Metroline Travel Ltd

Metroline Bus Company

I am writing my opinion on this public method of transport that I have been using twice daily, 5 days a week for the past 3 years.

‘Metroline is a wholly owned subsidiary of ComfortDelgro Corporation, based in Singapore. The purchase of the company was formally approved by shareholders on 21 March 2000.’ * Info from their website: www.metroline.co.uk

This company runs many routes ...
...writing about the one I use in London, the 274. It starts at Islington Angel and terminates at Lancaster Gate. They operate a day bus [starting around 6am till 12.30am] and a night bus [N274-starting around 12.30am till 6am]

The bus is a single-decked vehicle, red in colour with the bottom quarter coloured blue. On every side of the bus is the company logo ‘Metroline’ in large white writing. A third of the bus, from the top, has large ... more

Metroline Bus Company

I am writing my opinion on this public method of transport that I have been using twice daily, 5 days a week for the past 3 years.

‘Metroline is a wholly owned subsidiary of ComfortDelgro Corporation, based in Singapore. The purchase of the company was formally approved by shareholders on 21 March 2000.’ * Info from their website: www.metroline.co.uk

This company runs many routes through London and some in Hertfordshire, but I will be writing about the one I use in London, the 274. It starts at Islington Angel and terminates at Lancaster Gate. They operate a day bus [starting around 6am till 12.30am] and a night bus [N274-starting around 12.30am till 6am]

The bus is a single-decked vehicle, red in colour with the bottom quarter coloured blue. On every side of the bus is the company logo ‘Metroline’ in large white writing. A third of the bus, from the top, has large windows.

COST OF TRAVEL
******************************************************************************
As with all London Buses, the fare cost varies depending on which zones you travel through. If you stay in the same zone, the fare for adults is 70p and 40p for children over 3 years. If you go into another zone, the fare for adults is £1 and 40p for children over 3 years.
The Night Bus fare is a standard £1 for all.
I recommend if you use the bus everyday to get to and from work, invest in a Bus Pass. It costs £8.50 for a whole week.
There are methods of payment:
Cash [Usually coins]
Bus Pass
Travel Pass
Saver
Oyster Card [visit website http://www.oystercard.com ]

WAITING TIME
******************************************************************************
They class my bus as a High Frequency Service. This means that they put out more buses on these routes because they are the busiest. For this service, they aim to get buses to bus stops every 12 minutes on weekdays. In my experience, this can be very incorrect. I have had to wait for one of these buses for 40 minutes on several occasions. But usually, I have to wait at least 15 – 20 minutes for one to arrive at the stop on my way to and from work.

PASSENGER CAPACITY & ACCESS
******************************************************************************
The older versions of the bus have one entrance situated opposite the driver. These are not Wheelchair/Pushchair friendly as there is no space to manoeuvre, plus there isn’t an allocated area/space for them. I rarely see this version and in the three years I have used them, I have boarded one about 4 times.
The newer versions of this bus have two entrances. One situated opposite the driver, and one mid way down the bus, opposite the Wheelchair/Pushchair user area. This area can take one wheelchair user or one pushchair but not one of each at the same time.
The passenger capacity for seated is about 34 and 1 wheelchair/pushchair user. The maximum limit for standing passengers is 7.

STATE OF THE BUS
*******************************************************************************
The state of the bus at the end of the day is usually worst than when they start out. When I get the bus in the morning, it looks like rubbish has been removed and a little floor cleaner may have been used. But when I catch the bus in the night-time it’s a different story. There are spills over the floor leaving it sticky and a potential slippery floor hazard. Rubbish like crisp packets, drink cans and newspapers all potential hazards as well as just a disgusting atmosphere. I would certainly recommend they install a bin for rubbish, not just used tickets. Some buses have a little bit of graffiti in the form of people carving stuff into the plastic back of seats. But it is quite minimal.

BUS INTERIOR
*******************************************************************************
The inside is covered in a pleasant grey, sparkly effect lino. The handles/poles are painted a bright yellow, the bell is halfway down and covered with black plastic squares. All is going well until you get to the seats. They are made of a faded black carpet like material with bright blue and orange squares and MTL patterns all over. The seats are quite comfortable to sit on though, so that’s a plus side.

STAFF ATTITUDE
*******************************************************************************
There is only one member of staff on the single-decker bus, the driver. There is no conductor.
In my experience, many of the drivers of the 274 bus on the day service and night service are insane! I know that statement might sound exaggerated but if you ever have or will be travelling on this bus, you’ll know what I mean.
If I am running late in the morning, I’m guaranteed this bus will help me get to work on time. Many of the drivers drive very fast, some too fast in places where speed restrictions are in place. This bus travels down a stretch of road with Speed Bumps [Sleeping Policemen], which means you have to slow your vehicle down and have been put there for the sole purpose of killing speed. Many of the drivers speed-up and go flying over them, scaring the living daylights out of the passengers [including young children and the elderly] plus making it quite an uncomfortable journey when you being bumped up and down in your seat [not a good idea to travel on when you have a hangover! He, He!]
Most of the drivers are nice and polite and will be happy to help you with directions on the journey. But there are some who need to lose the attitude they have. These drivers don’t look in your direction when you try to show them your pass or pay your fare, don’t stop when you put your arm out [even though the bus is empty!], chat on their mobile phone through the whole journey and probably beyond, shout and swear at other drivers. [I have witnessed/been a victim to all of these] I can understand that Bus Drivers particularly have a real rough time at work with some really horrid passengers and nasty traffic problems but it’s not a thing passengers should have to witness.

PASSENGER ATTITUDE
*******************************************************************************
I know that the passengers who get on this bus have nothing to do with the bus company, but I thought it was quite a relevant point to be made for people who have not travelled on this bus before. It can either make you want to avoid it or make you feel confident to use it. In my experience, I have not had or seen any trouble with another passenger while travelling on the 274. Most people keep themselves to themselves or are asking for help from other passengers and receiving it.

OVERALL
*******************************************************************************
Journeys on this bus have not been the most unpleasant experience. And because there is only one floor to look after, I feel pretty safe travelling on these buses as the driver can keep an eye out for trouble. For me, this is the only bus I can catch from Islington Angel, to my work so I have to use it and if I had a choice, I probably would seek a more reliable, on-time service. But I do note, this is London and there are always traffic jams and road works and this is one reason why I am not one of those passengers who stands there and shouts at the driver ‘I’ve been waiting here for an hour [actually, they have been there for 10 minutes!], your bus service gets worse and worse, I don’t know why I bother…’

For information on Metroline, visit: www.metroline.co.uk
For information on timetables or to plan a journey, visit: www.tfl.gov.uk

Gemma Wild xxx
 

...less