I've noticed something odd at Bus Stop M over the last week or two. Buses on route 205 have started stopping here. I don't know precisely when or why, but this is excellent news for a very small number of people who live here or who change buses in Bow.
Route 205 was introduced in 2002 in preparation for the launch of the Congestion Charge zone. Originally it ran between Paddington and Whitechapel, then in 2007 was extended to Mile End and in 2009 to Bow Church. But not this Bow Church, the other Bow Church because the bus stops round here are complicated. If nothing else the ongoing saga of Bus Stop M should have taught you that.
Route 205 begins its westbound run at a bus stand on the south side of Bow Church, picking up its first passengers at Bus Stop J (Bow Church) before continuing to Bus Stop B (Bow Church Station). But in the opposite direction 205s have always terminated at Bus Stop A (Bow Church Station), never reaching Bus Stop M (Bow Church).
I always assumed this was because route 205 was based at Bow Bus Garage, so it would be silly for terminating buses to overshoot the turn off. But it did mean that route 205 was asymmetrical hereabouts, terminating at the DLR station but starting at the church.
Now suddenly after 17 years, without fanfare, eastbound 205s are going the extra stop and terminating by the church. I've seen no publicity, no change in timetables nor updated tiles, but the announcement "this bus terminates here" no longer plays by the station, it plays when the bus pulls up at Bus Stop M.
It hasn't required a change on the bus's blind because the destination has always been 'Bow Church', formerly referring to the station, now referring to the church. It only really shows up if you use digital services and check the map or route diagram, and yes they have indeed extended the route from Bus Stop A to Bus Stop M.
I assume the change occured at the end of August because that's when the the contract changed and new electric vehicles were introduced. It's also when the timetable changed and the frequency of the route reduced from every 10 minutes to every 12. But blimey they've been quiet about doing it, not even a new tile saying '205 Alighting point only', hence it's taken so long for me to notice.
It's a good thing for anyone living near Bus Stop M because we no longer have to get off a 205 by the station and walk, we can ride it all the way home. It's also good news for anyone changing buses at Bow Church because it's now possible to interchange direct between the 205 and 276 or 488 which it never was before.
This allows me to update an 80 year-old list.
A brief history of the buses which stopped at 'Bus Stop M', Bow Church
It also means that Bus Stop M is now the last stop on route 205 as well as the first stop on route 8. That means you could, if you wanted, catch an 8 from Bus Stop M to one end of Oxford Street, walk to the other end and then catch a 205 all the way back to Bus Stop M. I'm almost tempted, but I promise not to expose you to round robin reportage if I ever succumb.
