please empty your brain below
Love your bus rides.

At least the old lady was a change from the nutter on the bus though.

Chris | 10.12.19 - 6:27 a.m. | #

I just had a look at the route map for the 218, and one of the local attractions that Google Maps decided to highlight for me near its northern terminus was the Consulate of Algeria.

The map also reminded me of how grim I used to find this journey when I'd occasionally take the 440 from North Acton to my first flat in London, near Acton Central - it just felt all grey and concrete and car-centric and not like home at all.

martin | 10.12.19 - 6:53 a.m. | #

Still odd that they never overlapped the 266 and 306, after all TfL kept the all-night service as it was, and the northern end of the 306 is left hanging in the air - not quite reaching Acton itself, instead through passengers on the 266 are left to squeeze onto the single deck 218, whilst an empty double deck 306 is waiting a couple of stops down the road - why not just turn the 266 at Acton Vale and the 306 at the Town Hall.

The same applies to the 218, not quite reaching Central Middlesex Hospital.

Still Anon | 10.12.19 - 8:04 a.m. | #

I like your occasional bus route pieces.
When they are occasional.

David | 10.12.19 - 8:07 a.m. | #

Don't worry, no new bus routes are scheduled before next month.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 10.12.19 - 8:27 a.m. | #

The art deco cinema building was for many year a Granada cinema, it then became a Bingo hall. Next use was as a church and now a climbing wall centre. Grade II listed building.

John | 10.12.19 - 8:46 a.m. | #

Exiting from the underground at Hammersmith on Saturday there was a large notice that 'your local buses are changing'. However this told you about the Hammersmith Bridge alterations in October. Plenty of new spider and where to board your bus maps, but no mention that you needed to look at them as there was no sign that things had altered. The lower bus station TfL office was unmanned (surprise, surprise) and passengers were searching in vain for their 266. However the Tower Transit bus controller was doing a great job helping people. Full marks to her.

Alan S | 10.12.19 - 9:58 a.m. | #

I remember the BBC rehearsal rooms used to be in North Acton, conveniently located next to a pub (though i forget which one) Are they still there?

milo Bell | 10.12.19 - 10:12 a.m. | #

If the 440 went all round the houses, why not have made the new 218 go down the main road instead to keep some sense of familiarity?!

Aww, sounds you got a reincarnation of my Nan sitting next to you! We used to pity the poor passengers sitting next to her who were looking forward to a peaceful journey between Truro & London, Paddington when she came up to us for Christmas in the time before headphones were commonplace!

The difference being a bit further into London makes!
Both of these are just 5 miles but the length of journey is almost the same as the X140 at more than twice the distance!

Cornish Cockney | 10.12.19 - 10:31 a.m. | #

The 440's been tweaked to make it a more useful (direct) bus for longer journeys.
The 218 is more of a local twiddly-bus.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 10.12.19 - 10:50 a.m. | #

This item is just up my street! Lots of agitation on our local blogs about these and other local route changes and how they don't go where they used to, particularly if the changes are related to Crossrail, which is at least two years away. Some complaints about having to pay twice for these split routes until I explained Hopper fares, but you still have to wait for a bus twice and decide the best place to switch over with your buggy and shopping and find a seat again.

You're right about Askew Road - pretty scruffy until recently but now coming up in the world.

ActonMan | 10.12.19 - 11:21 a.m. | #

This bus thing is getting a bit tedious now.

mvcvz | 10.12.19 - 1:25 p.m. | #

You'd have hated December 2003, and December 2004, and December 2014.

Refunds are available in the usual place.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 10.12.19 - 1:32 p.m. | #

Thanks for this. The 266 has been my bus to work for many years and has always suffered from its long route meaning that you could get big gaps between buses. I was looking forward to having 2 new buses which would hopefully be more reliable. It's early days but it's not looking good so far - although there should be more capacity there seem to be more very full 218s with long waits for the 306. Hopefully it will all settle down soon!

Steve Rochford | 10.12.19 - 3:14 p.m. | #

I used to visit the Wetlands Centre in Barnes from Cricklewood using just 2 buses, the 266 to Hammersmith and then one of several from Hammersmith to the Wetlands Centre.

With the closure of Hammersmith Bridge and the shortening of route 266, it's a double whammy.

Richard | 10.12.19 - 3:39 p.m. | #

Has there been any route in Hammersmith that hasn't changed recently.

dg writes: Yes.

First the 283 cut, then 10 withdrawal and the ramming on the 23 into the area, then 27 cut from Chiswick, then the Hammersmith Bridge, and now this.

PVR | 10.12.19 - 5:27 p.m. | #

Blimey, things have changed around North Action since I was last there. The Castle was my local around 20 years ago; I lived just south of the A40 from there, just as the grimy warehouses in the middle of the gyratory were starting to get knocked down and turned into office blocks. And now, like everywhere else, they're flats. Thanks for the write-up.

Graham | 10.12.19 - 9:25 p.m. | #

I'm still trying to get my head around the logistics of staying on the 218 to Hammersmith while narrating the trip on the 306 complete with details of the driver's actions.

Andrew S | 10.12.19 - 9:31 p.m. | #











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