Orpington victorious again! CONGRATULATIONS to Orpington garage on winning the Yellow Bus challenge trophy for a second time this year. When a bus is working in service on the correct headway from the bus in front, it shows as yellow on the controller’s iBus diagram. Controllers, working alongside drivers, do their utmost to keep the average headway on routes the best they can at all times, and this can prove extremely challenging. Bradley Faithfull, General Manager Service Performance, South East and Croydon, set up the inter-garage competition between Bexleyheath, Belvedere, Croydon, New Cross, Orpington and Peckham. He said: “The idea behind the challenge was to provoke some friendly competition between the garages and to add a bit of fun to the serious business of keeping to the advertised service interval. “Controllers submitted a
performance. Bradley will then add a more challenging third route to each garage’s nominated routes. This will be a route that is normally more testing in terms of EWT performance. The winner will be the garage team that delivers the best
All smiles from Orpington's winning iBus controllers. photo of their screen if they achieved a route with all buses yellow between 7am and 7pm. For each picture, they received one point towards their individual score and one point to the garage team score. “The challenge has helped to improve performance but, just as important, has boosted morale and strengthened team spirit.” Daniel Butterfield, Performance Manager at Orpington, added: “I’d like to
send a huge ‘well done’ to the team at Orpington. I’m delighted that they’ve brought the trophy home once again.” Now Bradley has devised a new EWT (excess waiting time) challenge which he launched on June 1. Each garage has been asked to nominate a team leader who, with their performance manager, will be tasked to nominate two high frequency routes that they believe will deliver the best EWT
Chris Jeffrey, left, and Graham Johnson outside New Cross bus garage. INSET: The garage was a tram depot until 1952.
...celebrates 110 years THIS year doesn’t just mark the Queen’s 90th birthday and 160 years of London General, it also marks the 110th birthday of New Cross garage. Originally a tram depot when it opened in 1906, New Cross converted to a bus garage when the trams were withdrawn
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in 1952. The garage has a rich history, which General Manager Graham Johnson finds fascinating. He said: “New Cross garage was bombed during WWII on November 25, 1944, when the High Street was busy with shoppers, who were queuing up for a supply
of saucepans that had become available at Woolworth’s. “At 12.26pm, there was an enormous explosion as a V2 rocket impacted onto the Woolworth’s store. “A double-decker bus was spun round, which caused more deaths and injuries – its
Paul Lock, left, receives the trophy from Daniel Butterfield. EWT score as an average across the three routes. Bradley said: “I like to set new challenges and change them regularly to keep people engaged, interested and keen to compete.”
occupants were seen still sitting in their seats, covered in dust. “It was the worst tragedy in the entire ‘V’ weapon campaign and one of the worst civilian disasters of WWII, causing damage from the Town Hall to New Cross Gate and the garage.” Graham also has a family link to the garage as his wife’s father came to New Cross as a driver after Old Kent Road garage closed in 1952. New Cross garage operates 13 routes and driver and assessor for the Institute of Advanced Motorists Chris Jeffrey knows them all. “I’ve worked at New Cross for 35 years,” he said. “I love driving all the different routes and throughout the years I have worked on the special Millennium Dome services and articulated buses on route 436. “The garage has always had a great camaraderie, especially in the old days. “It’s a great place and I’m proud to be part of it.”