Services like this are such a life line to local residents, especially the elderly. It's a service that transcends it's original intent becoming a social hub, and a gathering place to people who do not have the luxury of friends and family seeing them daily.
Geoff Marshall's videos will become the most important record of human life in Britain in this period of history. Imagine if we had anything close to this for the 50s or even the 80s.
sad thing is though, with 500 fresh hours of video on youtube coming out each minute - those historians will have to do a lot of sifting, lets hope it doesn't get drowned out.....side note, there is a guy on UA-cam who did "vlog" style videos, but before it was a thing, from the 80s (check it out ua-cam.com/video/EZJAtkqiV8U/v-deo.html) and for sure some rich guy in the 50s would have recorded on his personal voice recorder to talk about his day....but we dont have access to it, in the same struggle a future historian far down the line will be able to specifically find this channel here
@@-imara8542 Interesting point about digital preservation, also when UA-cam (or the channel owner) delete a channel for whatever reason, the content is often gone forever as it will often not be mirrored elsewhere.
These videos are an absolute joy. Shoutout to Kofi the driver and Fran and all the regulars for being so friendly and kind. And to Maria for insisting that Kofi get his picture taken too.
This bus operates through one of the most wealthy parts of London. I guess the vast majority of residents have never used the service but love the fact that it is available to those who for one reason or another would otherwise be somewhat isolated.
Well now THIS was a huge and unexpected blast of nostalgia. I grew up in Barnet, though my family emigrated to Toronto in Canada back in 1965. I remember when I was little -- 7 or 8 or so -- begging to go on a train ride, (much like a young Geoff Marshall, I suspect) and going from Oakleigh Park or New Barnet, our local stations, up the line to Hadley Wood, and then back again. I remember going around Hadley Wood with my parents, along those roads, crossing the A1000 (Great North Road / alias Barnet High Street), past what's now the A1081 St Albans Rd, but it used to be the A5 I think. The bus route numbers have changed, but the place hasn't. Thank you.
The A1081 used to be the A6. It splits off from the Great North Road A1000 which was the A1 until the Barnet Bypass was built and became the A1. Historians might correct me and tell me the Barnet Bypass was built before the road numbering system was created in (I believe) 1933.
Hadley wood was always a great place, I grew up in barnet and still live there now. Great to see some recognition for something I never knew about where I live
There's a bus in the area where i grew up (which is still running) that only runs once a week on a wednesday, and the bus that comes back goes at the same time. So the minimum time you could go somewhere by bus is a week. That was the only bus in a 5 mile radius
Since I live in barnet and have seen the 389 a lot I never actually knew it changed to the 399 until this video. Great little piece of info I never knew living here
Geoff’s just such a nice guy that even if you aren’t into UK transportation it’s surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Plus I just enjoy watching nerds talk about things they love
Anyone else here just because Geoff has such a watchable format? I don't really care for trains/busses but I always find the content so watchable and interesting. I imagine Geoff would make good progress in media and television if he wanted. Thanks Geoff, your uploads are always a pleasure!
@Constantin Lungu Its a weird mix - I think for myself its a fascination with London despite living in the commuter suburbs an hour away - Least served 5 a day...in some places nearby that would be considered a LOT
@@danielnarevich7579 Stop taking the piss, it could be "all the toilets". It'd be the hit of the century. They could even buy their very own toilet if they raised enough.
Hey! As a resident of Barnet- i can confirm that one of the reasons this bus is hardly used is because it doesnt go to High Barnet Tube Station- its a 10 minute walk from The Spires, but we're all too lazy to walk down the hill. Additionally, it doesn't link up to any schools, and any schools going in that direction have their own school buses. If we want to get to Hadley Wood, we take the bus to New Barnet then the Great Northern up there. Also REALLY strange seeing you show off areas of Barnet and Monken Hadley that I wall past almost every day!
I've driven that route for 6 months in 2018. I remember each of the regular 40 or 50 regular passengers, its brilliant. Sullivan took it from go ahead. One story was sprinkling gritt on the road that I bought from the garage as the council hadn't gritted the road and I couldnt reach one end of the route the day before
He should really come to North America and do some least used stations and secrets of different subway and Streetcar/LRT/Tram routes in like Toronto, New York, Boston, Philly, Los Angeles, Washington, Montreal and San Francisco, and maybe, "The Least used Subway Line in the country"
Thanks Geoff. I lived in Enfield worked in Barnet for most of my life before moving to Plymouth in 2012 at 55. Your videos are always interesting with the right amount of whimsy. I always feel informed and kept up to date about the old Manor. Thanks again!
Random fact from a bus nerd: Majority of Sullivan Buses's buses have a similar feature to that of the new routemasters, where the registration plate ends with "SUL" in a nod to the company it belongs to.
@@macurran111 even the older buses have it too, only the buses which weren’t new to the company have normal registrations. Some companies like ASD coaches for example will often modify the number plates to a private one
Fundraisers you can get it for a few years old but it will not have any further assistance to get the best on my own 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃 to the police station to give the children homework for so they can sit down and concentrate more on this app is good for me to do it for a reply 😊 lemme know if you have a good night and I got a pay rise I'm still in the mornings and evenings whole of Sunday
I know these types of videos are quirky and not hugely exciting but they are a wonderful slice of everyday life in Britain today, and are the type of things that often get lost in the passage of time as bus, tram and train routes disappear and towns and cities change. We look back today at mundane everyday scenes from the 40s, 50s, 60s etc. and love them for showing normal life back then, these videos will be seen in the same way in decades to come I think. Keep up the good work Geoff.
This bus has a similar service interval and usage as several of those local to me in rural S W Scotland. Many of the passengers here are pensioners too, to whom these services are vital for food shopping and medical appointments.
the reason so many old people use them is that it takes a lifetime to remember the timetables, without 50 years experience you've got no chance of catching one.
I love this bus route. My local bus route which is also in London has a hail & ride section with regular passengers, recently gone up due to a new housing complex built a few years ago. I love bus route like this. You get to know the passengers, the bus drivers and it feels like an extension of your neighbourhood
Only four passengers! The RV1 bus route was terminated in Summer 2019 by TFL because, they claimed, it carried only eight passengers at a time. That route, between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway station, was brilliant for south bank access. The RV1 connected attractions including National Theatre, London Eye, Royal Festival Hall, OXO Tower Wharf, Tate Modern, Tower of London and many streets in between not otherwise served by buses. Much missed.
Yes but the RV1 ran every 20 minutes, not five times a day. Plus walking from Hadley Wood to Barnet takes a lot longer than walking from any of the places previously served by the RV1 to another bus stop, so these passengers don't have any other choice. I daresay usage on this route would grow if it was run more often. Barnet has also been punished by TfL, who have removed route 384 from serving many roads. Again, the increased distances that people now have to walk are much greater than anything on route RV1, plus the area is a lot steeper too. TfL don't care about most passengers, especially the elderly and disabled- they only care about the bottom line and certain special interest groups.
i dont often comment on youtube, but your videos are just so interesting and well done. Glad I found such a great channel for my niche interest of public transport. Especially this video was so wholesome and lovely, it made my day :) Keep up your wonderful work!
I'm the Director of Music and Organist (and choirmaster!) at St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley - the church which you spent some time talking outside. It is a very nice place: I've been there for around 5 years and I still haven't got over how pretty the area is. It is definitely the most rural part of London I have ever lived near and worked in. The white gates are the boundaries of Hadley Common: there are 5 gates, and you went through 2 sets of them on the 399. The bus goes from The Spires shopping centre, out towards Monken Hadley. It goes past the church, through the first set of gates - leaving the village of Monken Hadley and going onto Hadley Common. The bus then turns left down Camlet Way. There is a second set of gates, at which point the bus leaves Hadley Common and enters the village of Hadley Wood. The rest is as you mentioned. Originally, the gates were to keep livestock on the Common, which is owned not by a private owner (unusually) but held in trust for the "commoners" who get to feed their livestock there on the grass. As far as I know, none of the commoners actually do so. There is cricket there quite regularly, however. These days, the white gates mostly serve as a reminder of the history of the area, and a very clear demarcation of where the Commons begins for the occasional moments when such things become very important. There is a website if you want more information: monkenhadleycommon.net For some reason, as far as I can tell, the website fails to mention the most important part: you can find ducks in most of the ponds around the Common. They are very friendly.
I've tried a lot of bus routes which often have lower usage, even in London and other large cities. Yet I'd love to share what used to be Malta's least used bus route (as no railways are in service here), which was the 401 service. I live in Malta, and I remember riding on it shortly before the wiped it out in 2015, as practically it was running empty on a daily basis, and connected the seaside resort of Bugibba to the countryside hamlet of Wardija, all in the St Paul's Bay local council. And every time I rode on it I've barely served large passengers numbers, and drivers even spoke out about having their whole day on it without a single passenger boarding
I live in feltham and the H26 has a hail and ride section. Its lovely being able to get on and off exactly outside your door. One of my favourite bus routes next to the 285.
This is so lovely. My husband and I lived round Barnet just before we got married. I went to the Squires to get confetti the day before our wedding! I bought all the confetti I could from WH Smith! This brings back lovely memories. Thank you
Theirs a bus driver on my local bus knows where my Nan lives and drops her off at the bottom of her road and gives me free rides like he’s such a nice guy
@@swanningabout If you're spending your time reading random comments on YT, just to correct posters' spelling and use of apostrophes, you really need to get a life. Poor spelling can be annoying, as can the incorrect use, or lack, of apostrophes. Neither of these are as irritating as a smart arse though. Might be worth thinking about?'
Sounds like lots of UK rural countryside routes. My old school minibus (which turned into the normal bus at other times) was driven by a very nice hippy guy who always gave us a lift and dropped us off at our houses even tho he was supposed to drop us at the main road. On the way there he would always get song suggestions from the kids and then put requests into the local radio stations. There was also a small hump back bridge on the way there that he often tried to get air on haha. and he always brought his dog which got petted by all the kids. Lovely guy and nice little community
That was really nice to see..and yes, there are some drivers who eventually know their passengers. When I moved to LA from back East, I had to rely on taking the bus for a good 3 years before getting my car. I became friendly with 3 different drivers on 3 separate routes. It had gotten to a point where I didn't need to show my card...they just let me on! And you get to meet a lot of ppl doing that. The driver and the passengers seemed friendly and the area looks beautiful.
@@transportationuk7656 wright are still going but their current buses really arent great, there’s a reason they are nicknamed streetsh**es and streetwrecks, enviros are much better lol
Having worked as a bus passenger surveyor, I found this interesting. I surveyed the 299 in October 2019 and heard some talk of one bus going off to run route 399. I am familiar with Hail and Ride - I used to live right behind one of the "virtual stops" on route 324 when that started. I once surveyed that too, and my second season of surveying started on the 326. I also know the 325 (which is nowhere near the other two). One odd route I never surveyed though I was once standby surveyor for it was 327 - a TfL route but I don't think it ever enters Greater London - it runs out of Waltham Cross, and is run with just one bus, carrying running number 327.
I do love these little bus routes where everyone knows each other. Reminds me of Bournemouth's (sadly no longer with us) 41 route i used to get regularly. Everyone knew each other, it was like our own little mobile social club!
There's a bloke who rides around London on the buses trying to teach his dog to play the trumpet. I asked him how it was going, and he said it took an hour and a half to get from Barking to Tooting.
Nice to see you on the buses as well as the trains! These services do enjoy a loyal customer base and you stick out like a sore thumb as a newbie passenger. "There's strangers on the bus today" said one regular boarding the Macclesfield bus in Leek bus station, looking curiously at me. I half expected to be told this was a LOCAL bus for LOCAL people... but if you help someone struggling with their shopping they're very friendly even to strangers :)
Funny thing is, Auckland, New Zealand's least used bus route is the 399 too! Except, it is the longest bus route in Auckland, and the southernmost bus route in Auckland, overall taking 2 hours to ride!
And you have to be thankful that this bus exists for the elderly that use it. Back in the 60s it was a common thing in Sydney's outer suburbs for your local driver to drop you off out the front of your house. It's good to see that it still happens in Barnett. Thanks for the memories, Geoff.
The most nerdy thing, I've seen in a while - but it made me strangely happy - like "The world goes on, all will be good". Thanks. I love obscure bus routes.:) Greetings from Denmark.
Excellent. Love this. We definitely need a video of London's lowest used bus routes - ride the ten least used bus routes in London - with the extra commentary - like this one. Loved it.
I don't drive in London but I have many regulars I'm on first name terms with on my routes, good to know it happens in the capital as well as in the rural backwaters I drive buses through.
One of my local bus routes is the 499, which is also hail and ride for a section. So too, it turns out, is the 299... The 199 needs to get its act together.
In Innsbruck, where I live and drive, we had a similar route like this one. It was called LK, one trip lasted 20 minutes and had 6km's. It only served one small district, in the west of the town. And there were always, the same passengeres and drivers. So you knew everyone, even the schoolkids. As I alao lived there, I asked passengers on the way to the supermarket, to get some things for me too, as i forgot something when I was doing the shopping. The only difference: the shedule was far better, every 10 min's a bus from 6.00-23.15 on workingdays. Nowadays, the route was extended into the citycentre which is makes one circle now to 16.4km (earlier: 6km) and a journeytime of 1 hour. If you wanna see the former route LK, just check out my channel with driver's view-clips and look for the oldest version of LK.
Hello all the way from Moscow :) I absolutely love these videos and Geoff's demeanour, and this bus with the passengers who know each other and the bus driver who knows the passengers and the regulars and where to drop them off reminded me of the bus in North Wales I took last summer from Bangor to Caernarfon (judging by my old notes it was No. 5C!) whose bus driver also honked after some kids waved at him at some turn as if waiting for him and they screamed with joy after he honked! :D And whenever a new passenger entered it was always as if they greeted the others (I could not really understand because I did not prepare and did not learn even basic Welsh). One other time also in North Wales riding a bus No. 85 from Llanberis to Bangor I witnessed another interesting thing where a woman hailed a bus and then instead of getting on the bus she just passed something to her friend who was in the bus through the doors xD
I like how these London transport videos highlight just how lucky or well served the city is compared to rural/non city areas. 5 buses a day! Out in the sticks that would be considered excessive
What a lovely video! Made me smile - thanks Geoff! There are a few London bus routes that go out into the country - which always seems an adventure. Would definitely watch more bus videos
Geoff, you have to do the H2. It’s like a village bus that goes round the Hampstead Garden Suburb, it’s a circular service running out of Golders Green. I like to think it’s the most coveted job for London drivers.
Great video as always Geoff! The 389/399 combo reminds me of a local hopper service in Brisbane, our 311/312/313/314. These services also stop if safe to do so and have regular patrons on a name basis with many of the drivers! Chances are the patronage figures are pretty comparable too. Might have to do a closer review of the Brisbane services myself!
I loved the regular passengers and the area looks great and the personal service when dropping off outside homes. Interesting video, a gem and commentary really good.
This reminds me of all my years travelling the 366 and 367 between Croydon and Beckenham back in the 1990's when I used them for my daily commute to and from school and college. The 367 stopped at the end of my street in Beckenham and the 366 stopped on the adjacent street behind my house. They used the small Optare Metrorider buses. The routes ran between Beckenham Junction Station and West Croydon bus station. The 366 went round via West Wickam while the 367 went via Addiscombe. Some of the drivers really let it rip along the sections with narrow housing estate roads and all were friendly and set me off as close to my street as possible. Good memories. Great video, good to see this kind of bus route still exists today. Greetings from Copenhagen.
Wow, this was an unexpectedly fascinating episode. Especially as I was in the area this summer exploring, so lovely to see it! I really enjoyed that. Thanks Geoff!
That was really heart warming seeing the bus driver and regular passengers.
Least used but not least important bus route
Love how when the 399 drops him off and renumbers to 389 the driver sees Geoff recording and has a big grin.
Services like this are such a life line to local residents, especially the elderly. It's a service that transcends it's original intent becoming a social hub, and a gathering place to people who do not have the luxury of friends and family seeing them daily.
Lesson Learned
Fantastic that they know each others names and Maria gets dropped off at her house.
Happens around me as well, bus driver drops a lady off right at her works door instead of at the bus stop
Such a lovely little service that can meen a lot to someone. :)
A number of routes in Romford have hail and ride sections. If I ring the bell at the correct moment, the 193 (every 10 minutes) stops outside my door.
was the same in Guernsey when I drove there in the 90s
That's real community!
Geoff Marshall's videos will become the most important record of human life in Britain in this period of history. Imagine if we had anything close to this for the 50s or even the 80s.
I think kliksphilip's vlogs have the lead by a hair.
True.
Indeed
sad thing is though, with 500 fresh hours of video on youtube coming out each minute - those historians will have to do a lot of sifting, lets hope it doesn't get drowned out.....side note, there is a guy on UA-cam who did "vlog" style videos, but before it was a thing, from the 80s (check it out ua-cam.com/video/EZJAtkqiV8U/v-deo.html) and for sure some rich guy in the 50s would have recorded on his personal voice recorder to talk about his day....but we dont have access to it, in the same struggle a future historian far down the line will be able to specifically find this channel here
@@-imara8542 Interesting point about digital preservation, also when UA-cam (or the channel owner) delete a channel for whatever reason, the content is often gone forever as it will often not be mirrored elsewhere.
Isn't it heart warming to think that even in the metropolis, our bus drivers learn who the regulars are and they know the drivers.
These videos are an absolute joy. Shoutout to Kofi the driver and Fran and all the regulars for being so friendly and kind. And to Maria for insisting that Kofi get his picture taken too.
This bus operates through one of the most wealthy parts of London. I guess the vast majority of residents have never used the service but love the fact that it is available to those who for one reason or another would otherwise be somewhat isolated.
Well now THIS was a huge and unexpected blast of nostalgia. I grew up in Barnet, though my family emigrated to Toronto in Canada back in 1965. I remember when I was little -- 7 or 8 or so -- begging to go on a train ride, (much like a young Geoff Marshall, I suspect) and going from Oakleigh Park or New Barnet, our local stations, up the line to Hadley Wood, and then back again. I remember going around Hadley Wood with my parents, along those roads, crossing the A1000 (Great North Road / alias Barnet High Street), past what's now the A1081 St Albans Rd, but it used to be the A5 I think. The bus route numbers have changed, but the place hasn't. Thank you.
that's lovely, Chris - thank you! glad to have brough back some memories.
Great story
The A1081 used to be the A6. It splits off from the Great North Road A1000 which was the A1 until the Barnet Bypass was built and became the A1. Historians might correct me and tell me the Barnet Bypass was built before the road numbering system was created in (I believe) 1933.
Hadley wood was always a great place, I grew up in barnet and still live there now. Great to see some recognition for something I never knew about where I live
There's a bus in the area where i grew up (which is still running) that only runs once a week on a wednesday, and the bus that comes back goes at the same time. So the minimum time you could go somewhere by bus is a week. That was the only bus in a 5 mile radius
There's one near where I live that runs once a week for the elderly and it takes them shopping
Yes my g
@@RandomGamer-qy6ys where do you live bro
@@ambitionsskyyyy central London more specifically clapham junction
@@user-rh5rz6nd4p But I hope there is a return trip in less than one week.
Since I live in barnet and have seen the 389 a lot I never actually knew it changed to the 399 until this video. Great little piece of info I never knew living here
Don’t know how I ended up here...but, it was unexpectedly comforting and engaging.
Just about as pure and wholesome as a human interest story can get, and it wasn't even intending to be a human interest story!
Geoff’s just such a nice guy that even if you aren’t into UK transportation it’s surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Plus I just enjoy watching nerds talk about things they love
"THANK YOU GEOFFREY"
Anyone else here just because Geoff has such a watchable format? I don't really care for trains/busses but I always find the content so watchable and interesting. I imagine Geoff would make good progress in media and television if he wanted. Thanks Geoff, your uploads are always a pleasure!
Mini bus london
ua-cam.com/video/vEPboKWecMg/v-deo.html
He used to work for the BBC so I assume he got some of his style from there.
@Constantin Lungu Its a weird mix - I think for myself its a fascination with London despite living in the commuter suburbs an hour away - Least served 5 a day...in some places nearby that would be considered a LOT
Up next: London’s least used Public Toilet
😂
I thought they already did that one?!
@@transportmanchester3299 😂😂
@@danielnarevich7579 good pun
@@danielnarevich7579 Stop taking the piss, it could be "all the toilets". It'd be the hit of the century. They could even buy their very own toilet if they raised enough.
Being the least used bus is one heck of an achievement in the current climate.
Geoff uses the 2018-2019 figures.
Well, one bus route has to be the least used. Unless they're all carrying the exact same number of passengers.
@@Fragenzeichenplatte Exactly. Where I live evrey bus has NIL passengers...
Hey! As a resident of Barnet- i can confirm that one of the reasons this bus is hardly used is because it doesnt go to High Barnet Tube Station- its a 10 minute walk from The Spires, but we're all too lazy to walk down the hill. Additionally, it doesn't link up to any schools, and any schools going in that direction have their own school buses.
If we want to get to Hadley Wood, we take the bus to New Barnet then the Great Northern up there.
Also REALLY strange seeing you show off areas of Barnet and Monken Hadley that I wall past almost every day!
I've driven that route for 6 months in 2018. I remember each of the regular 40 or 50 regular passengers, its brilliant. Sullivan took it from go ahead.
One story was sprinkling gritt on the road that I bought from the garage as the council hadn't gritted the road and I couldnt reach one end of the route the day before
Bet that was a 389 Western Way area. Only small hills but a nightmare in the snow
It was only a matter of time he was gonna do the least used bus route. No mode of transportation is safe from Geoff's presence
He should really come to North America and do some least used stations and secrets of different subway and Streetcar/LRT/Tram routes in like Toronto, New York, Boston, Philly, Los Angeles, Washington, Montreal and San Francisco, and maybe, "The Least used Subway Line in the country"
Least used fligts!
Damn you’re everywhere
Has Geoff done any videos about the river services?
Loved the fact the 399 felt more of a community, loved it.
Sorry Geoff, couldn’t hear you over the deafening rattles of the StreetLite🤣
😂😂
Come to Darlington
We have all the loud buses
StreetLites, Optare Solos, etc
@@6.tatertots now all you’re missing is a Volvo B7 with the cooling fan roaring
*streetwreck
Streetshit
so UA-cam suddenly wanted me to watch a video of a Bus that I take daily to work
That was such a heart warming video it honestly made my day
Thanks Geoff. I lived in Enfield worked in Barnet for most of my life before moving to Plymouth in 2012 at 55. Your videos are always interesting with the right amount of whimsy. I always feel informed and kept up to date about the old Manor. Thanks again!
Random fact from a bus nerd:
Majority of Sullivan Buses's buses have a similar feature to that of the new routemasters, where the registration plate ends with "SUL" in a nod to the company it belongs to.
a lot of companies do that with fleet vehicles if possible
ASD Coaches in Kent does the same
Only the ones acquired new, so about half the fleet.
@@macurran111 even the older buses have it too, only the buses which weren’t new to the company have normal registrations. Some companies like ASD coaches for example will often modify the number plates to a private one
@@BusesinLondon345 yes, that's what I said. Only those acquired new. Starts with X2SUL.
When one bus does two or more routes, this is known as ‘interworking’.
Scarlet Band in Durham do it for every bus
In St. Petersburg, Russia, there is 104/148 which Yandex Maps even show as a single large route.
On a channel full of wholesome easy to watch videos, this one I feel is right up there amongst the top ones. Great stuff 😊
thank you Tony, very kind!
Fundraisers you can get it for a few years old but it will not have any further assistance to get the best on my own 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃 to the police station to give the children homework for so they can sit down and concentrate more on this app is good for me to do it for a reply 😊 lemme know if you have a good night and I got a pay rise I'm still in the mornings and evenings whole of Sunday
PRAISE WOSH
I know these types of videos are quirky and not hugely exciting but they are a wonderful slice of everyday life in Britain today, and are the type of things that often get lost in the passage of time as bus, tram and train routes disappear and towns and cities change. We look back today at mundane everyday scenes from the 40s, 50s, 60s etc. and love them for showing normal life back then, these videos will be seen in the same way in decades to come I think. Keep up the good work Geoff.
This bus has a similar service interval and usage as several of those local to me in rural S W Scotland. Many of the passengers here are pensioners too, to whom these services are vital for food shopping and medical appointments.
the reason so many old people use them is that it takes a lifetime to remember the timetables, without 50 years experience you've got no chance of catching one.
@@mralistair737 ??? Did you just say that buses are for old people?
@@TransportofPerth I said they are the only ones who've had long enough to figure them out.... i was not being entirely serious.
I love this bus route. My local bus route which is also in London has a hail & ride section with regular passengers, recently gone up due to a new housing complex built a few years ago. I love bus route like this. You get to know the passengers, the bus drivers and it feels like an extension of your neighbourhood
Just lovely and cheerful during a dark and miserable lockdown. Thanks Geoff! 👏
Only four passengers!
The RV1 bus route was terminated in Summer 2019 by TFL because, they claimed, it carried only eight passengers at a time. That route, between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway station, was brilliant for south bank access. The RV1 connected attractions including National Theatre, London Eye, Royal Festival Hall, OXO Tower Wharf, Tate Modern, Tower of London and many streets in between not otherwise served by buses. Much missed.
I did love the RV1
I agree. Best way to get to South Bank! Otherwise it's a convoluted and long way round.
Yes but the RV1 ran every 20 minutes, not five times a day. Plus walking from Hadley Wood to Barnet takes a lot longer than walking from any of the places previously served by the RV1 to another bus stop, so these passengers don't have any other choice. I daresay usage on this route would grow if it was run more often.
Barnet has also been punished by TfL, who have removed route 384 from serving many roads. Again, the increased distances that people now have to walk are much greater than anything on route RV1, plus the area is a lot steeper too. TfL don't care about most passengers, especially the elderly and disabled- they only care about the bottom line and certain special interest groups.
i dont often comment on youtube, but your videos are just so interesting and well done. Glad I found such a great channel for my niche interest of public transport. Especially this video was so wholesome and lovely, it made my day :) Keep up your wonderful work!
Welcome aboard Martin!
I watch them 24/7 because they entertain me.
When it's the end of the working week, the pubs are closed, how oddly enjoyable to sit with a beer and watch this.
"I've just made it 4" holds up five fingers 😂😂
I think he was including the driver in his count, he had one more finger up each time
@@tommysalami28 ahhhhh that makes sense
🚄🚆
Well Geoff as a fellow Spurs fan it’s nice to know where our keeper lives, love your posts and stay safe
Lovely to see such a good community still exist in London.
I'm the Director of Music and Organist (and choirmaster!) at St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley - the church which you spent some time talking outside. It is a very nice place: I've been there for around 5 years and I still haven't got over how pretty the area is. It is definitely the most rural part of London I have ever lived near and worked in.
The white gates are the boundaries of Hadley Common: there are 5 gates, and you went through 2 sets of them on the 399. The bus goes from The Spires shopping centre, out towards Monken Hadley. It goes past the church, through the first set of gates - leaving the village of Monken Hadley and going onto Hadley Common. The bus then turns left down Camlet Way. There is a second set of gates, at which point the bus leaves Hadley Common and enters the village of Hadley Wood. The rest is as you mentioned.
Originally, the gates were to keep livestock on the Common, which is owned not by a private owner (unusually) but held in trust for the "commoners" who get to feed their livestock there on the grass. As far as I know, none of the commoners actually do so. There is cricket there quite regularly, however. These days, the white gates mostly serve as a reminder of the history of the area, and a very clear demarcation of where the Commons begins for the occasional moments when such things become very important.
There is a website if you want more information: monkenhadleycommon.net
For some reason, as far as I can tell, the website fails to mention the most important part: you can find ducks in most of the ponds around the Common. They are very friendly.
would of been rly funny had hugo loris been one of the "regulars"
You mean because he got banned for over a year and a half?
Thought you were gonna say Hugo Yap
@@jamesrobinson9194 Would have* not would of.
I've tried a lot of bus routes which often have lower usage, even in London and other large cities. Yet I'd love to share what used to be Malta's least used bus route (as no railways are in service here), which was the 401 service. I live in Malta, and I remember riding on it shortly before the wiped it out in 2015, as practically it was running empty on a daily basis, and connected the seaside resort of Bugibba to the countryside hamlet of Wardija, all in the St Paul's Bay local council. And every time I rode on it I've barely served large passengers numbers, and drivers even spoke out about having their whole day on it without a single passenger boarding
More bus videos please Geoff. You really have a talent for making an interesting feature from what may seem very ordinary to everyone else.
I live in feltham and the H26 has a hail and ride section. Its lovely being able to get on and off exactly outside your door. One of my favourite bus routes next to the 285.
Did I just watch a guy pointlessly ride a bus only to get back where they started for 10 minutes?
Yep
A solid 2 hours probably, in reality, judging by the timetable :P
I'm a bus fan and I do that often 😂
I mean, surely most people who use a bus also get it back to where they started? Otherwise you’d have to move house every time you used the bus...
This is so lovely. My husband and I lived round Barnet just before we got married. I went to the Squires to get confetti the day before our wedding! I bought all the confetti I could from WH Smith! This brings back lovely memories. Thank you
Theirs a bus driver on my local bus knows where my Nan lives and drops her off at the bottom of her road and gives me free rides like he’s such a nice guy
There's*
@@swanningabout shut it fool
@@swanningabout If you're spending your time reading random comments on YT, just to correct posters' spelling and use of apostrophes, you really need to get a life. Poor spelling can be annoying, as can the incorrect use, or lack, of apostrophes. Neither of these are as irritating as a smart arse though. Might be worth thinking about?'
Sounds like lots of UK rural countryside routes. My old school minibus (which turned into the normal bus at other times) was driven by a very nice hippy guy who always gave us a lift and dropped us off at our houses even tho he was supposed to drop us at the main road. On the way there he would always get song suggestions from the kids and then put requests into the local radio stations. There was also a small hump back bridge on the way there that he often tried to get air on haha. and he always brought his dog which got petted by all the kids. Lovely guy and nice little community
399 is 389? Mind blown!!! That's new to me and I've lived there my entire life
I did wonder what that bus did when it was wasting time not being the 389.
A bus with a dual personality.
That was really nice to see..and yes, there are some drivers who eventually know their passengers. When I moved to LA from back East, I had to rely on taking the bus for a good 3 years before getting my car. I became friendly with 3 different drivers on 3 separate routes. It had gotten to a point where I didn't need to show my card...they just let me on! And you get to meet a lot of ppl doing that. The driver and the passengers seemed friendly and the area looks beautiful.
I work for Sullivan Buses and I know that driver very well, thank you for covering our route
The bus sounds like it’s powered by a miniature English Electric Diesel engine I love it
I love Wright Streetlites(Diesel version). Shame that was one of the last things that Wrightbus made before going bankrupt in 2019.
@@transportationuk7656 wright are still going but their current buses really arent great, there’s a reason they are nicknamed streetsh**es and streetwrecks, enviros are much better lol
@@transportationuk7656 hate the dam things. Noisy and rattley. Try being stuck on one for 5 hours
However in Hong Kong, the wright bodied volvo b9 and b8L are considered silent, as the enviros (e500mmc) have lots of plastic rattling sounds
Sounds like a sulzer
Having worked as a bus passenger surveyor, I found this interesting. I surveyed the 299 in October 2019 and heard some talk of one bus going off to run route 399.
I am familiar with Hail and Ride - I used to live right behind one of the "virtual stops" on route 324 when that started. I once surveyed that too, and my second season of surveying started on the 326. I also know the 325 (which is nowhere near the other two). One odd route I never surveyed though I was once standby surveyor for it was 327 - a TfL route but I don't think it ever enters Greater London - it runs out of Waltham Cross, and is run with just one bus, carrying running number 327.
Can't get a seat on this bus now. Full of tourist!
For real?
@@_dave4681 Jokes bro. But It would not surprise me.
@Din Djarin hey give him a break
@Din Djarin How do you even know if this guy was joking or not then you call someone dumb for asking a question about it.🤦♂️
Lovely video. It shows how crucial are some buses in suburban areas to take elderly people around.
I do love these little bus routes where everyone knows each other. Reminds me of Bournemouth's (sadly no longer with us) 41 route i used to get regularly. Everyone knew each other, it was like our own little mobile social club!
That was a fun video! You're pretty awesome at making something as simple as a lightly-used bus service interesting.
This video is proving to be surprisingly popular given the niche subject!
There's a bloke who rides around London on the buses trying to teach his dog to play the trumpet. I asked him how it was going, and he said it took an hour and a half to get from Barking to Tooting.
that’s so dumb i love it
Nice to see you on the buses as well as the trains! These services do enjoy a loyal customer base and you stick out like a sore thumb as a newbie passenger. "There's strangers on the bus today" said one regular boarding the Macclesfield bus in Leek bus station, looking curiously at me. I half expected to be told this was a LOCAL bus for LOCAL people... but if you help someone struggling with their shopping they're very friendly even to strangers :)
Funny thing is, Auckland, New Zealand's least used bus route is the 399 too! Except, it is the longest bus route in Auckland, and the southernmost bus route in Auckland, overall taking 2 hours to ride!
Aww Kofi seemed lovely! Great video Geoff it's rare to see nice bus drivers around these days. It made me smile! :)
And you have to be thankful that this bus exists for the elderly that use it. Back in the 60s it was a common thing in Sydney's outer suburbs for your local driver to drop you off out the front of your house. It's good to see that it still happens in Barnett. Thanks for the memories, Geoff.
What lovely passengers and such a nice driver, makes me wanna travel to the other side of London to ride the 399
The most nerdy thing, I've seen in a while - but it made me strangely happy - like "The world goes on, all will be good". Thanks. I love obscure bus routes.:) Greetings from Denmark.
Excellent. Love this. We definitely need a video of London's lowest used bus routes - ride the ten least used bus routes in London - with the extra commentary - like this one. Loved it.
Brilliant, wonderful to see people actually talking to each other and not just putting their head down and staring at their phone screens.
0:27 the amount of times i sat in that shelter on the end of hadley wood stn to dispatch the old 313 stock... miss it!
This definitely confirms the theory that productive routes are straightforward and frequent, whereas lesser-used routes are circular and irregular.
I don't drive in London but I have many regulars I'm on first name terms with on my routes, good to know it happens in the capital as well as in the rural backwaters I drive buses through.
Thankyou for featuring Monken Hadley church , where my parents were married, in 1955 and probably before the 399/389 bus route.
One of my local bus routes is the 499, which is also hail and ride for a section. So too, it turns out, is the 299...
The 199 needs to get its act together.
And the 99
Loving the big cheesy grin from the driver of the newly-created 389 @3:45 :D
In Innsbruck, where I live and drive, we had a similar route like this one. It was called LK, one trip lasted 20 minutes and had 6km's. It only served one small district, in the west of the town. And there were always, the same passengeres and drivers. So you knew everyone, even the schoolkids. As I alao lived there, I asked passengers on the way to the supermarket, to get some things for me too, as i forgot something when I was doing the shopping.
The only difference: the shedule was far better, every 10 min's a bus from 6.00-23.15 on workingdays.
Nowadays, the route was extended into the citycentre which is makes one circle now to 16.4km (earlier: 6km) and a journeytime of 1 hour. If you wanna see the former route LK, just check out my channel with driver's view-clips and look for the oldest version of LK.
Don’t know why I was recommended this or why I enjoyed it so much, but it was a great watch. Peace and love
Hello all the way from Moscow :) I absolutely love these videos and Geoff's demeanour, and this bus with the passengers who know each other and the bus driver who knows the passengers and the regulars and where to drop them off reminded me of the bus in North Wales I took last summer from Bangor to Caernarfon (judging by my old notes it was No. 5C!) whose bus driver also honked after some kids waved at him at some turn as if waiting for him and they screamed with joy after he honked! :D And whenever a new passenger entered it was always as if they greeted the others (I could not really understand because I did not prepare and did not learn even basic Welsh). One other time also in North Wales riding a bus No. 85 from Llanberis to Bangor I witnessed another interesting thing where a woman hailed a bus and then instead of getting on the bus she just passed something to her friend who was in the bus through the doors xD
I like how these London transport videos highlight just how lucky or well served the city is compared to rural/non city areas. 5 buses a day! Out in the sticks that would be considered excessive
This is what makes the route so interesting, especially because I live far away from the 399
Aw! How lovely Kofi leaves Maria at her gate
A man takes the bus and rambles the whole route
heh, how lovely
There's always one nutter on a bus. 😁
What a lovely video! Made me smile - thanks Geoff! There are a few London bus routes that go out into the country - which always seems an adventure. Would definitely watch more bus videos
My local route! Thanks for doing this Geoff. Strange to see something so familiar being Filmed by you
This is one of my favorite videos of yours so far, really enjoyed it. Thanks!
I thought it would’ve be the 347, which goes from Ockendon Station to Romford to hold the title for London’s least used bus route.
I agree 346 or 347 would be a good contender.
Geoff, you have to do the H2. It’s like a village bus that goes round the Hampstead Garden Suburb, it’s a circular service running out of Golders Green. I like to think it’s the most coveted job for London drivers.
I really enjoyed that, lovely friendly route.
I love that the route signs emulate the rolling action, with the little bounce back too!
As a local I always wondered about this one, I only ever saw it once every couple of months
Why am I watching this and how are you able to make a video on obscure bus routes so captivating? Brilliant.
@@geofftech2 Haha! Probably helped.
These bus videos are interesting and fantastic, please make more :)
What a wonderful and cheerful video. Thank you “Geoffrey” 😀 My son is also very pleased to hear you are a Spurs fan!
Great video as always Geoff! The 389/399 combo reminds me of a local hopper service in Brisbane, our 311/312/313/314. These services also stop if safe to do so and have regular patrons on a name basis with many of the drivers! Chances are the patronage figures are pretty comparable too. Might have to do a closer review of the Brisbane services myself!
I’ve tooken the 399 before, I remember coming off near Dury Road
Take a shot every time Geoff says '399' and '389'
398 lmao
Mini bus london
ua-cam.com/video/vEPboKWecMg/v-deo.html
I loved the regular passengers and the area looks great and the personal service when dropping off outside homes. Interesting video, a gem and commentary really good.
Bloody good video Geoff, thoroughly enjoyed that.
This reminds me of all my years travelling the 366 and 367 between Croydon and Beckenham back in the 1990's when I used them for my daily commute to and from school and college. The 367 stopped at the end of my street in Beckenham and the 366 stopped on the adjacent street behind my house. They used the small Optare Metrorider buses. The routes ran between Beckenham Junction Station and West Croydon bus station. The 366 went round via West Wickam while the 367 went via Addiscombe. Some of the drivers really let it rip along the sections with narrow housing estate roads and all were friendly and set me off as close to my street as possible. Good memories. Great video, good to see this kind of bus route still exists today. Greetings from Copenhagen.
2:54
Geoff I know your a Spurs fan so you will like this. That house with the green bushes is Jose Mourinihos house!
He still has his Eaton Terrace house?
Whats the timestamp for the house and how do you know its Joses' house?
@@huzaifafarrukh8110 there’s many videos of him walking out
@@anophelesnow3957 I assume
@@andymerrett yes
That's a Wright Streetlite. My favourite bus in the UK.
Feels rural?! Need to leave London more Geoff!
Least used stations around Britain , can't get more rural than that
There's a lot of bus routes in London that feel rural. And I think he's done quite a lot of leaving London if u ask me 😂
He's still in London though, for the whole of this video.
@Tolani Ejiwunmi Mostly parts of Barnet, Enfield, Harrow, Hillingdon, Redbridge, Havering, Bromley, Croydon.
@@nathanw9770 Yeah my local buses are K1 and S3 both have hail & ride sections and part of it feels rural even though I live in London
My son is 5 years old and he loves watching your channel we are planning some of our own bus adventures in the coming half term.
Wow, this was an unexpectedly fascinating episode. Especially as I was in the area this summer exploring, so lovely to see it! I really enjoyed that. Thanks Geoff!
UA-cam recommended this video and I'm not complaining. Fun, educational and chilled. Perfect.