Boris came up with this daft idea of building a new airport, out east, in the Thames Estuary.  After he won the election, Boris' airport idea fell by the wayside.  Recently, I heard that some people objected that it would disturb Thames birds.  The heck with the birds, it would be too far away.  I live just southwest of London and Heathrow is the closest airport to me.  I wouldn't want to have to travel all the way to the other side of London.  A Thames Estuary airport would be further from me than any other London airport.  It would cost a lot of  money to build a complete airport, from scratch.  Plus, it would be necessary to build all the transportation infrastructure to get people to and from the new airport.  Heathrow already has that infrastructure.  Surely, it would be cheaper just to build another runway there.  Boris, please let your half-baked idea die.  For good advice on all things transport, talk to me, Mr. Mayor.

Lost and Found

Back at work, after my quick trip to L.A., I've put the fun of driving a fast car behind me and settled back into the routine of maneuvering a big, slow bus around the streets of South London.  People often leave things on the buses.  I've found bank cards, Oyster cards, shopping, and gloves, but this week, I've ha d a new experience.  When I reached the last stop of a run back to Croydon, I discovered a large, rectangular bag in the luggage area.  It looked like the case for a musical instrument.  After prepping the bus for the next run, I open the bag, to see what was inside.  I was shocked to find a large piece of medical equipment and a scarf.  I zipped the bag back up and left it stowed where it was.  I would turn it in, back at the garage, at the end of my shift.

When I pulled up to the first stop, at the beginning of my next run, an older woman boarded the bus.  She pointed at the bag and said, "that's mine."  I asked her what it contained, to prove that it was hers.  "A blood pressure monitor and a scarf," she replied.  That satisfied me that she was, in fact, the owner.  I was pleased I wouldn't have to lug that heavy bag, up the stairs, to our lost and found department.  Please try to remember to take everything you bring onto the bus with you when you leave.  If you leave something that arouses suspicions, it could result in police being called and the transport being interrupted.  If you do end up leaving something on the bus, contact the garage where the buses for that route are based.  A quick call can result in the garage notifying the drivers on duty to look for your lost item.  Alternatively, if some time has passed, the garage can check to see if your item has been found and turned in.  If you find something on a bus, which you think  has been lost, give it to the driver.  We make our best efforts to see that lost property is reunited with its owner.

California Dreamin'

Having managed to get the weekend off, I flew to Los Angeles, Friday, to attend my friend's wedding.  The groom was Richard Boddie, who I met in 1991.  Back then, Richard was running for the Presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, in America.  Although he didn't get the nomination, coming in  second at the convention that year, he did end up running for U.S. Senate, from California.  What can I say?  I have cool friends.

The reception was held in Orange County, California, near where Richard lives.  I rented a car to drive down to Orange County, which is just south of Los Angeles County, and decided to treat myself.  I reserved a Chevrolet Camaro SS from Hertz's "Fun Collection."  This is the car which featured as "Bumblebee" in the Transformers films.  It has a 6.2 litre engine, producing 400 horsepower.  0 to 60 in about 4.6 seconds.  When I picked up the car from the Hertz lot, they'd given me a red one, just like a London bus.  The Camaro SS also features a "heads-up display," which projects the digital speedometer reading onto the windscreen, right in front of the driver.  When one changes the radio station, the radio frequency is also displayed there.  This helps the driver avoid taking his eyes off of the road.  Having driven the car on the 405 Freeway and the Pacific Coast Highway(PCH), I can assure you it deserves its place in the "Fun Collection."

I got up early enough, on Saturday, to take advantage of the free, cooked to order breakfast, at my hotel.  Once I was back in my suite, I had about 3 and 1/2 hours til the wedding reception.  The hotel was about 20 minutes drive from the reception venue, which left me about 3 hours to kill.  I decided to take a nap, so I wouldn't feel sleepy during the reception.  Unfortunately, I ended up sleeping until 10 minutes past the time the reception started.  Then, I had to shower and put on my suit, before I could drive to the venue.  I ended up about an hour and 15 minutes late.  Upon arrival, I learned that I had missed my introduction.

I had planned on loading up on food, during the reception.  However, it turned out that there was only a cold buffet, so I just made myself a sandwich.  There was a top band playing, with musicians who work in Hollywood.  The reception only lasted three hours and I had missed over an hour, so all too soon, it was all over.  I was invited back to the couple's house, for an insider's after-party.  I had fun there, but no dinner.  I found myself on the streets of Orange County, on a Saturday night, hungry.  I raced back to my hotel, in the Camaro, hoping to use a $5 discount voucher I had received for doing without maid service after my first night.  Sadly, by the time I got there, all the hotel's restaurants were closed.  Cruising the neighborhood, I ended up driving down PCH, where I spotted a Jack-N-the Box Restaurant.  Although only fast food, I decided a meal there would suffice.  I used to love Jack's when I was a teen, because they stayed open late and had tacos.  I enjoyed a nostalgic meal then going back to my hotel.

Sadly, today I have to give the Camaro back to Hertz.  I'm flying back to London with Air New Zealand.  My quick, jet-setting trip went by too quickly for me to do all the shopping I wanted to do, but having lived in England as long as I have, it now feels like going back home.  I'll be back on the streets of London, behind the wheel of my big, double-decker bus, on Tuesday.  See you then!

Back to Work

Today was the first full working day of the new year.  Most schools are back in session and people who had the bank holiday off are back to commuting to work.  I started work before dawn, reporting to the garage at 04:55 AM.  Before taking our buses out on the road each day, we drivers do a walk-around inspection, checking for any faults or unsafe items.  Having completed mine, I pulled out of the garage and headed off to begin the work day.  My duty required me to drive empty, or "light," as we say in the industry, to the far end of the route, then go into service.  I always enjoy that, as I get to do a bit of driving, empty, not needing to make stops.  I tend to think of these empty trips as "driving for myself."

Once in service, I worked the morning rush hour, the first one of 2011.  Personally, I like working morning, or evening rush.  I like it when it's busy and I get the satisfactory feeling of accomplishing a lot, helping loads of people get to work, or home in the evening.  After finishing two-thirds of my duty, I had my break.  Back at the garage, I bought myself a hot breakfast.  It's pleasing to eat, drink, and chat with fellow drivers, in the garage canteen.  When my break was over, it was back to the road.  A single round trip would finish my work day.  Half way through the outbound leg, a man approached me at one of the stops.  He was trying to work out how long a bus on the route would take to make the round trip.  Upon further inquiry, I determined that he'd left something on an earlier bus on my route and was hoping to meet the same bus at that stop, to try to get it back.  I gave him the garage phone number and suggested he call and alert the staff there to ask the driver if his lost item was found, or turned in.  That satisfied him and I continued on my way.  Having worked eight days in a row, I am looking forward to being off, tomorrow.  If you accidentally leave an item on a London bus, contact the garage for the route involved and they can ask the driver to look for it, on the bus.  We can even be contacted via radio, by our garages, and alerted to look for lost property.  However, prevention is the best cure and it's advisable to try to avoid leaving bags or packages on the bus, when you alight, as such items can trigger a suspect package alert.  Whatever you bring on board, with you, try to take away with you, when you leave.  Enjoy your trip.

Bank Holiday Monday Blues?

Another Bank Holiday, well, the first of 2011.  While many people in Britain are off, I and a number of my fellow bus drivers worked, to keep London moving.  I usually volunteer to work on Bank Holidays, because I don't have any family in this country and I am happy to get the extra pay that is offered.  Traffic is light and we usually run to a Sunday schedule.  A number of people are still coming on board unaware that fares have increased.

While mostly uneventful, I did have one "moment."  In the afternoon, as I was driving in service, an warning alarm sounded, along with a warning light on my dashboard.  It was the alarm indicating that the emergency exit door was open.  Looking at my offside wing mirror, I didn't see the door physically open, so I figured someone had just opened the latch.  I pulled over at the next bus stop, put on the parking brake on, and put the gearbox into neutral.  After opening the door to my cab, I straightened my uniform.  Might as well try to look my best when amongst the passengers.  Then I locked the cab door behind me and walked purposefully don the aisle, toward the rear.  What did I find?  On the rear bench seat, next to the emergency exit, a young toddler.She must have touched the emergency exit door handle and accidentally unlatched it.  Her mother wasn't even sitting next to her, but was in another, side facing seat, ninety degrees to the little girl's left.  I reached over the girl and opened the emergency exit door, then slammed it shut.  This silenced the alarm.  Looking at the mother, I said, "perhaps it's not a good idea for her to sit there.  She must have hit the latch and that sets off an alarm up front."

As I walked back to the cab, I noticed that the mother did move the little girl.  Perhaps I should have pointed out that her daughter could have fully opened the door and fallen out of the bus, right into traffic, while the bus was moving.  The little girl could have been killed.  Oh well, another life saved.  All in a day's work, I suppose.  Parents, don't place young children next to the emergency exit door.  Not only can it cause a delay in the bus service, as the driver has to stop and secure the door, if the child unlatches it, it's dangerous.  Your child could potentially end up as road kill.

Fares Increase

It's January 2nd and, once again, bus fares in London have gone up.  As of today, the fare, on Oyster, is £1.30.  Cash fares have increased to £2.20.  Some people have been complaining, in the media, about the increases, but the Oyster fare remains well below what fares are outside of London.  Last time I took a bus where I live, in Berkshire, I paid £1.80 to go three stops.  Many Londoners don't realize how good they have it.  If you ride London buses, you really should use Oyster and take advantage of the discount available.  Those of you who insist on paying cash, and I don't know why you do that, please try to have exact change.  The bus companies in London do not provide drivers with a "float," so, usually, any change we have comes from the passengers themselves, as they buy tickets.  Don't turn up first thing in the morning, as I had one young man do today, with paper money, as most drivers won't have change.  This is especially true early on a Sunday morning!  The vast majority of customers use Oyster, or Travelcards, so we take very little money in, during a typical day.  In my opinion, Transport for London(TFL) should do what the Metropolitan Transit Authority(MTA), in New York, does and require exact change.  For all the details on new transport fares, in London check TFL's website.

Introduction

It's the start of a new year, so I figured it was a good time to start a new blog.  I'm a bus driver in London, England, although I'm originally from America.  I love my job and try to provide the best service I can.  I  have held professional driver's licenses both in America and in the United Kingdom, and driven buses in both countries.  At first, I will focus on issues about the London bus network, and London transport in general.  In time, I will also be happy to discuss public transport, generally, anywhere in the world, plus any other topics you fancy, including politics, economics, business, law, and social commentary.  We have a great transport system, in London, and I'm proud to be a part of it.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or topics you want discussed.