I've often wondered if those responsible for lunacies like this have ever ridden on a London bus, but after this I'm now convinced they've never even seen one. In the peak hours the 73 is overcrowded to frightening proportions, with buses coming in fives and sixes and still unable to take on all the crowds at places like Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. Since the tube is unpleasant enough, I'd rather spend the extra hour and take the bus because I know I'll get a seat, but not for much longer.

The 73 fields fifty-five RMLs at the moment, but this is to drop to 41 artics. I have taken into account the rather annoying proposal to withdraw the route between Stoke Newington and Tottenham Garage (not only making route supervision harder but cutting off connections with routes operating into Tottenham from the east), and am also well aware that apologists for bendy buses will cite the increased overall capacity, but I've said before that I expect a seat when I travel by bus. I dread the hideous conditions that are going to become the norm when hundreds of people try and cram their way aboard an artic on the 73 next year. How many of them are going to see the cattle-packed standees and realise that they can get clean away without paying? Perhaps I'll give up my principles and join them, because I've had enough.

Sadly, TfL are only continuing the tiresome tradition of predecessors in frittering taxpayers' money away on stupid gimmicks - the old London Transport wasted several years trying to foist similar standee buses on us back in the late 1960s. Of course back then their spin machine was hardly advanced enough to be able to explain away the premature disposal of Merlins, Swifts and DMSs after five to seven years of service! I like artics on routes like the 507 and 521 where the short distance makes standing slightly more bearable, but the 18's already a bridge too far and the 73 will be an utter disaster.

On 14th July Tottenham's RML 2518 (JJD 518D) passes Euston. God knows how artics are going to be able to get in and out of the bus station here! You'd think they'd plan for these things, but...