Transport in London is shit

Yeah they did. Incredible how they cut out their single best operational advantage to just be a double decker with an extra exit that bakes passengers at temperatures above 20C.

Went all in on a cycle-only commute eighteen months ago (45-55 mins one way) and don't regret it although do occasionally miss the 'people watching' aspect of bus travel and not feeling in constant mid-level threat mode on London's gnarly highways, as improved as the cycling infrastructure may be.

I have tried doing the London bit of my commute (Liverpool St to Bloomsbury) by bike but it was frankly terrifying.

Yeah those new routemasters have always ben underwhelming and also a bit NOISY (I have hearing damage but ymmv).

It's been a long time since I lived in London but my recollection is that if the stop wasn't a request stop (i.e. it said "bus stop" rather than "request stop") buses would automatically stop there even if no-one was waiting to get on and no-one had rung the bell to get off.

Yes this is what I thought - but apparently that's no longer the case (and may not have been the case for a long time!) So as a passenger you have to bing the bell like every stop is a request stop.

We live on a route (W3) where the bus is always late so there's often two (or three!) duelling buses behind each other. This morning I saw passengers at the stop in front of me and didn't ring the bell because I assumed the bus would stop for them. But because there was already a W3 parked there, it just overtook the bus instead.

Personally I don't think buses should skip stops if there's two buses at the stop, as there could be someone with a wheelchair/pram who can't get on the first bus.

I've always dinged the bell for every bus stop I've ever got off at, since 1998...

I'm remembering bus routes on the outskirts of London from 70s/80s and there were a load of stops that weren't mandatory but haven't lived in London for a few decades. So can see things may have changed and it only being those hopper buses it would be true of now. I thought there was some kind of a stop at the places around my mother's house but now wondering if the stop near the doctor's we used to use has one. Thought there would need to be some signifier and some way of keeping space cleared at kerb to allow bus to stop.

If the catch up with official schedule stopping predated the pandemic it wasn't by much here. But that may be just here and possibly other smaller town/cities around the country. As in not Dublin. I didn't hear the policy announced and did need to work out that it was unlikely that one would get lucky and catch up on lost time once it was instituted. Also noticing that one can get on a bus thinking it might catch up with how far behind schedule everybody at the stop is and the driver continue to act like he is on a later schedule which is annoying. Stopping and waiting for schedule when a couple of buses previous to them have not appeared. Must be some way around that since it can happen during morning rush hour. Only response at the time was a comment that they couldn't get the drivers. Doesn't help people avoid being late for work or alter a clock in timer.

often it coincides with a 'hail and ride' section

ah yeah, the W4 is totally a "hail and ride" section, though there are specific (albeit unmarked) spots where the bus will stop, like the top of our road - it won't just stop if you wave at it/ring the bell outside your house. We are definitely not a "well-to-do suburb", tho.

if a stop serves more than one bus route then surely you always have to flag it to get on, otherwise it would be assumed you're waiting for a different bus.

Dinging the bell is one of the pleasures of bus travel.

Which tells you all you need to know about bus travel.

dinging the bell, sitting on the top deck and looking out, saying cheers to the driver when you get off (front door exit only) (make sure to catch their eye in the rear view mirror), rating the people sitting across or next to you...

bus is the most fun way to travel (if you're not in a hurry) imo. You get to look out the window! You get to stay out late!!

It's certainly miles better than the tube! Unfortunately I am in a hurry when I'm on a bus and not knowing if it'll take any time between 12 minutes to an hour to get to my work in the morning is a bit stressful.

Old-style Routemaster rope bell-pulls were the best, shame about the non-existent pushchair/wheelchair access mind but you could always have fun timing your rise to the feet / bell-pull combo. Yes I am old btw.

last night's Secrets of The London Undergound about West Ashfield station was fascinating, especially the custom signage, route mas etc

(route maps)

( pics here https://www.londonreconnections.com/2010/west-ashfield-part-1-models-great-and-small/ )

London Overground: New names for its six lines revealed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68296483

My line will now be there Weaver line. OK I guess. Maroon not my favourite colour. Lioness line" would have driven me nuts so glad I don't live in Watford.

New Overground line names: an exercise in turd-polishing from a Mayor seeking re-election.

Lioness line in honour of Women's World Cup losers.

I'm going to call it the Lionessless Lion

Gonna poll...

i'm pretty glad they've got names, "major delays on the overground" is of 0 use. The names themselves, eh. I'm on Windrush though, which is great.