37 Bus Route - good and bad comments please

[James Barber]

Transport for London have contacted councillors and have asked for inout as part of this routes review.

The next contract period starts 1 June 2013 and the contract award for this route will take place august 2012.

So Transport for London are asking for input between now.

Please tell me what you think is good and bad about this route for East Dulwich and I'll collect al lthe views and comments together.

[zeban]

Bad- there are way too few of the actual 37 buses. It's such a popular route that there should be more of them. It's even worse after 9pm when they come every 20 mins. Considering this is the only bus that takes that route it's ridiculous. A lot of people rely on that bus and there's no alternative.

If there were more of them then it might solve the problem of them taking so long for what is really not a huge distance. It's a route that I have to take to work every day and it really does take forever- I have to give myself a whole hour just to get from Peckham Rye to Clapham South.

They could do with more buggy spaces as this seems to be a route that a lot of parents use. If it were a bendy bus that would be good although I know they are getting phased out. If it were though it would save the time it takes the large amount of people who use the bus getting on and off.

Hmmm.. I'm sure I can think of more!

[sequinstars]

I use the 37 bus all the time and seem to spend half of my life waiting for it. As mentioned by Zeban, the service after 9pm is particularly unreliable. I regularly have to wait up to 35 minutes for it to arrive in Clapham Common and as a girl on my own I don't always feel safe doing so when I'm on my own. It's a very useful bus route but would definetly be improved if there were more buses running on the service.

[StraferJack]

I'd echo the comments above - the gaps between buses can be excruciating (although not as bad as, say, 5 years ago)

The time taken to get to Clapham from Peckham is more down to congestion around Brixton and Clapham itself tho - I can't imagine a more direct route

[bli]

Again, this is a really useful route. I would use it far more than I currently do, but as someone who has to take a buggy I find it unreliable as I often can not get on as the buggy space is full. Suspect this is because, as others have said, there are so few 37s.

[Jeremy]

Very useful route. Terrible service.

[Salsie]

Agree with all of the above and especially on a Sunday.

[drew]

Great route in theory, but agree with the comments above re: reliability.

Its a great link to Brixton and Clapham (plus its 24hrs), and I found its one of the only ways out of ED when we get heavy snow - as the 40/176/185 cant handle the slippery hills of LL + DKH.

Thanks again James for opening this up for local input.

[genwilliams]

Good route but hardly any of them! More buses please. Every 10 minutes would be lovely. (Unrealistic?)

[caro ed]

Agree with all the above comments..

- given this is the only route from SE to SW it is a really important bus route but also very unreliable

- as they saying goes, i have often waited over 25 mins for a 37 bus and then 2 have come along together. Would be good to have a reliable and much more regular service. More buses needed.

- in a car it takes approx 15/20 mins to get from ED to Clapham Junction, yet on the 37 bus i have known it take best part of an hour.. Just an idea but if there were more 37's put on, could there be a 'speed service' which doesn't stop at so many bus-stops (as the trains do)?

[Fudge]

As with the comments above - good route but unreliable.

I find that if I need to go to Herne Hill I am usually better off walking rather than waiting for the bus. I get annoyed when walking if a bus passes as I think that I should have waited for it...but have to say that this is rare - I usually beat the bus ! For my own achievement this is great but not good from a bus service point of view or if one is going a longer distance

[maxxi]

Agree with the above comments with this addition - once had to get it all the way to Putney and back for a few days and the delays in getting through Brixton to Clapham Common pale beside the bum-numbing delay of getting through Clapham Junction and Wandsworth to Putney. More bigger better buses now. (more often).

[ziggy]

A really useful route which I often use, although don't rely on for work as others do. Perhaps consideration could be given at least to increasing numbers on the core part of the route, so some buses only do say (selfishly!), Goose Green to Clapham and vice versa - in addition to the current service. Plus more after 9pm of course.

[Freddy1929]

A very handy Route, but appalling reliability!

I have known the 37 route for a lot of years, and it has always had a reputation for poor service, yet it is a bus with a realy useful route.

[PhilPhilPhil]

When I worked in Putney I would use the 37 in the morning but only in the school holidays. It just takes too long to get through the area around Alleyn's most of the time and I found it quicker to walk from Barry Road to Herne Hill. I don't imagine there is much that can be done about that though is there, options are pretty limited with regard to changing that part of the route. The return journey used to be terrible years ago and it wasnt uncommon for an East Dulwich bound bus to suddenly terminate without warning at Herne Hill. It definitely improved over the years but there still arent enough buses, especially in the morning when it's frequently packed by the time it gets anywhere near Alleyn's.

[Damian H]

As a route I think it is utterly indispensable. Like most people I would like it to run a little more regularly.

[BrandNewGuy]

Essential route - but to repeat others' observations, its frequency leaves a lot to be desired in the evenings and on Sundays. The evening/night timetable is a magnificent work of fiction...

[PeckhamRose]

I do not often have to use it but concur that its frequency does leave a lot to be desired.

[Jeremy]

Perhaps the London Overground extension to Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye (trains to Clapham High St and Clapham Jn) will be a better bet in the future?

[DulwichFox]

I remember the 37 Bus 1963-1968 the years I went to William Penn Schhool.

Used to get on in Peckham. When the bus got to the corner of Red Post Hill / Half Moon Lane

we used to Leap of the Platform and go flying onto the pavement.

The drivers used to take the turn wide and as fast as they could to try and stop us jumping off.

Just made it more fun. :))

[Ruffler]

Agree with all the above comments on frequency. I would use this service much more often if it were reliable. Timetables indicate buses around every 10 mins during the day, but it seems to be more like 20-25 mins.

[Cora]

Agree with the need to increase frequency and buggy space...really frustrating waiting a long time, only to have the bus pass by as they are already carrying two buggies.

[Curmudgeon]

Great route which I would use if buses were up to 10 minutes apart - unfortunately you need to allow at least a 30 - 40 minute wait just in case on a daily journey for the 37 to actually turn up - so I drive / cycle instead

[damzel]

Sad to say that I drive to Brixton as I can't guarantee to get home at a reasonable hour (important to relieve babysitter) when relying on 37. Too infrequent and no guarantee of when it's actually likely to arrive.

[aquarius moon]

I rely on this bus for work.

Travelling from Peckham Rye towards Herne Hill on a weekday, service not too bad,

Early on a saturday morning between 8 and 9, pretty haphazard,

Returning from Herne Hill any day, regularly have to wait ages for a bus.

We need a more frequent, regular service please.