Bonus STAT: 544 buses over 45 days is an average of 12 buses per day. I rode at least one bus everyday, and on my three busiest days, I rode 35, 34 and 30 buses but I'd normally aim for around 10, and then stop. Also, the Routemaster Moquette Pyjamas are here! www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/routemaster-moquette-pyjamas😮
Im trying to complete every bus route in London (Full routes) and started last year. I'm at 70 bus routes completed so far so have a lot to go! Love your videos. I hope you come to Bromley on Saturday for the New Superloop bus!
Hi Geoff. Just wondering if you’ve got the pictures of the w12 and w16? If so it would be cool if u could show me the pictures of them as the w12 particularly is a lot smaller than the “Diddy” buses u mentioned
I am one of the few people who has ridden all 540+ London Bus routes from end to end. It took me almost a year and a half from April 2022 to late August 2023. I normally tied 3 or 4 routes together the best I could a day, 3 days a week, riding around more routes in Summer and School Holidays when riding the bus was less hectic and the days were longer, did quite a few on Sundays and was so surprised at the frequency of most buses even then! I tried to do them in number order, only adding a route not in order if there was no other choice to keep the journey going, I ended up creating some really interesting journeys across London and as Geoff says I saw so many parts of the city I would never normally get to see, growing up in Edmonton/ Enfield and now living a little further out in Cheshunt. The bus made me realise that London is actually a very green city, especially in boroughs in the south and west. Also good to see Mike Harris's bus map mentioned, that was invaluable to me completing this challenge. Looking forward to riding the new buses in Sutton and the full Superloop soon. Only last night, I rid the last of the 62 night buses, the N551 from Beckton to Trafalgar Square, it got there in time for the last northbound Piccadilly Line train from Leicester Square at 12:40AM, why can't other cities have such extensive public transport? Oakwood station of all places is served by day buses until 1:50AM! Also for anyone wondering, why someone might spend so much time riding so many buses? They got me through a very tough time in my life (bereavement) and helped me maintain contact with the outside world in a time where it would have been so easy to stay in bed. Getting out the house can really make a big difference to mental health.
@@vas9277bro stfu. Some ppl have hobbies, it’s better than hurting others or committing crimes. You’d be surprised the crazy lame shit people do for fun these days. This is normal and healthy behaviour. So gtfo of here
@@vas9277..... I can tell you didnt read the last bit where they said it got them through bereavement (the feeling you get when someone close to you dies)
As a former bus driver for 24 years in Stockholm Sweden I really appreciate you saying “Always thank the driver” is heartwarming ❤. I always do the same to my former colleagues.
I always try to thank the driver even if it makes me look weird leaving through the middle doors (I can't if I leave through the back doors though :( )
I used to embarrassed my partner by yelling "Thank-you, driver!" Down the London buses. They were a native and it just wasn't the done thing apparently 😂
@@aethellstanI personally always say thank you whilst getting off the bus, along with most people that I know, the sentence "thank you driver" sounds a bit odd to be honest (as others in the replies have said that they do) Maybe its a Londoner thing, wouldn't be surprised. In fact bus and coach drivers are statistically the UK's most thanked workers, apparently around 4/5 of bus travellers thank the driver.
If I had time and money, I would ride to every tube station, in alphabetical order. Get on, then get off, so my Oyster card would show where I would get on and off. I wonder how long that would take.
I started this thinking "what sort of nutter tries to ride every bus in London?", but, 56 minutes later, the question has morphed into "what sort of sad no-life, spends nearly an hour watching a video about a man who rides every bus in London?"! Surprisingly good video - it takes real talent to turn such a daft, potentially REALLY boring thing into a compulsively watchable film. As someone who grew up in and around London, I really miss that network. I never knew busses had timetables until I moved out of London - you just stood at the stop and they turned up!
I know buses can be viewed as boring content, but buses can be turned into fantastic content, as a bus driver, I am always at different terminus's driving different types of buses, the weather is always changing, as well as the seasons throughout the year. Its amazing what you can do with a simple camera phone and some imagination.
I've ridden all of London's red passenger bus routes. Day, night, mobility, carnival.... Just got several schools outstanding but they are almost impossible to tick off due to multiple going into school grounds. Finished May 2017, took me about 3 years, and caught up with every subsequent new addition to the network. And I was part of All The Buses too! 😎
hey Alisha! That's utterly amazing, yes! When our paths cross one day, we can chat buses :-D Do you think you're the quickest person to have completed the whole routes? I suspect so ...
@@geofftech2 Hi! Not sure to be honest, I know folks definitely done it before me, but never asked how long it took them. Never thought about it that way. I reckon it's absolutely possible to do it in less. For me it helped I was still in full-time education, so could get new stuff done almost every day. I recall one day in 2015 I've managed to tick off 31 routes! Considering it's tricky to get 20+ in a day normally, I have no clue how I pulled that off, but I was out the house by 6am and wasn't back before midight haha. I do lurk about and like most transport folks, our paths (or routes I should say! Ha) have crossed before, last D-Stock run was definitely one of those occasions :-)
I always shout thank you whenever I got off a bus. People have said to me, why do you say thank you, he/she is just doing his/her job. And I say, because he/she is taking me from a to b and it's good manners and shows appreciation of the job he of she is doing.
No difference when you are served a cup of tea in a cafe, say thank you. The merest expression of recognition and politeness makes such a difference to someone who deals with the ghastly public all day, every day. Well done, I am not sure that there are many of us left now...
Geoff, I have so much respect for the fact that, in everything you do, you don't just take the nerdy angle (though the nerdy angle is great!) but you also take the time to get to know the people who use and operate the service, and to tell their stories.
Geoff you’ve outdone yourself. The production quality and all sorts. My guy. I’ve been watching you since your Londonist days. From Tube to Trains to Buses. I’ll watch anything you can think of.
Back in the day 166 used to run from Beckenham Junction to Chipstead Valley. I think it use to take 1.5 hrs. London Buses/TFL slashed the route in the early 90s
wow new studio camera quality and clarity. feels like we are just having a chat. Very nice. Last month was in London and the busses saved my bacon on a Sunday morning . Efficiently getting me to a tube station where I could further connect a journey to get the Elizabeth for Heathrow. The app was accurate and I could time my arrival to the bus stop on a cold morning.
As an ex London bus driver now in Dorset, its a great thing to say ‘Thanks Drive’ to your driver, and Yes it does mean a lot, I used to work for Kentish Busses running from Lewisham garage routes 162, 126, 161, 138 and Bromley (town centre) briefly on routes 181 & 284, til the little yard closed, then i worked for Docklands Busses (Minibusses) routes 366, 368, 287, 181, until i eventually was driving awesome Passenger Plus+ coaches instead, was some great times had years ago, but living the life now, But Still Always say THANKS to the drivers, even here in Weymouth !!!
I used to drive the 464 and absolutely loved it, after spending time on the 119, 161 and 261. The difference was night and day! I went from slogging my way through Croydon, Woolwich and Lewisham to pottering around the countryside. The R5 and R10 were on the same roster as the 464 too. Happy times! Really enjoyed that video, Geoff 😊
I’ve always had ideas about riding every bus route in London, and indeed do every tube station too, though I have never had a chance. So as always, thank you Geoff!
I have been following Geoff for over five years now and it even brought me to do my own London Underground visit, despite I live in Austria, spending a whole weekend traveling up and down all the lines and visiting as much as possible of all the stations.(and the London Transport Museum ofcourse!) Most people laughed about it when I told them however, I realized these videos brought something in my life as well, an interest/ hobby I never had thought it would come on my path, I am planning to travel back to London in spring to visit the remaining stations and definitely I will visit all the End of the Line- stations. Now Geoff starting exploring all the busses, I know what comes up next on my travels! Thanks Geoff for sharing this kind of what some say abstract information, but we now it is an amazing abstractical hobby! Regards from Austria!
It is great that you are doing London. If you are doing Hong Kong, it is much harder. We have so many bus routes that only operate during certain festivals. For example, 3S, 32S 38S, only operates during Ching Ming Festival for tomb-sweepers to visit the tombs of their ancestors. K66A only operates when Tai Tong's red leaves are in presence. 36R, 41R, 50R, 87R, 98R, 215R, 224R, 259R, 260R, 269R, 270R, 271R, 796R only operates after a major event at Hong Kong Coliseum for people to get home faster. We also have many routes that operates only once/twice a day, for people to get to work/home during rush hours, such as N42A, which gets people to work at the airport from Fanling (which is even longer than SL7 in London). Nearly every town has a bunch of these very rare routes. Imagine bus routes carrying passengers out of Wembley Stadium to every town in London after a match, or a bus route that brings people to appreciate the sakura at Battersea Park. That's how crazy it is, thanks to Hong Kong people's unwillingness to change routes and stubborn requirement for efficiency. Apparently no one has travelled on all Hong Kong bus routes. If you give it a go, you will be on all Hong Kong headlines.
That new moquette you found on the 385, that's the moquette we use for standard (not priority) seats on all our new buses in Adelaide South Australia! And as a bus driver myself, thanks for appreciating us ❤
What a coincidence! I'm on my way to riding all the london bus routes. I've ridden 160 buses so far but not very planned out. Thanks for all the advice at the beginning and great video as always Geoff!
I can't fathom the effort required to edit all this footage together into a smooth narrative, let alone actually ride the buses! Quite the achievement Geoff 🎉
Whilst living in Brixton, I was on my way back from holiday and got a train from Gatwick to London Bridge which got in about 4am on a Sunday morning. I had no idea how to get home, where to go, how long till Tube started, so I walked out the main entrance at London Bridge and saw a number 35 bus just waiting at the stop. About 30 mins and £1.50 later, I arrived less than 50ft away from my front doorstep! I have never been so impressed with public transport as I am with London's.
Hello Geoff, this was a brilliant watch. I am currently attempting to do this in NYC, and I'm a bit less than halfway through my quest. I'm doing it a bit more casually, as I don't have the time to ride 10 buses every single day, and I'm having my count be the buses I've taken in my entire lifetime. That means that when I first started doing this around a year ago, I actually had to remember which buses I've already ridden (it luckily wasn't too hard). However, since I'm also taking the liberty of taking a photo of every bus, I'll probably get around to re-riding the starter buses. The fact that most of the starter routes go close to where I live, it shouldn't be too bad. Something that will be a challenge is the Staten Island bus routes. I've only ridden 4 of them, and they are especially tricky because a lot of them are peak only and SI is generally a pain to get to. I'll probably grind those buses during the summer. I've also counted shuttle buses (you call them rail replacement buses), but only when they are long-term. So while I did count the Q95, which has been in near-constant operation since August 2023, I'm not counting buses that only operate on a few select weekends. Some fun NYC bus stats I learned along the way: - The highest bus number is M125. - The only number that appears across all five boroughs is 42, and I once rode all the 42 buses in one day. - The Queens buses tick off every number between 1 and 50 except for 14 and 45. - The Staten Island bus numbers start at 40, while the Bronx bus numbers end at 46. - The lowest bus number that does not exist for every borough is 71. - All the buses with letter suffixes include the Bx4A, Bx18A, Bx18B, M14A, M14D, M34A, Q15A, Q20A, and Q20B. - The Bx18A/B is the only bus that can be considered a circular bus. The Bx18A goes counter-clockwise while the Bx18B goes clockwise. - In total, there are 255 local bus routes in NYC, and I have ridden 107 of them so far. Bonus: While I did visit London once, I haven't actually ridden a London Bus yet, so I'm nil on that one..
Geoff this has to stop! It's because of you that I'm addicted to riding the tube and trains around London. Now there's something else I have to think about! I don't even live in the UK any more, but whenever I'm over to visit friends and family I find myself adding a few days to the trip just so I can travel around London doing "nothing". I'll be there in March and I'm going to do all of the Overground in a day. Seriously though, you are an inspiration to a "completion nerd" like me, on so many levels. Thanks for all the work you put in. That did look miserable at times but I know you loved it too.
Being a retired bus driver from Los Angeles it's good to at least one person say thank you 😕. I found your videos while watching other London vlogs, seeing your enthusiasm really is infectious 😅. My oh my what LA could learn from TFL. Anyway keep it coming I'll be watching... CHEERS
NO F*CKING WAY... NO WAYYYYYY i am so fricking hyped to watch this edit: this makes so much sense why your uploads have been a bit less frequent recently and im NOT complaining! 😍
Superb video. Your chat with the driver on the H3 reminded me of my time working at Bromley Garage where I was on the R7 and R5/R10 rota. There were only 8 of us on it and all the regular passengers knew us. It was lovely. One particular guy even knew what each of our favourite chocolate bars was. You’d drop him off at the Co-op in Green Street Green, go to Orpington station and he’d get back on on the return journey and present you with your favourite chocolate bar. Happy memories.
Loving the fact that while to Geoff Copt Gilders is a random place in London it is 7 stops after I would have got off the 71 heading out to my accomodation while I was a student at Kingston. Seven being the common number in the two routes he was interchanging there for.
My son is a big transport fan and during last summer holidays, he travelled along every non-TFL bus route in London (for example the 461, 515 and the 715)
We used to have the oddest bus route in Streatham in the 90s that went from West Norwood to Sainsbury's Streatham Common. Suffice to say, it didn't last long because it was pretty much only used by those who shopped at Sainsbury's.
Wow!!! All I can say is a massive thank you for the video that I never knew I wanted! On a day when you're a bit low nothing gives me more joy than you Geoff getting all excited over the P13! You really do bring so much joy to us! Thank You needed this today ❤
Hey Geoff, you might not see this but the U1 and U3 have a Hail and Ride Section between Violet Avenue and Apple Tree Avenue. They both go on single and double decker buses. 😊
Thanks Geoff. This came up on my UA-cam feed today; one of those days when life seems too long. Suitably inspired, I’ve used more buses than are strictly necessary for what I need to do today. Gotta take myself on a Bus Day soon 🚌🚌🚌🤩
Every Underground Station, Every National Rail Station, Every Tram Stop, Every DLR, Overground, Elizabeth Line and Cable Car Stations and now Every London Bus Route, this man has done it all!
London is where I learned to love buses, and now (I live in the US) I prefer them when I'm not in need of speed. Riding the bus helps me to understand how my kind of complex city is laid out and fits together, plus, I get to see the sights. I've always wanted to do something like this where I live now, and you've given me some good pointers on how to approach it practically. We'll see!
I'm glad you like the W5, Geoff, I happen to know it very well. It was a lovely surprise to see you put it in your favourites list. I love the little loop it does on top of the hill by Harringay station, what an oddity. This whole journey of yours makes me appreciate London buses all the more. Cheers!
As a bus driver in Leeds I can tell you that we really appreciate people who take the time to thank us, it definitely makes the day better! Thanks for the great video, I have followed you from your Londonist days and look forward to a new upload arriving, thanks 😊
Thanks. Particularly if you cover the 27, 33, 34, 50, 50A or A1 routes! I'm working on a private project which will mean I'll try to go within 0.2 miles of every stop in Leeds as I can. I think it's going to take a while!
Never underestimate the effect your videos have on us Geoff. This one in particular, as I spent the best part of my life driving, then rostering and timetabling in Sydney, Australia. You’ve got a gift and thank you for sharing. All the best from Australia 👍🏻
This randomly popped up in my recommendations and as someone who used to live near London but now lives in Wales, it was nice to see some of the buses I used to get on
I've done something similar when I was 13 years old and rode the entire bus network in Baltimore (stateside). Riding the bus to many locations so far as an afterthought that you grow to appreciate the world around you
Your a really top legend mate I never thought over the 10 years of watching your videos from londonist you have taught me a lot from steps to which way is quicker ! And also you staring on the tube episode missing out on the quickest to visit each station Your a legend mate I never was into tubes trains stations buses untill I saw your clips
As a bus driver into my 38th year, and a bus enthusiast for much longer, I really enjoyed this video. Hopefully we will see more bus videos on your excellent channel!
The Countdown display relies on the radio system (on the bus) being signed on correctly. If on a diversion the bus will disappear from the display and there are ‘deadspots’ where the gps signal is lost and will also disappear. From a bus driver!
Loved this video Geoff; growing up in High Wycombe in the 1960’s we had London Transport Country Area garage [HE] that then became part of London Country when LT Country Area Routes/Garages & buses were transferred to the National Bus Company .. sadly they closed HE on 30/09/77 & we lost our lovely green RML’s. My travels across London were mainly on the wonderful Green Line network using a 75p Golden Rover ticket .. again my favourite was the 711 High Wycombe to Reigate via Central London .. which went when HE closed … replacement 790 out of Amersham Garage [MA] only went to Victoria .. then morphed into the 290 out to Oxford .. but sadly virtually the whole of the Green Line network has gone now ..but this video has brought back thoughts of my earliest days of getting to Uxbridge and buying a Red Rover ticket (used to have to buy that at Tube Station) before riding up to Shepherds Bush on the 207. I love all those quirky end of the routes that ran out of London .. but nowadays for me it’s usually on a vintage bus running day on a Sunday & luckily I have the Amersham & District Motorbus Society on my doorstep that organises 4 such days every year. Would love to see you come and do one of those events .. where you can ride on Green & Red proper buses over routes long gone .. we even have a special 40th. Anniversary one in Windsor on 28th July to commemorate the closure of Windsor Garage [WR] & opening of Slough Garage.
Not sure if this is still true but the 301, another double decker route, also has a hail and ride section along Brampton Road near Bexleyheath. This would also make it one of the few hail and ride sections in London served by multiple routes since the B11 also travels along that road. I last rode it in 2020 so tfl might have installed bus stops in by now.
Great effort Geoff. Your comment about "I thought I knew London" resonates with me. I'm a 68 (soon to be 69) year old pensioner who has been undertaking the Capital Ring long-distance walk around London since October (along with a 74 year old ex-work colleague) and it has taken me to bits of London I have never visited before including the stone dinosaurs of Crystal Palace Park! I still have 3 more sections to walk (hopefully) before finishing back at Hackney Wick station. I plan to be starting tomorrow at Ballot Box Bridge, Perivale and walking via Horsenden Hill, Harrow & South Kenton to Hendon Park near Brent Cross. Keep up the good work!
Love this summarized video blog style, Geoff. The “get on a bus and just go” and discovering new places away from tube stations so refreshing. Impressive commitment in the winter weather but you can see where the addictive excitement kicks in 😊. Great editing between your calm, professional commentary, bus videos, maps and travel tools. Top drawer information and entertainment.
This is amazing. Thank you for being so diligent. I like the idea of the spreadsheet. I now have an over 60 oyster so will try a few of the routes with my friend who is obsessed by busses and has had me in all areas of London and beyond (like I had never been to Croydon) from first light to as long as he could stay out for. Keep up the good work Geoff. I know a lot of young people are encouraged by your videos.
Thanks for this brilliant bus feature. I have been unwell for a couple of days. This has made me feel a bit better. The 375 bus was introduced to serve Havering-atte-Bower as previous non-TFL routes had been withdrawn. I believe many years ago the 175 may have had a few buses running up to Passingford Bridge and possibly beyond. Passingford Bridge is the only safe and sensible place for the bus turn to make it's return journey. Also, I lived in Norwich for a few years in the late 1980's ago and for some reason I kept subconsciously saying "Thank you driver" in a Norfolk accent whenever I got off a 499 bus in Harold Hill.
ah! hope you pick up soon Alan, and glad to have helped a little! thanks for your kind comment. someone has now told me if they can find a turning point BEFOER Passingford Bridge, then they want to make the service hourly.
the 533 is what I get on daily to work from Barnes to Hammersmith, its really useful as it has "hail and ride" section so I can get on and off right outside my house, great little route.
Fun fact with some of the 300 buses, quite a few of them (like the 337, 344 & 371) were actually part of other routes that got split up (37, 44 and 71 respectively). A good site for bus route histories is ian armstrongs london buses, showing most routes that ran/run from 1934 to present day
Before my last trip to London, I purchased a senior rail pass for £30/year. This saved me 1/3 off rail fare and it did pay for itself! Another perk is that it saves 1/3 off tube/bus fare in London! You just have to find someone to activate it for you and you need the Oyster card to use it. No contactless. I loved this! It’s so great that senior tourists (65+) can take advantage of this!😊
One thing I've always liked about London buses is that they've retained the old-school "analogue" destination blinds and not yet been seduced by the horrible digital displays which always go wrong or are illegible (and will probably fall foul of DDA regs soon)
So I encountede a small number of digital displays whilst doing this - so there are some out there. My gripe with them is that you can't snap a pic on your phone with them! The frequency of the LED display does not play ball with mobile phone cameras!
@@geofftech2I’ve managed pretty well with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I believe you’re an iPhone user so use the x3 option instead of zooming in with your fingers. Though it doesn’t always work as there’s different manufacturers of LED displays. The older orange type I’ve found are harder. Luckily those are on non TFL routes.
I used to travel to secondary school on a mix of Routemaster and RT buses (some with the top box number indicator) from Chadwell Heath to Woodford way. When I was still in my last years at junior school four of us would get a Red Rover ticket and travel all day on the buses. We were 11 going on 12 and our parents didn't worry about us, we never had any trouble. We'd end up in West London or across the river in Sarf London (here be dragons country) clutching our bus maps. Happy days!
Well done Geoff on that achievement of riding all London bus routes. Great to see Enfield Island Village which my local bus route (491) goes through. Buses are great.
I had a similar experience to your lost Oystercard: travelling by train from Hertford East to Cambridge, having changed trains at Broxbourne I realised that my company iPhone was no longer in my pocket. I guessed it must have fallen out while on the first train. So I used my own phone to track that first train into Liverpool St and back out towards Hertford. I then doubled back to meet that train at Cheshunt, where I found the phone poking out between the seat and the wall panel.
I saw your vid on mental health a while back with that Sussex railway ,my relief is a bus ride similar to what you have done but up here in notts ,buses are great for taking you for where your car would not go ❤❤
This is one of the reasons I love London so much. I would love to live where I do not need a car. Growing up in Tampa we did not have a car. Rode the bus, walked, bicycles and occasionally a cab. We did not have the luxury of the tube or trains. I love the freedom of sitting back and people watching, watching the sights and letting the driver worry about the logistics. Too bad I cannot pick up my home and set it down near London! On a side note the studio set up looks nice as does the bright shirts! Lol the nurse in me kept trying to slow your arm down so I could check out your veins! Sorry habit! Carry on!!
Hey Geoff, your All The Stations project in 2017 has indeed inspired me to visit every single Station in the UK 🇬🇧 as of this message I am 109 stations in, it's been a slow burn as this has been built up over the many years but in recent times I get a mad day and tick a few off. My home Station is East Croydon. As always tremendous content as well as great knowledge base for us travel enthusiasts. Cheers again 👍🏻
As a bus driver (although not in London) hearing your appreciation for drivers and the job we do is great, unfortunately not everyone sees it the same way. Another great video as always
Unfortunately it works both ways as sometimes especially local bus drivers cut out parts of routes at a whim...I don't think we should be thanking them in that situation
@@keithparker1346 I agree it does work both ways, which is why I personally wouldn't be rude to a passenger. In my experience the only time a driver will cut parts of routes out should be under instruction from their controllers usually for road blockages etc and if that is the case they should notify their passengers of any spur of the moment diversions, however I'm not naive in believing that drivers wouldn't cut out parts on their own accord, as unfortunately some just don't care.
Very cool how January Geoff follows on from anchorman Geoff's points! This is one of your best-made videos, and the different media (CCTV footage; maps; statistics) are appreciated.
I’ve always had big respect for bus drivers, they have a much harder job than train drivers, they’re paid half the money and they never strike. So to all bus drivers I say thank you
I enjoyed your video, and as you asked, I completed (in order) all the TfL routes end to end between 23rd April 2010 and 16th August 2016. I to X68 at the time, including three 9xx mobility routes. It's relatively slow progress, but I only had certain evenings and occasional weekends available at the time due to work commitments.
Such an incredible documentary, and the fact we can all watch it for free is so incredibly generous! I wish it was 3x the length though! Our buses really truly are the thing that holds this city’s public transport network together; it is often the first or last part of journeys that encompass several different modes. Absolutely everything positive you said about the wonderful bus operations is spot on, and all the maps and diagrams are excellent. I am only mentioning this because your video was so incredibly positive, for good reason, we have one of the most comprehensive bus networks on earth… but, there are some negative aspects of the buses in London that have hit me especially hard; My family moved to our current house partially due to the fact that it was directly on a bus route because I struggle with fatigue and don’t want to learn to drive. But 3.5 years ago now the bus was re-routed away from where I live, so now life is comparatively much more difficult than it would have been. TfL was able to manipulatively use the pandemic as an excuse to completely ignore clear-cut consultation results and remove bus access to many vulnerable people. I actually got very lucky compared to the ridiculous distance from a bus stop that this re-routing has left other people with.
Very good , and well done for this achievement !!! I have seen not all of your UA-cam videos, this bus video , gives us new slant of the London public transport
Just spent the week in London and stayed near London city. My young children have both caught the tube bug, but they wanted to ride a London bus, so after visiting Horizon 22, we jumped on the the 344 and went down to Clapham junction. They were comfortable, clean and as you say reasonable as well as being quite quick and they got to see a lot of sights through the city and past the Thames. Great Video Geoff. Really enjoyed it.
We've got more routes coming over the next year in Croydon/Sutton. 439, 443, S2, re-routings of 166, 312, 434. If you come back for those, then let me know, I'll sort the teas.....
Thank you Geoff - that was an epic, fantastic video! There must have been over 20 times I would have clicked ‘like’ but of course only the first registers. Yay for multiple likes - UA-cam, are you listening?
Really interesting video and I’m also on a mission to ride every TfL bus route in my lifetime. My favourite route is currently the 123 and I also love the maps you designed 👍
Congratulations, Geoff! I'm working on multiple personal projects at the moment using an app which measures where I've been in the world using a tile-based mapping system. When you start the entire world is covered in tiles. As you move, each tile you get to becomes uncovered, so you see trails and eventually large wide open patches. I live in Leeds, but when I travel to London for gigs etc. I'm trying to go to/through all the stations on the standard tube map. Perhaps once I've done that I'll make a start on the bus stops!
Since I live near Staines wisely, my closest or my local TfL routes are 117 (runs from Staines to Isleworth via Ashford (Surrey) and Feltham), 203 (runs from Staines to Hounslow via Stanwell and Hatton Cross), 216 (runs from Staines to Kingston) and 290 (runs from Staines to Twickenham).
Loving the bus fest Geoff. I feel you have a challenge coming your way later this year. Do you think once the Superloop network is complete you can travel on all of the routes in one day and try and set a record for folks to beat - I don’t think it will be quite as easy as it sounds!
I take my hat off to bus drivers - it's a demanding and responsible (and under-paid) job. Not convinced that drivers on a busy route relish an endless stream of people saying thank-you as they get off - it can actually be quite burdensome . . .
Hi Geoff. I've recently moved to the UK from overseas and I'm challenging myself to photograph all bus routes in Leeds (where I live). Hopefully I don't miss any. Thanks for making this video
I love this, realistically most Londoners are taking busses - not trains. Especially young Londoners who have free bus travel cos of their zip card, so taking a train would be a waste. Trains are mostly for those white collar commuters working in/near central. But the Londoners are taking the bus to work (or the car) - not often are they taking the train. So taking the bus is the best way to meet and knows the locals, as well as discover the true local areas too (not all tall buildings and glamour, that’s actually like 1% or less of London) Love this video so much, I’m a ‘Londoner’ but also want to do this.
As a south londoner, your comment about trains is quite disagreeable. many journeys i’ve taken actually utilise both the train and the bus, and i rarely venture into central london. They are vital for connecting many of the towns and population centers in greater london and they are far more important and useful than you seem to be implying. both the bus and train are, much of the time, highly preferable to driving, at least within london.
Such a great long video. Also explains why you’ve done a few less recently. Glad to see everything is alright with you. Keep the great work coming at your own pace. Thanks for entertaining us Geoff
I didn't know there was a heritage Routemaster. Next time I'm in town, I'm going to take my grandkids, who will never hve heard of them. Thanks, Geoff.
Bonus STAT:
544 buses over 45 days is an average of 12 buses per day. I rode at least one bus everyday, and on my three busiest days, I rode 35, 34 and 30 buses but I'd normally aim for around 10, and then stop.
Also, the Routemaster Moquette Pyjamas are here! www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/routemaster-moquette-pyjamas😮
Well done
Im trying to complete every bus route in London (Full routes) and started last year. I'm at 70 bus routes completed so far so have a lot to go! Love your videos. I hope you come to Bromley on Saturday for the New Superloop bus!
Hi Geoff. Just wondering if you’ve got the pictures of the w12 and w16? If so it would be cool if u could show me the pictures of them as the w12 particularly is a lot smaller than the “Diddy” buses u mentioned
Three busiest days.
I see what you did there ;)
the tiniest was was the W5, to Archway. love that bus! Optare Solo?
I am one of the few people who has ridden all 540+ London Bus routes from end to end. It took me almost a year and a half from April 2022 to late August 2023. I normally tied 3 or 4 routes together the best I could a day, 3 days a week, riding around more routes in Summer and School Holidays when riding the bus was less hectic and the days were longer, did quite a few on Sundays and was so surprised at the frequency of most buses even then! I tried to do them in number order, only adding a route not in order if there was no other choice to keep the journey going, I ended up creating some really interesting journeys across London and as Geoff says I saw so many parts of the city I would never normally get to see, growing up in Edmonton/ Enfield and now living a little further out in Cheshunt. The bus made me realise that London is actually a very green city, especially in boroughs in the south and west. Also good to see Mike Harris's bus map mentioned, that was invaluable to me completing this challenge. Looking forward to riding the new buses in Sutton and the full Superloop soon. Only last night, I rid the last of the 62 night buses, the N551 from Beckton to Trafalgar Square, it got there in time for the last northbound Piccadilly Line train from Leicester Square at 12:40AM, why can't other cities have such extensive public transport? Oakwood station of all places is served by day buses until 1:50AM! Also for anyone wondering, why someone might spend so much time riding so many buses? They got me through a very tough time in my life (bereavement) and helped me maintain contact with the outside world in a time where it would have been so easy to stay in bed. Getting out the house can really make a big difference to mental health.
what a complete npc
@@vas9277bro stfu. Some ppl have hobbies, it’s better than hurting others or committing crimes. You’d be surprised the crazy lame shit people do for fun these days. This is normal and healthy behaviour. So gtfo of here
Oh wow!!
@@vas9277..... I can tell you didnt read the last bit where they said it got them through bereavement (the feeling you get when someone close to you dies)
@@SamTheeee1 damn i fully didnt read it
im feel bad now
As a former bus driver for 24 years in Stockholm Sweden I really appreciate you saying “Always thank the driver” is heartwarming ❤. I always do the same to my former colleagues.
If my late mother were REALLY upset with a driver, she would take it out on them by NOT thanking them!
Always thank the driver! Yes! My 5yr old is a big bus fan and says "Thank you Chicken!" when we get off a bus ❤
I always try to thank the driver even if it makes me look weird leaving through the middle doors (I can't if I leave through the back doors though :( )
I used to embarrassed my partner by yelling "Thank-you, driver!" Down the London buses. They were a native and it just wasn't the done thing apparently 😂
@@aethellstanI personally always say thank you whilst getting off the bus, along with most people that I know, the sentence "thank you driver" sounds a bit odd to be honest (as others in the replies have said that they do) Maybe its a Londoner thing, wouldn't be surprised. In fact bus and coach drivers are statistically the UK's most thanked workers, apparently around 4/5 of bus travellers thank the driver.
Geoff, you probably won’t see this but you saw my mum at Kilburn Park Station last week and you spoke with her as she was working there.
hello! yes we had a lovely chat, i was on my way to catch a bus! :-)
Apparently you met my friend's brother at a park run on Saturday
If I had time and money, I would ride to every tube station, in alphabetical order. Get on, then get off, so my Oyster card would show where I would get on and off. I wonder how long that would take.
Cracking video. The work that must have gone into making this and then the excellent post production with diagrams on top. Cheers!
Dan! Dan and Dan! The Daily Mail song! He hasn't aged a bit!
I started this thinking "what sort of nutter tries to ride every bus in London?", but, 56 minutes later, the question has morphed into "what sort of sad no-life, spends nearly an hour watching a video about a man who rides every bus in London?"! Surprisingly good video - it takes real talent to turn such a daft, potentially REALLY boring thing into a compulsively watchable film. As someone who grew up in and around London, I really miss that network. I never knew busses had timetables until I moved out of London - you just stood at the stop and they turned up!
Maybe because it’s not about what you do, but how much you care about what you do that really counts.
I know buses can be viewed as boring content, but buses can be turned into fantastic content, as a bus driver, I am always at different terminus's driving different types of buses, the weather is always changing, as well as the seasons throughout the year. Its amazing what you can do with a simple camera phone and some imagination.
26:56 missed an opportunity for a "404: Bus Not Found" joke
good one
I've ridden all of London's red passenger bus routes. Day, night, mobility, carnival.... Just got several schools outstanding but they are almost impossible to tick off due to multiple going into school grounds.
Finished May 2017, took me about 3 years, and caught up with every subsequent new addition to the network.
And I was part of All The Buses too! 😎
hey Alisha! That's utterly amazing, yes! When our paths cross one day, we can chat buses :-D Do you think you're the quickest person to have completed the whole routes? I suspect so ...
@@geofftech2 Hi! Not sure to be honest, I know folks definitely done it before me, but never asked how long it took them. Never thought about it that way. I reckon it's absolutely possible to do it in less. For me it helped I was still in full-time education, so could get new stuff done almost every day. I recall one day in 2015 I've managed to tick off 31 routes! Considering it's tricky to get 20+ in a day normally, I have no clue how I pulled that off, but I was out the house by 6am and wasn't back before midight haha.
I do lurk about and like most transport folks, our paths (or routes I should say! Ha) have crossed before, last D-Stock run was definitely one of those occasions :-)
I am about 10 years and only around 200 buses in to a similar project. Not enough days to ride buses!
Its probably easier for Girls to do the school services - some of us get funny looks at our age going to the girls grammers
@@highpath4776 I don't plan on touching those!
I always shout thank you whenever I got off a bus. People have said to me, why do you say thank you, he/she is just doing his/her job. And I say, because he/she is taking me from a to b and it's good manners and shows appreciation of the job he of she is doing.
Why on earth wouldn't people say thank you?
@@Fercough i've just said above. People say, he/she is just doing his/her job, why say thank you.
No difference when you are served a cup of tea in a cafe, say thank you. The merest expression of recognition and politeness makes such a difference to someone who deals with the ghastly public all day, every day. Well done, I am not sure that there are many of us left now...
Well, those people that have asked you why you say thank you after leaving a bus aren't very polite.
"What do I do now?"
Geoff having that existential crisis a number of us have experienced at the end of a particular challenge...
Much love for this ❤
Geoff, I have so much respect for the fact that, in everything you do, you don't just take the nerdy angle (though the nerdy angle is great!) but you also take the time to get to know the people who use and operate the service, and to tell their stories.
Geoff you’ve outdone yourself. The production quality and all sorts. My guy. I’ve been watching you since your Londonist days. From Tube to Trains to Buses. I’ll watch anything you can think of.
thanks Raheem, extremely kind you of you! :-)
Back in the day 166 used to run from Beckenham Junction to Chipstead Valley. I think it use to take 1.5 hrs. London Buses/TFL slashed the route in the early 90s
wow new studio camera quality and clarity. feels like we are just having a chat. Very nice.
Last month was in London and the busses saved my bacon on a Sunday morning . Efficiently getting me to a tube station where I could further connect a journey to get the Elizabeth for Heathrow. The app was accurate and I could time my arrival to the bus stop on a cold morning.
As an ex London bus driver now in Dorset, its a great thing to say ‘Thanks Drive’ to your driver, and Yes it does mean a lot, I used to work for Kentish Busses running from Lewisham garage routes 162, 126, 161, 138 and Bromley (town centre) briefly on routes 181 & 284, til the little yard closed, then i worked for Docklands Busses (Minibusses) routes 366, 368, 287, 181, until i eventually was driving awesome Passenger Plus+ coaches instead, was some great times had years ago, but living the life now, But Still Always say THANKS to the drivers, even here in Weymouth !!!
That shot of you speaking to the camera but on the bus cctv is gold
I used to drive the 464 and absolutely loved it, after spending time on the 119, 161 and 261. The difference was night and day! I went from slogging my way through Croydon, Woolwich and Lewisham to pottering around the countryside. The R5 and R10 were on the same roster as the 464 too. Happy times!
Really enjoyed that video, Geoff 😊
261 is one of my frequently used buses, so you probably drove me. Where you there in the yellow/blue days?
464 was a lifeline for me in my first college year
I’ve always had ideas about riding every bus route in London, and indeed do every tube station too, though I have never had a chance. So as always, thank you Geoff!
I have been following Geoff for over five years now and it even brought me to do my own London Underground visit, despite I live in Austria, spending a whole weekend traveling up and down all the lines and visiting as much as possible of all the stations.(and the London Transport Museum ofcourse!) Most people laughed about it when I told them however, I realized these videos brought something in my life as well, an interest/ hobby I never had thought it would come on my path, I am planning to travel back to London in spring to visit the remaining stations and definitely I will visit all the End of the Line- stations.
Now Geoff starting exploring all the busses, I know what comes up next on my travels! Thanks Geoff for sharing this kind of what some say abstract information, but we now it is an amazing abstractical hobby! Regards from Austria!
It is great that you are doing London. If you are doing Hong Kong, it is much harder. We have so many bus routes that only operate during certain festivals. For example, 3S, 32S 38S, only operates during Ching Ming Festival for tomb-sweepers to visit the tombs of their ancestors. K66A only operates when Tai Tong's red leaves are in presence. 36R, 41R, 50R, 87R, 98R, 215R, 224R, 259R, 260R, 269R, 270R, 271R, 796R only operates after a major event at Hong Kong Coliseum for people to get home faster. We also have many routes that operates only once/twice a day, for people to get to work/home during rush hours, such as N42A, which gets people to work at the airport from Fanling (which is even longer than SL7 in London). Nearly every town has a bunch of these very rare routes.
Imagine bus routes carrying passengers out of Wembley Stadium to every town in London after a match, or a bus route that brings people to appreciate the sakura at Battersea Park. That's how crazy it is, thanks to Hong Kong people's unwillingness to change routes and stubborn requirement for efficiency. Apparently no one has travelled on all Hong Kong bus routes. If you give it a go, you will be on all Hong Kong headlines.
As of now, KMB has a total of 774 routes, and I have ridden 180 of them all over my life. It's so hard to get it.
Hi Geoff. I want to thank you for being so very kind on Saturday when I saw you on the Southern leaving Victoria towards Battersea. It made my day 👍
Hello, you’re welcome! Pleasure to meet you both 👍
This is the perfect video because everyone is waiting for you to come to their area, like me
innittt
That new moquette you found on the 385, that's the moquette we use for standard (not priority) seats on all our new buses in Adelaide South Australia!
And as a bus driver myself, thanks for appreciating us ❤
hmm... maybe that bus was a transferee to TfL?
I’ve been waiting to watch this. Finally get to see myself on social media on the T15 bus 😂🎉
ha haaa! hello mate, you were great that day - thank you!
Need to get him to ride on 339's now 👀
I think you were one of the stars of the video! Looks like a great job!
Loved your bit. “Hold Tight” 😂
What a coincidence! I'm on my way to riding all the london bus routes. I've ridden 160 buses so far but not very planned out. Thanks for all the advice at the beginning and great video as always Geoff!
Amazing! Keep going, and have fun. Done the W5 yet? It's brilliant ...
I can't fathom the effort required to edit all this footage together into a smooth narrative, let alone actually ride the buses! Quite the achievement Geoff 🎉
My local bus (127) has a pretty frequent service which is normally every 6 or so minutes!
Whilst living in Brixton, I was on my way back from holiday and got a train from Gatwick to London Bridge which got in about 4am on a Sunday morning. I had no idea how to get home, where to go, how long till Tube started, so I walked out the main entrance at London Bridge and saw a number 35 bus just waiting at the stop. About 30 mins and £1.50 later, I arrived less than 50ft away from my front doorstep! I have never been so impressed with public transport as I am with London's.
Hello Geoff, this was a brilliant watch. I am currently attempting to do this in NYC, and I'm a bit less than halfway through my quest. I'm doing it a bit more casually, as I don't have the time to ride 10 buses every single day, and I'm having my count be the buses I've taken in my entire lifetime. That means that when I first started doing this around a year ago, I actually had to remember which buses I've already ridden (it luckily wasn't too hard). However, since I'm also taking the liberty of taking a photo of every bus, I'll probably get around to re-riding the starter buses. The fact that most of the starter routes go close to where I live, it shouldn't be too bad. Something that will be a challenge is the Staten Island bus routes. I've only ridden 4 of them, and they are especially tricky because a lot of them are peak only and SI is generally a pain to get to. I'll probably grind those buses during the summer. I've also counted shuttle buses (you call them rail replacement buses), but only when they are long-term. So while I did count the Q95, which has been in near-constant operation since August 2023, I'm not counting buses that only operate on a few select weekends.
Some fun NYC bus stats I learned along the way:
- The highest bus number is M125.
- The only number that appears across all five boroughs is 42, and I once rode all the 42 buses in one day.
- The Queens buses tick off every number between 1 and 50 except for 14 and 45.
- The Staten Island bus numbers start at 40, while the Bronx bus numbers end at 46.
- The lowest bus number that does not exist for every borough is 71.
- All the buses with letter suffixes include the Bx4A, Bx18A, Bx18B, M14A, M14D, M34A, Q15A, Q20A, and Q20B.
- The Bx18A/B is the only bus that can be considered a circular bus. The Bx18A goes counter-clockwise while the Bx18B goes clockwise.
- In total, there are 255 local bus routes in NYC, and I have ridden 107 of them so far.
Bonus: While I did visit London once, I haven't actually ridden a London Bus yet, so I'm nil on that one..
Geoff this has to stop! It's because of you that I'm addicted to riding the tube and trains around London. Now there's something else I have to think about! I don't even live in the UK any more, but whenever I'm over to visit friends and family I find myself adding a few days to the trip just so I can travel around London doing "nothing". I'll be there in March and I'm going to do all of the Overground in a day. Seriously though, you are an inspiration to a "completion nerd" like me, on so many levels. Thanks for all the work you put in. That did look miserable at times but I know you loved it too.
Ahh me too when I have chance to visit London!
Being a retired bus driver from Los Angeles it's good to at least one person say thank you 😕. I found your videos while watching other London vlogs, seeing your enthusiasm really is infectious 😅. My oh my what LA could learn from TFL. Anyway keep it coming I'll be watching... CHEERS
NO F*CKING WAY... NO WAYYYYYY i am so fricking hyped to watch this
edit: this makes so much sense why your uploads have been a bit less frequent recently and im NOT complaining! 😍
:-)
@@geofftech2 hi geoff, your work makes me feel happy and seen :)
Superb video. Your chat with the driver on the H3 reminded me of my time working at Bromley Garage where I was on the R7 and R5/R10 rota. There were only 8 of us on it and all the regular passengers knew us. It was lovely. One particular guy even knew what each of our favourite chocolate bars was. You’d drop him off at the Co-op in Green Street Green, go to Orpington station and he’d get back on on the return journey and present you with your favourite chocolate bar. Happy memories.
Loving the fact that while to Geoff Copt Gilders is a random place in London it is 7 stops after I would have got off the 71 heading out to my accomodation while I was a student at Kingston. Seven being the common number in the two routes he was interchanging there for.
Not only should we say thank you to the bus driver, but each viewer should say thank you Geoff. 👍😀
My son is a big transport fan and during last summer holidays, he travelled along every non-TFL bus route in London (for example the 461, 515 and the 715)
We used to have the oddest bus route in Streatham in the 90s that went from West Norwood to Sainsbury's Streatham Common. Suffice to say, it didn't last long because it was pretty much only used by those who shopped at Sainsbury's.
Well done, Geoff. Now you’ve made me want to complete The Superloop when it’s fully rolled out.
Wow!!! All I can say is a massive thank you for the video that I never knew I wanted! On a day when you're a bit low nothing gives me more joy than you Geoff getting all excited over the P13! You really do bring so much joy to us! Thank You needed this today ❤
Hey Geoff, you might not see this but the U1 and U3 have a Hail and Ride Section between Violet Avenue and Apple Tree Avenue. They both go on single and double decker buses. 😊
Thanks Geoff. This came up on my UA-cam feed today; one of those days when life seems too long. Suitably inspired, I’ve used more buses than are strictly necessary for what I need to do today. Gotta take myself on a Bus Day soon 🚌🚌🚌🤩
Every Underground Station, Every National Rail Station, Every Tram Stop, Every DLR, Overground, Elizabeth Line and Cable Car Stations and now Every London Bus Route, this man has done it all!
London is where I learned to love buses, and now (I live in the US) I prefer them when I'm not in need of speed. Riding the bus helps me to understand how my kind of complex city is laid out and fits together, plus, I get to see the sights. I've always wanted to do something like this where I live now, and you've given me some good pointers on how to approach it practically. We'll see!
Cool!
I'm glad you like the W5, Geoff, I happen to know it very well. It was a lovely surprise to see you put it in your favourites list. I love the little loop it does on top of the hill by Harringay station, what an oddity. This whole journey of yours makes me appreciate London buses all the more. Cheers!
As a bus driver in Leeds I can tell you that we really appreciate people who take the time to thank us, it definitely makes the day better! Thanks for the great video, I have followed you from your Londonist days and look forward to a new upload arriving, thanks 😊
Thanks. Particularly if you cover the 27, 33, 34, 50, 50A or A1 routes! I'm working on a private project which will mean I'll try to go within 0.2 miles of every stop in Leeds as I can. I think it's going to take a while!
Never underestimate the effect your videos have on us Geoff. This one in particular, as I spent the best part of my life driving, then rostering and timetabling in Sydney, Australia.
You’ve got a gift and thank you for sharing. All the best from Australia 👍🏻
This randomly popped up in my recommendations and as someone who used to live near London but now lives in Wales, it was nice to see some of the buses I used to get on
I've done something similar when I was 13 years old and rode the entire bus network in Baltimore (stateside).
Riding the bus to many locations so far as an afterthought that you grow to appreciate the world around you
That Oyster Card story was magnificent!
Your a really top legend mate I never thought over the 10 years of watching your videos from londonist you have taught me a lot from steps to which way is quicker ! And also you staring on the tube episode missing out on the quickest to visit each station
Your a legend mate
I never was into tubes trains stations buses untill I saw your clips
Very kind, Billy. Thank you!
As a bus driver into my 38th year, and a bus enthusiast for much longer, I really enjoyed this video. Hopefully we will see more bus videos on your excellent channel!
The Countdown display relies on the radio system (on the bus) being signed on correctly. If on a diversion the bus will disappear from the display and there are ‘deadspots’ where the gps signal is lost and will also disappear. From a bus driver!
Loved this video Geoff; growing up in High Wycombe in the 1960’s we had London Transport Country Area garage [HE] that then became part of London Country when LT Country Area Routes/Garages & buses were transferred to the National Bus Company .. sadly they closed HE on 30/09/77 & we lost our lovely green RML’s. My travels across London were mainly on the wonderful Green Line network using a 75p Golden Rover ticket .. again my favourite was the 711 High Wycombe to Reigate via Central London .. which went when HE closed … replacement 790 out of Amersham Garage [MA] only went to Victoria .. then morphed into the 290 out to Oxford .. but sadly virtually the whole of the Green Line network has gone now ..but this video has brought back thoughts of my earliest days of getting to Uxbridge and buying a Red Rover ticket (used to have to buy that at Tube Station) before riding up to Shepherds Bush on the 207.
I love all those quirky end of the routes that ran out of London .. but nowadays for me it’s usually on a vintage bus running day on a Sunday & luckily I have the Amersham & District Motorbus Society on my doorstep that organises 4 such days every year. Would love to see you come and do one of those events .. where you can ride on Green & Red proper buses over routes long gone .. we even have a special 40th. Anniversary one in Windsor on 28th July to commemorate the closure of Windsor Garage [WR] & opening of Slough Garage.
This is beautifully made, and I love the new studio/narration location. Brilliant project Geoff! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Not sure if this is still true but the 301, another double decker route, also has a hail and ride section along Brampton Road near Bexleyheath. This would also make it one of the few hail and ride sections in London served by multiple routes since the B11 also travels along that road. I last rode it in 2020 so tfl might have installed bus stops in by now.
All the Buses, all of them!
This reminds me of the very old tube challenge videos so much. Excellent work.
Great effort Geoff. Your comment about "I thought I knew London" resonates with me. I'm a 68 (soon to be 69) year old pensioner who has been undertaking the Capital Ring long-distance walk around London since October (along with a 74 year old ex-work colleague) and it has taken me to bits of London I have never visited before including the stone dinosaurs of Crystal Palace Park! I still have 3 more sections to walk (hopefully) before finishing back at Hackney Wick station. I plan to be starting tomorrow at Ballot Box Bridge, Perivale and walking via Horsenden Hill, Harrow & South Kenton to Hendon Park near Brent Cross. Keep up the good work!
As a bus driver for the 383 bus service, I must say it put a smile on my face to hear ya say to say thank you to the bus driver
Love this summarized video blog style, Geoff. The “get on a bus and just go” and discovering new places away from tube stations so refreshing. Impressive commitment in the winter weather but you can see where the addictive excitement kicks in 😊. Great editing between your calm, professional commentary, bus videos, maps and travel tools. Top drawer information and entertainment.
You know it's a good video when it's nearly A HOUR LONG 😂😂
and it only feels like ten minutes when you're watching it 😁😁
And you make it right to the closing credits!
Did like the CCTV filming since I wonder how many times did you have to shoot it.
This is amazing. Thank you for being so diligent. I like the idea of the spreadsheet. I now have an over 60 oyster so will try a few of the routes with my friend who is obsessed by busses and has had me in all areas of London and beyond (like I had never been to Croydon) from first light to as long as he could stay out for. Keep up the good work Geoff. I know a lot of young people are encouraged by your videos.
Thanks for this brilliant bus feature. I have been unwell for a couple of days. This has made me feel a bit better.
The 375 bus was introduced to serve Havering-atte-Bower as previous non-TFL routes had been withdrawn.
I believe many years ago the 175 may have had a few buses running up to Passingford Bridge and possibly beyond.
Passingford Bridge is the only safe and sensible place for the bus turn to make it's return journey.
Also, I lived in Norwich for a few years in the late 1980's ago and for some reason I kept subconsciously saying "Thank you driver" in a Norfolk accent whenever I got off a 499 bus in Harold Hill.
ah! hope you pick up soon Alan, and glad to have helped a little! thanks for your kind comment. someone has now told me if they can find a turning point BEFOER Passingford Bridge, then they want to make the service hourly.
the 533 is what I get on daily to work from Barnes to Hammersmith, its really useful as it has "hail and ride" section so I can get on and off right outside my house, great little route.
I remember seeing your 2002 and 2004 tube challenge videos a few years back. This is cool man! 👏🏽
Fun fact with some of the 300 buses, quite a few of them (like the 337, 344 & 371) were actually part of other routes that got split up (37, 44 and 71 respectively). A good site for bus route histories is ian armstrongs london buses, showing most routes that ran/run from 1934 to present day
Before my last trip to London, I purchased a senior rail pass for £30/year. This saved me 1/3 off rail fare and it did pay for itself! Another perk is that it saves 1/3 off tube/bus fare in London! You just have to find someone to activate it for you and you need the Oyster card to use it. No contactless. I loved this! It’s so great that senior tourists (65+) can take advantage of this!😊
60+
Always cool to see bus videos! Thanking the bus driver is definitely appreciated!
One thing I've always liked about London buses is that they've retained the old-school "analogue" destination blinds and not yet been seduced by the horrible digital displays which always go wrong or are illegible (and will probably fall foul of DDA regs soon)
So I encountede a small number of digital displays whilst doing this - so there are some out there. My gripe with them is that you can't snap a pic on your phone with them! The frequency of the LED display does not play ball with mobile phone cameras!
@@geofftech2 Down with this sort of thing.
I recommend a visit to McKenna Brothers who are the only people manufacturing the old-style blinds. Middleton, north of Mancheste@@michaelocyoung
@@geofftech2I’ve managed pretty well with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I believe you’re an iPhone user so use the x3 option instead of zooming in with your fingers.
Though it doesn’t always work as there’s different manufacturers of LED displays. The older orange type I’ve found are harder. Luckily those are on non TFL routes.
Some of them are still yellow tinted dayglow blinds which won't be around for much longer
I used to travel to secondary school on a mix of Routemaster and RT buses (some with the top box number indicator) from Chadwell Heath to Woodford way. When I was still in my last years at junior school four of us would get a Red Rover ticket and travel all day on the buses. We were 11 going on 12 and our parents didn't worry about us, we never had any trouble. We'd end up in West London or across the river in Sarf London (here be dragons country) clutching our bus maps. Happy days!
I riden all 544 bus routes in 2017 to 2018, plus all stations Underground
brilliant! well done. it's so good, isn't it?
Well done Geoff on that achievement of riding all London bus routes. Great to see Enfield Island Village which my local bus route (491) goes through. Buses are great.
I had a similar experience to your lost Oystercard: travelling by train from Hertford East to Cambridge, having changed trains at Broxbourne I realised that my company iPhone was no longer in my pocket. I guessed it must have fallen out while on the first train. So I used my own phone to track that first train into Liverpool St and back out towards Hertford. I then doubled back to meet that train at Cheshunt, where I found the phone poking out between the seat and the wall panel.
I saw your vid on mental health a while back with that Sussex railway ,my relief is a bus ride similar to what you have done but up here in notts ,buses are great for taking you for where your car would not go ❤❤
This is one of the reasons I love London so much. I would love to live where I do not need a car. Growing up in Tampa we did not have a car. Rode the bus, walked, bicycles and occasionally a cab. We did not have the luxury of the tube or trains. I love the freedom of sitting back and people watching, watching the sights and letting the driver worry about the logistics.
Too bad I cannot pick up my home and set it down near London!
On a side note the studio set up looks nice as does the bright shirts! Lol the nurse in me kept trying to slow your arm down so I could check out your veins! Sorry habit! Carry on!!
Hey Geoff, your All The Stations project in 2017 has indeed inspired me to visit every single Station in the UK 🇬🇧 as of this message I am 109 stations in, it's been a slow burn as this has been built up over the many years but in recent times I get a mad day and tick a few off. My home Station is East Croydon. As always tremendous content as well as great knowledge base for us travel enthusiasts. Cheers again 👍🏻
As a bus driver (although not in London) hearing your appreciation for drivers and the job we do is great, unfortunately not everyone sees it the same way. Another great video as always
Unfortunately it works both ways as sometimes especially local bus drivers cut out parts of routes at a whim...I don't think we should be thanking them in that situation
@@keithparker1346 I agree it does work both ways, which is why I personally wouldn't be rude to a passenger. In my experience the only time a driver will cut parts of routes out should be under instruction from their controllers usually for road blockages etc and if that is the case they should notify their passengers of any spur of the moment diversions, however I'm not naive in believing that drivers wouldn't cut out parts on their own accord, as unfortunately some just don't care.
@@darylmears9683 just to clarify...I certainly would not condone abuse of drivers even in those circumstances
Very cool how January Geoff follows on from anchorman Geoff's points! This is one of your best-made videos, and the different media (CCTV footage; maps; statistics) are appreciated.
I’ve always had big respect for bus drivers, they have a much harder job than train drivers, they’re paid half the money and they never strike. So to all bus drivers I say thank you
I enjoyed your video, and as you asked, I completed (in order) all the TfL routes end to end between 23rd April 2010 and 16th August 2016. I to X68 at the time, including three 9xx mobility routes. It's relatively slow progress, but I only had certain evenings and occasional weekends available at the time due to work commitments.
Love the new setup at home Geoff, very classy.
I am also a 'seat behind the stairs' person!
Such an incredible documentary, and the fact we can all watch it for free is so incredibly generous! I wish it was 3x the length though!
Our buses really truly are the thing that holds this city’s public transport network together; it is often the first or last part of journeys that encompass several different modes. Absolutely everything positive you said about the wonderful bus operations is spot on, and all the maps and diagrams are excellent.
I am only mentioning this because your video was so incredibly positive, for good reason, we have one of the most comprehensive bus networks on earth… but, there are some negative aspects of the buses in London that have hit me especially hard; My family moved to our current house partially due to the fact that it was directly on a bus route because I struggle with fatigue and don’t want to learn to drive. But 3.5 years ago now the bus was re-routed away from where I live, so now life is comparatively much more difficult than it would have been. TfL was able to manipulatively use the pandemic as an excuse to completely ignore clear-cut consultation results and remove bus access to many vulnerable people. I actually got very lucky compared to the ridiculous distance from a bus stop that this re-routing has left other people with.
The home studio footage looks great Geoff!
Very good , and well done for this achievement !!! I have seen not all of your UA-cam videos, this bus video , gives us new slant of the London public transport
You should ride some scenic bus routes around the country. Over where I am in the Peak District there's definitely some pretty routes :)
Just spent the week in London and stayed near London city. My young children have both caught the tube bug, but they wanted to ride a London bus, so after visiting Horizon 22, we jumped on the the 344 and went down to Clapham junction. They were comfortable, clean and as you say reasonable as well as being quite quick and they got to see a lot of sights through the city and past the Thames. Great Video Geoff. Really enjoyed it.
We've got more routes coming over the next year in Croydon/Sutton. 439, 443, S2, re-routings of 166, 312, 434. If you come back for those, then let me know, I'll sort the teas.....
Thank you Geoff - that was an epic, fantastic video! There must have been over 20 times I would have clicked ‘like’ but of course only the first registers. Yay for multiple likes - UA-cam, are you listening?
Really interesting video and I’m also on a mission to ride every TfL bus route in my lifetime. My favourite route is currently the 123 and I also love the maps you designed 👍
Congratulations, Geoff! I'm working on multiple personal projects at the moment using an app which measures where I've been in the world using a tile-based mapping system. When you start the entire world is covered in tiles. As you move, each tile you get to becomes uncovered, so you see trails and eventually large wide open patches. I live in Leeds, but when I travel to London for gigs etc. I'm trying to go to/through all the stations on the standard tube map. Perhaps once I've done that I'll make a start on the bus stops!
The Oyster card story and Geoff's elation put a smile on my face.
Wouldn't have happened if he used contactless payments instead. Oyster Cards are easily lost or broken.
@@franklingoodwin Travelling on that amount of buses Geoff's probably using a travel card
Since I live near Staines wisely, my closest or my local TfL routes are 117 (runs from Staines to Isleworth via Ashford (Surrey) and Feltham), 203 (runs from Staines to Hounslow via Stanwell and Hatton Cross), 216 (runs from Staines to Kingston) and 290 (runs from Staines to Twickenham).
Loving the bus fest Geoff. I feel you have a challenge coming your way later this year. Do you think once the Superloop network is complete you can travel on all of the routes in one day and try and set a record for folks to beat - I don’t think it will be quite as easy as it sounds!
So lovely to see that a passion project turned into probably your longest video ever. Thanks for the ride!
I take my hat off to bus drivers - it's a demanding and responsible (and under-paid) job. Not convinced that drivers on a busy route relish an endless stream of people saying thank-you as they get off - it can actually be quite burdensome . . .
You should continue to do these long form videos. This is an amazing masterpiece!
Since I got my old person bus pass I have been riding the buses a lot more and I concur, they are brilliant. I want bus pyjamas!
Hi Geoff. I've recently moved to the UK from overseas and I'm challenging myself to photograph all bus routes in Leeds (where I live). Hopefully I don't miss any. Thanks for making this video
I love this, realistically most Londoners are taking busses - not trains. Especially young Londoners who have free bus travel cos of their zip card, so taking a train would be a waste.
Trains are mostly for those white collar commuters working in/near central.
But the Londoners are taking the bus to work (or the car) - not often are they taking the train.
So taking the bus is the best way to meet and knows the locals, as well as discover the true local areas too (not all tall buildings and glamour, that’s actually like 1% or less of London)
Love this video so much, I’m a ‘Londoner’ but also want to do this.
As a south londoner, your comment about trains is quite disagreeable. many journeys i’ve taken actually utilise both the train and the bus, and i rarely venture into central london. They are vital for connecting many of the towns and population centers in greater london and they are far more important and useful than you seem to be implying. both the bus and train are, much of the time, highly preferable to driving, at least within london.
OMG What an Achievement 💪 Congrats Geoff 🥳❤ Absolutely love riding the cute London bus woohoo ❤
Such a great long video. Also explains why you’ve done a few less recently. Glad to see everything is alright with you. Keep the great work coming at your own pace. Thanks for entertaining us Geoff
I didn't know there was a heritage Routemaster. Next time I'm in town, I'm going to take my grandkids, who will never hve heard of them. Thanks, Geoff.