Celebrating a British icon 91
had large, empty standee areas
forward of the central doorway,
and consequently very few seats:
scarcely an ideal arrangement
for such a long route. Some
also lacked a full destination
display, showing only the route
number. In these cases the final
destination was shown neatly
in a subsidiary display at the
bottom of the windscreen.
A pair of Spanish-built Irizar
i2e all-electric buses dating from
2015 were also cascaded from
Red Arrow routes to the 108 in
late 2016, though there was no
sign of either when I rode the
route. The only other performer
I saw was a slightly tired-looking
Alexander Dennis Enviro200.
There have been numerous
changes to the route over
the years, but its general
axis has been maintained,
and the tunnel has always
played a part in it. These days
the northern terminus is at
Stratford International railway
station, which falls within the
development area surrounding
the Olympic Park. Despite its
name, no international trains
serve the station, though it lies
on the Channel Tunnel railway.
A branch of the Docklands
Light Railway also terminates
here – and offers a much quicker
journey to Lewisham than the
bus. But probably not many
travellers would consider using
the 108 for the whole trip.
We follow the route south from
Stratford, starting among the
gleaming new glass and metal
offices and apartment blocks that
are still being built following
the massive pre-Olympic
regeneration of the area. Passing
the main Stratford station and
Westfield shopping centre, we
loop round close to the Olympic
stadium (now home to West Ham
football club) and the London
Aquatic Centre, then continue on
to the High Street, which forms
part of the A11.
Skyscraper developments make
this part of Stratford look like
a mini-city, though there’s a
curious lack of people around to
give the area a human scale.
Crossing the A12 dual
carriageway under the shadowLondon by Bus
TOP LEFT
& BELOW:
Contrasting
interiors of route
108 Citaros, with
and without
additional seating
in the front
section.LEFT: Docklands
Light Railway
at Stratford
International —
the quick way to
Lewisham.BELOW: Part of
the Olympic Park
and West Ham
United stadium.