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PUT DOWN THOSE CAR KEYS AND TAKE THE BUS

Vintage British buses, to most North Americans, seem rather odd-looking. They bear no resemblance whatsoever to the urban and intercity buses that we Canadians and Americans grew up on. Personally I love those old Brit buses even though I've never been a passenger in one, except vicariously by way of television. (Note: These comments do not include the iconic double deckers, on which I've traveled many a London mile.)

I'm fortunate to live in an area served both by BC's Knowledge Network and by the US public service television station in Seattle. Both are commercial-free networks that feature the best of British television. The current offerings include Heartbeat, a cop show based in a 60s small town; Ballykissangel, a delightful Irish program also built around small-town characters; Monarch of the Glen from Scotland; a revamped Midsomer Murders, and of course our old favorite, Poirot. The period shows include period transport but even the contemporary programs feature buses that must seem strange to North American eyes.

What I love most about period British buses is the romanticism that affects every line. No functional boxes, these. They swoop and curve in a nod to streamlining with a modicum of art deco added. Two-tone, even three-tone paint jobs are the norm, all framed by lavish amounts of chrome trim not unlike American cars of the 50s and early 60s. And these buses have grilles that make a statement, suggesting the massive power that lies behind. An exaggeration, of course, for they were not built for speed but for the agility needed to cope with narrow country roads.

Look closely at the bus above. The engine is up front but the driver is seated alongside in a separate compartment. Normally he'd be behind the engine (prior to bus engines being in the rear) but this is clearly a space-saving arrangement. The fluidic shape is dominated by curves, including the passenger windows, and though I hesitate to use the phrase "art deco," that 30s trend must surely have influenced the designer. A critical design analysis would insist that mixing machine-like lines surrounding the engine with the romantic curves of the passenger compartment doesn't work but who cares? This bus is so joyful in appearance that I'd be happy to climb aboard with no destination in mind.

Thanks to steveclifford.com for bringing this to my attention. Steve's site is about collecting ephemera and photographs, family history and walking.

[Photo credit: jake-a-loo]

BEST CITY IN THE WORLD TO GET AROUND WITHOUT A CAR?

The scene was Ralph's Coffee and Tea House in Sidney, BC. Four of us were seated around the table, including Ralph, his Ferrari-owning friend Don, a car guy whose name I've forgotten, and me. The conversation wandered to Vancouver and mass transit, wherein I suggested that the city had the best public transportation system in North America. My table-mates were shocked. They simply couldn't imagine that our west coast system could compete with New York, San Francisco, or even Toronto.

I argued differently, pointing out that the SkyTrain is everything overhead transport should be. That the new Canada Line subway is an advanced technology connecting downtown with the airport and points between. That the futuristic SeaBus joins the mainland with North Vancouver in 12-minute sailings every quarter hour. And that even though surface transport depends on traditional buses, many of those vehicles are new-generation electric trolley buses. Although tiny by comparison, I was pleased to add the water taxis scooting across False Creek to Granville Island like June Bugs on a hot summer night.

For those who've never visited this beautiful city a few words of explanation are in order. The SkyTrain is an overhead rail system that bears no resemblance to the overheads in New York or Chicago. The tramway is light in appearance and elegant, each of the contemporary stations unique in design. Tickets are purchased from automatic machines and possession of same is all that's needed. Although attendants now patrol the cars to make random checks of ticket holders, it's an honour system. The cars have large windows offering excellent views of the city. And there are no drivers or conductors. Operation is entirely computer-controlled. There has not been an accident since the SkyTrain's launch in 1986. Think "horizontal elevators."

SeaBuses are 125-seat catamarans that join downtown to the city's north shore quickly and comfortably. Tourists ride them just for the panoramic views of mountains and harbour. The same honour system as on the SkyTrain applies. More than just ferries, they include doors that open automatically to match doors on the enclosed docks, making entry and exit quick and easy.

The Canada Line is Vancouver's first subway, which surprised me on my initial ride for I'd expected something similar to the SkyTrain. Nevertheless it's the best underground rail line I've ever experienced, and I've been on more than a few. The downtown terminus meets both the SkyTrain and SeaBus, as well as the helicopter commuter line between Vancouver and BC's capitol city of Victoria. At the opposite end is Vancouver International Airport, with intermediate neighbourhood stops. It is airy, spacious, quiet and... drivers are not required.

As for those new trolley buses they, too, surprised me on first meeting. I was under the impression that electric trolley buses were a thing of the past (unfortunately, for they use no fossil fuel) until I saw Vancouver's fleet of handsome, powerful units. I'm not a big fan of buses but until we can have affordable fuel cells for street transit the trolley bus (like hybrids) is a decent compromise. By way of comparison, I just spent two weeks in Toronto, my hometown, where I frequently rode the subway, streetcars, and buses. Toronto has always boasted of its transit system but its rock-hard seats, overcrowded subways, and slow-moving streetcars can't begin to compare with Vancouver.

By the time I'd finished boasting of the advantages of Vancouver's transit system my tablemates had stopped laughing and begrudgingly agreed with me. In reality it may not be the world's best but it is certainly world class. And that's something planners everywhere should keep in mind as we move to a more integrated system of automobile freedom and transit mobility.

Best Way to See World's Longest Running Automotive Event

Each year, when autumn comes around, I get a yearning to visit London in November. That's because the world's longest running motoring event, the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, starts from Hyde Park on the 7th of that month. But now I have an extra special reason for being there. I can actually take part in the run and all it's going to cost me is £89, or about $142 U.S. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little by suggesting that I'll be a participant in one of the cars. What I can do, however, is become a passenger in the exclusive LBVCR Bus Tour. And that's got to be a lot more fun than joining the million or so spectators who'll be standing by the side of the road as the cars pass by.

Here's what the bus tour folks say about it: "Leaving Hyde Park at around 8.00 AM the buses follow the same route as the veteran cars through South London and onto Crawley, where there will be a stop for refreshments at the official LBVCR coffee break at the George Hotel. The tour then continues down to Madeira Drive in Brighton with the buses returning to London at around 4pm. The price includes special access passes to the paddocks in Hyde Park, Crawley and Madeira Drive so you can get a very close look at the unique veteran vehicles that take part in the Run. Each person will also receive a copy of the souvenir programme, which is an invaluable guide to the event."

The annual event commemorates the Emancipation Run of November 14th, 1896, which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act that raised the speed limit for "light locomotives" from 4 mph to 14 mph and abolished the requirement for those vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot. More than 500 cars will attempt today's Run, with an eligibility criteria that requires them to be of four-or-three wheel design and certified that their build took place prior to January 1st, 1905. Many famous celebrities, including members of the Royal Family, have been seen on the Run. Believe me, it's a real challenge for automobiles of that vintage.

Ah, but let's say you'd prefer to drive a veteran auto and that your financial status gives you the freedom to buy one. It's not too late! Bonhams has announced that on Friday November 5th it will auction two eligible vehicles, each with a guaranteed entry. One such car is the 1900 De Dion Bouton Vis-à-vis, below, estimated at £50,000 – 60,000.

The second car that has been entered is a 1902 Rochet 4 ½hp Vis-à-vis. It is estimated to sell for £38,000 - 45,000. The Veteran Motorcar and Automobilia Sale takes place just two days before the Run, which gives the two prospective owners very little time to prepare. They'll need to learn how to drive their new possessions (no easy feat), how to make en route adjustments and repairs, and which tools to have ready. Of course they will also have to purchase period clothing to match. Regardless of the required haste, the new owners and their friends will have a fabulous experience. Personally I would be certain to pack a wicker lunch box with old-fashioned pork and pickle sandwiches plus a bottle of champagne for the finish. Oh, to be in London now that November's near...

Social Network Meets the Volkswagen Microbus

The nice thing about being an Internet writer is that you discover new friends who could be located anywhere in the wide, wide world. For example, a gentleman of my age group named Harley Ferguson has become a virtual (literally) pen pal ever since we met via the Web; I was About.com's car guy at the time. With an ocean separating us (he lives in Tokyo and I live on Canada's west coast) it's unlikely we'll ever meet in person but we enjoy keeping in touch.

And then there's Srinivas Krishnan, a long-time automobile journalist with India's Business Standard Motoring. Once again About.com was the media connection when we began corresponding and I've since used helpful photos and background information from his classic car stories. Shortly after we first made contact I conceived a would-be article that might have put me in India for at least three weeks, researching that country's automotive industry. The idea was that I'd visit and photograph each company, then write a feature for publication in North America. I thought this would be an eye-opener for Americans, who know little or nothing about the scale and products of Indian car manufacturing. It would be particularly illuminating in light of India's push to become the world's second largest, after China. Needless to say, Srinivas was eager to participate as guide to both country and industry.

It never happened. My creative exuberance has often exceeded the funds necessary to turn ideas into reality and this, though it made sense from a journalistic viewpoint, was doomed to fail. Such a trip would inevitably have been expensive. I couldn't afford to pay the costs on spec and the chances of persuading a major US publication to foot the bill were between nil and zero. If by chance they were interested in such a story they would probably have used staff members, particularly if the publication had correspondents based in India. Ah well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Today I was glancing through Business Standard Motoring when I spotted an article by Srinivas Krishnan. Thanks to him I now know more about the birth of the VW Microbus than I did before. The vehicle's history was not entirely new to me but the details were and I found them quite fascinating. What little I did know had been related by Ben Pon Jr., whose father first conceived the idea. (Ben Jr. was a trainee at Volkswagen Canada during the period that I worked there as assistant p.r. manager; we were also racing teammates.) According to the younger Pon, his Dad, a VW distributor in Holland, sketched the concept on a napkin and handed it over to Wolfsburg management, which almost immediately began development. In fact, it wasn't quite that simple.

As Srinivas puts it, "Some years later, the German head of VW, the legendary Heinz Nordhoff, came to know about this idea for a commercial vehicle based on Beetle mechanicals, and ensured it got into production. That’s because Nordhoff perceived the need for a vehicle that could boast the Beetle’s reliability and durability with a higher payload." In Srinivas' article the origins of the Microbus are only by way of introduction, for he had the good fortune to be offered a classic 1967 model to test drive in Mumbai. His review makes fun reading for those who've never driven one and a nostalgia trip for those, like me, who have. I heartily recommend clicking here in order to view the article in its entirety.

Revealed: How 21 Passengers Can Ride in One Classic

Very few people will ever be privileged to ride in a Pierce-Arrow but the vintage intercity coach seen here will seat up to 21 lucky passengers. And, yes, it's still a Pierce-Arrow; you'll instantly identify the marque by its distinctive headlights set into the fenders. Best known for magnificent luxury cars, the company also built a wide range of commercial vehicles, including buses like this 1919 model, believed to have originally run between Wallace and Burke, Idaho. To be sold at RM's Meadowbrook auction on Saturday, July 24, 2010, the bus was given a complete restoration before appearing in a cavalcade of Pierce-Arrow vehicles at the marque’s 2001 centenary celebration in Buffalo. The wood-framed body was completely redone and the interior woodwork, as you'll note, is spectacular. The varnished wood spoke artillery wheels set off the exterior beautifully.

Because the bus could be used as distinctive transport for hotels, inns and resorts or for special attractions in parks or beaches, it has been fitted with a contemporary V-8 engine and drivetrain plus upgraded brakes for enhanced safety and reliability. And that, for this writer, is not so good. Yes, I can understand the need for modern brakes, safety equipment, and features that might make things easier for the driver, but a classic bus should have the original engine because the vintage sound and performance is part of the pleasure. Fortunately this bus comes with a complete and fully detailed Pierce engine and transmission, so I sincerely hope the new owner replaces that V-8 with the real thing. RM estimates a selling price of $80,000-$120,000 US.

Of Miniskirts, Winding Stairways, and London Buses

When I arrived in London, transferred there from New York, the miniskirt fad was still in existence, kept alive, no doubt, by millions of cheering males. The hottest new book on the shelves was "The Birds of Britain," which had nothing to do with fowl, "birds" being the British equivalent of "chick." The book was simply a collection of glamorous photos of beautiful and famous young women.

Those were the years of Carnaby Street, Mary Quant, Twiggy, the Beatles, and the Mini automobile. Britain was the epicenter of new trends and fashion. An essential icon of the British scene for residents and visitors was the Routemaster double-decker bus. I rode one to the office each day and quickly learned, I now shamefacedly admit, that the best place in the queue was behind any miniskirted beauty who planned on climbing the winding exterior stairs to the upper level.

A few years later some idiot of an efficiency expert decided that London Transport could save money by getting rid of the double-deckers. This would eliminate the beloved "clippies" whose job was to handle fares and who did so by maneuvering along the lower and upper decks, collecting from newly-arrived passengers. How they could recognise the newbies I'll never know, but they rarely missed and most Londoners were honest enough not to cheat.

The double-deckers might have become history had London not realised that every visitor fully expects to see and use the buses, just as they planned to ride the underground or hail a traditional London taxi. And so a contest was arranged with the objective of designing a modern replacement for the Routemaster. It was won by Capeco Design, whose bus features three points of entry with two staircases inside and extensive use of glass. It is ten feet longer than the Routemaster and holds two fewer people (62) but was created to maximise passenger comfort and convenience.

The new buses will be built by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland and should be on the streets by 2012. London Mayor Boris Johnson has already given them his blessing. Oh... and I hear miniskirts are making a comeback.