The London Bus route that SPLITS in HALF! | Route 108

In this video, I have a look and ride on the London bus route that splits in half and I tell you how you can have a ride on it too!
Shout out to my Patrons: Will Tucker, Tony Cottam, Martin Cox, Chloe, Alice Lee, Johan Jacobsson Franzén, Kodzo
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[@TheHoveHeretic]

Fun Fact time: The 108 is an old (pre-London Transport) route, originally run by London General Omnibus Company with single deckers. In 1927 things stepped up a gear when the first bespoke double deck design for the 108 consisted of 25 NS Class buses, fitted with special narrow bodies and domed roofs. These lasted until replaced in 1937, by the 'Tunnel STL', which featured special tyres with reinforced walls (to counter kerb strikes) and copied the earlier NS roof profile (for obvious reasons!). They went extinct after alterations to the tunnel permitted standard RT buses to be used from 1953. Not sure when it went back to single decker, but I remember the handsome but short lived Merlin Swifts (MB) on the 108B at Eltham in the early 1970s.

[@henrybest4057]

The route 108 used to run to Leytonstone. The RTs were also fitted with special tyres. They were there so that they could easily mount the kerb to pass oncoming wide vehicles. I'm not sure, but I think Routemasters wouldn't fit through the tunnel (wider roof line) so, on withdrawal of the RTs, it was converted to single decker operation.

[@win7sony]

Making me miss those Mercedes bendy-buses, we got a load of them from Go-Ahead London here in Brighton for the uni route, recently left the fleet :(

[@TheHoveHeretic]

Those buses went greatly unmourned by local cyclists! In all honesty, the issue was more one of poor road design (an all too common problem in the UK) than the buses. We badly need Dutch style national road design guidelines. Nothing could change overnight, but we REALLY need to make a start.

[@Mgameing123]

@@TheHoveHeretic Bendies were never a danger to cyclist. Cities in Denmark & Netherlands do fine with bendies and yes we do have very tight roads.

[@PsychicLord]

Last time I was in London, I rode the 108 from Lewisham to North Greenwich. As I child I regularly remember riding on the 108B (when a 75 or 194 was not around).

[@mohammedboufas5974]

Oh, london bus route 108

[@HertsLondonBusVideosOfficial]

Nah really

[@networknathan]

great video!! love the 108 citaro's

[@VexSG]

another Citaro enjoyer i see! You'll have to check out the High Peak ones in operation up north between Manchester Airport and Buxton on the 199 (though they also operate e200 MMCs and versas, but the citaros are really nice!!)

[@SomeoneExplores]

I might need to head up north 👀👀 get them ticked off

[@crispinleung]

Hey super glad to see your video on my feed - great format, keep it up!! Particularly like your thumbnail whixh made me click and the 47 4 cracked me up lmao Hope you grow quick 📈📈🤜🏼

[@colinn_1984]

Route 108 under appreciated workhorse.. I do appreciate you addressed the usual route though . A102 isn’t the south circular.. Blackwall tunnel southern approach I believe it’s called

[@Keyaans_Photography]

Nice video. love the dedication you went through 😂

[@nathanw9770]

Great video! I used the 108 sometimes when I attended CTK Emmanuel college, when I couldn't be bothered to walk up the long hill lol. I loved the sounds the Citaros made when charging up Belmont Hill, as well as the former Volvo B7TL's that used to operate the 89 sometimes. I am glad that the 129 got extended to Lewisham though since waiting for the 108 to North Greenwich was a pain sometimes. Also small correction, the A102 isn't the South Circular Road the A205 is. A fun fact about the A102 is that it's part of the same dual carriageway that goes all the way from Ipswich to Dover as it directly connects the A2 and A12 main roads.

[@simonochana3189]

Not lived in London for nearly 40 years but remember that bus route back in the early 1970’s going through Blackpool tunnel. Surprised that route is still running. It also meets the iconic route 25 at Stratford international!

[@peterplumb9725]

*Blackwall tunnel! Lol

[@1trebor2024]

Waited, waited, and waited. Wait some more

[@nlmb28s14]

Reminds me of the old X26

[@win7sony]

You walked out that door head on into an undy at 9:56 lol

[@Teesbrough]

Fascinating to see how much has changed in last 30 years. Back then, pre-Jubilee, 108 was a busy route. Then I worked on bus station design for JLE bus stations, especially for North Greenwich. Soji Abass had recently completed Stratford Bus Station which all the bosses were highly impressed with. Citaros can be nice to drive but they’re ponderous and often unreliable so not liked by drivers. Driver’s seat is exceptionally bouncy and cab door is cumbersome. Great video as ever though 👍🏻

[@SomeoneExplores]

Thank you Will! Would you say those reasons are why we don't see more Citaros across the UK?

[@Teesbrough]

@@SomeoneExploresThanks Sam. Unreliability means costly in maintenance time and money. Biggest problem I and others had was in getting the doors to close: the interlocks were prone to hissy fits. Personally I prefer B7s but the new Enviro 200 MMCs are lovely to drive and comfortable and bright for passengers too.

[@matthewdoyle3877]

@@SomeoneExplores Get a life making videos for clicks

[@ssga_tgbuddy3082]

Thanks for the tour of a part of London that most of us Yanks won't see. I actually like to see how regular people live in their daily lives.

[@TrainsAreCoolr-du8zo]

Trust me, I hate it here

[@peterplumb9725]

Should come to sussex. Theres a bus service that runs from Brighton to Portsmouth, but you have to get a different bus 3 times. 700 from Brighton to Chichester. Then another 700 from Chichester to Bognor Regis, then change again @ Bognor to Portsmouth!

[@ItsIvorix]

think i saw you on my way home lol

[@anthonycole6452]

There is 2 things you have not told your viewers is that newcross bus garage adds to the route NX251 & NX252 useing SEe16, SEe17, SEe21 & SEe22. And the garage it comes out of MG - MORDEN WHARF BUS GARAGE.

[@jamesevans3329]

The sound of a diesel engine is the best. I think the X26 and 293 used Mercedes while Epsom coaches ran the routes.

[@realman6ft6]

On match days the 108 goes to Stratford Bus Station and doesn’t serve Stratford International. And on days when there’s no overnight Jubilee Line service it goes on diversionnnon stop from Bow to Tower Bridge then back to line of route.

[@Karnzis2bkack]

If you like these citaros go on the 358 citaros

[@Peter-mj6lz]

5:31 that actually looks like mini twin towers

[@BALHAM69]

Thank you for doing this twice.😮 So they don’t take money on London Underground train tube?😅 Have you used a Surrey bus example 715 from Kingston before? You seem to quite enjoy buses on your Channel.

[@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx]

Bruh 🤦🏾‍♀️😂 But I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos

[@SomeoneExplores]

Thanks haha, any excuse to ride the 108 haha!

[@ks2091]

I tried to get the 108 via Tower Bridge once but it never turned up😂

[@Smart1529]

Hi there, I just want to say that I enjoyed your video. By the way, you mentioned the SL4 Superloop bus using the new Silvertown tunnel. Did you know that TFL also chose the 129 bus to use the tunnel and to terminate at Gallions Reach via City Airport and Beckton. And would you ever consider trying that bus out when it's running? Also the 108 still holds a special to me because it's my local bus, I live 5 minutes away from the bus stop. I still don't like the section between Stratford and Poplar due to how small and slow the roads are, I personally prefer the Bromley By Bow section because it's quicker outside peak. But that's me. I also think TFL should select more buses to use the new tunnel like the new 335 bus. Just like the 129 it's designed to support other buses around the area. Also the 129 bus has an interesting history where it was originally an East London bus and the became a South East London bus even though it barely went anywhere for such a long time.

[@Maschine103]

It was a shorter route when Merlins then Swifts ran the show

[@user-qz5pw9yl4o]

Sadly the Citaro C2s on the 108 are being replaced...

[@Itsdaguyfromends]

Nah I waited 42 mins before and it was on a weekday aswell💀💀💀

[@harryelliott4310]

London Bus Route 108

[@stevecampbell7589]

A102 aint the south circular road

[@SomeoneExplores]

My bad haha, got my A Roads mixed up

[@ROTREV]

Fun fact, it doesn’t spilt in half. Due to Blackwall tunnel closed, 108 will be curtailed and diverted to Canning Town and start at Lewisham at the south side

[@SomeoneExplores]

haha, that's literally what I cover throughout the video lol

[@ROTREV]

@@SomeoneExplores Lol

[@charliebrady9649]

Fit

[@siraj5071]

u can take 47

[@JayDoubleyouuu]

I love how the first thing you see in Lewisham is the knife crime people outside the station harrassing everyone😂😂😂

[@anthonykdramanu9158]

2:40 nah the 358 MECs are better 🤌🏾

[@allansheldrake4832]

108 does not spilt in half they only work it in two halfs if the tunnel is blosed both sided get curtailed

[@britishmapping1759]

Aka splitting in half

[@Mgameing123]

Maybe watch the video before commenting :)

[@VictoriaElizabethUK]

Is the 108 the only bus that goes through a Thames tunnel or are there other buses in other tunnels?

[@abtransport0]

only route until Silvertown tunnel is completed

[@happylooking]

Outside London there is the X80 service linking Bluewater and Lakeside shopping centres via the Dartford tunnel.