From
the BBC» :
Bendy bus tested on popular Leicestershire route
Bus operator Arriva is to test a bendy bus on a Leicestershire route.
The 18m (60ft) vehicles, which are articulated in the centre and have greater capacity than standard buses, are being phased out in London.
It will be used on the 80 service from Oadby, via South Knighton, to St Margaret's Bus Station in Leicester.
Questions have been raised over the safety to passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, but the county council said the route needed extra capacity.
Roger Lovell, from Leicester bike charity Cyclemagic, said he had shared roads with bendy buses in London. "It can be very scary for a cyclist - I can see that less confident cyclists could be put off by these bendy buses because of the size of them. We are getting up to the size of the big articulated lorries - and they are pretty scary in themselves - and they don't react in the same way as a normal bus, they move around a lot more or at least appear to."
A number of other cities in the UK▸ , including Leeds and Nottingham, already use bendy buses on some routes.
Ian Drummond, Assistant Director of Transport at County Hall, said he welcomed the trial. "Arriva had these buses as part of their London franchise and because the mayor of London has decided that bendy buses shouldn't be used in London, they have become available. They are good buses, they are in a good condition, the company has them, this is a route where they need more bus carrying capacity and they are right to try it out."
