322 Bus

London's worst bus route revealed

By Hugh Muir

Evening Standard

2 December 2002

Passengers know it. Drivers know it. Now it's official. The 322 bus is the worst in London. An analysis of bus companies' performance identifies the 322 as the route which suffers most delays.

Connex, which runs the service, today announced a £400 bounty for drivers if they help recruit more good bus drivers.

Transport for London has released previously restricted information about individual routes. It reveals that the 322 is plagued by some of the most congested roads in London as it travels through West Norwood, Brixton, Stockwell and Vauxhall Cross.

John Ashmore, production manager for Connex Buses UK, said: "It goes through some of the worst traffic hotspots in London. It is difficult to maintain the schedule but we bid for the contract and we won it so we should get it right and we will get it right."

He said Connex plans to reward drivers if they recruit a colleague who remains with the company for six months. One driver said: "It is a challenging route. There are roadworks and the route is often marked by demonstrations. It's for experienced drivers only."

Danielle Demetriou writes: The station worker who handed me a copy of the 322 timetable said: "You do realise this is pure fiction, don't you?"

It was an ominous start to a trying mission: to find out if this bus route really is London's worst.

And unfortunately, his words proved considerably more accurate than the details featured in the timetable.

The bus pulled out of Crystal Palace Parade at 9.08am. It was only three minutes late, but it had inexplicably been sitting only metres from the bus stop throughout this time.

The first setback came in the form of a narrow winding road leading to West Norwood. At times the street was reduced to a single lane, bringing vehicles to a halt. By the time it arrived at Herne Hill it was 9.39am - six minutes behind schedule.

As the bus proceeded to Stockwell via Brixton, the traffic became heavier, the bus more full and the timetable less accurate. It was at this point that the strange and irritating phenomenon of multiple buses came to light as a second 322 appeared directly behind.

Linda Hussein, 54, who travels daily from Stockwell to work near Kennington Lane, described how she had always been convinced it was the worst route in London.

Mrs Hussein, who works in a school for special needs children, told me this was a good day for the route, adding: "I've lived in London all my life and I've never known a bus route as bad as this. It's not unusual to wait an hour for the 322 and then three come at once.

"This is a good day. Don't be deceived by the fact that you probably didn't have to wait too long. It's much worse in the afternoon.

"Only yesterday my daughter rang me from Brixton at 4.50pm at the 322 bus stop. She didn't get on the bus until 5.45pm. That's not unusual, but it's not acceptable."

Sarah Clarkson, a 24-year-old admin worker, travels from her home near Herne Hill to Kennington every day.

She said: "The most annoying thing is having to wait ages for a bus, then because so many other people have been waiting too, you can't get on because it was full from the first stop.

"It's frustrating, particularly when you have to get to work. But to be honest I probably have more problems in the afternoon."

Between Kennington Lane and its final destination at Elephant and Castle, the bus managed to regain some of its lost time, arriving only about 10 minutes late.

Asked about the notoriety of the 322, the driver merely offered a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders before driving off to start all over again.

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