[1][2] The main features of the plan, which was to be rolled out over ten to fifteen years, were: The plan began to be implemented in September 1968, but immediately proved problematic: the public disliked the changes, the new vehicles - "Merlin"s - were found to be unsuitable, and it was difficult to find available land for the proposed suburban transport interchanges.
[5] The issue of London's public transport had become one of interest to national politicians, and two committees of inquiry had been appointed to investigate the matter.
[6][7] The emphasis of the committee's work was to find ways of reducing costs "with a view to ascertaining what practical measures can be taken... in order to secure greater efficiency or economy".
The London Transport Executive had forcefully made the case for the wholesale introduction of one man operation, but the committee rejected this option.
The committee found that the Wheel Plan did not reflect the actual traffic patterns, and that it would cause unnecessary hardship and expense to passengers.
[5] One innovation that the committee did suggest was the provision of special services in peak hours where there were very heavy traffic flows such as to and from the mainline railway termini.
This met with little success, and in spite of the union recommending acceptance of the changes in exchange for a bonus scheme, it was rejected by the membership in 1959.
[5] On 1 January 1963, the London Transport Board replaced the executive, and entered negotiations with the unions to introduce a programme of service reforms.
[5] In November 1963, in an attempt to break the deadlock, the Minister of Labour, Joseph Godber, announced that Professor Henry Phelps Brown of the London School of Economics would head a commission of inquiry.
In making their report they were to pay "due regard to the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of London Transport's road services".
[5] The committee made an interim report on 12 December recommending new rates of pay, which was rapidly implemented, leading to the ending of the overtime ban.
The vehicles chosen were rear-engined 36 foot (11 m) long AEC Swifts, which London Transport christened Merlins.
Describing the plan as a "drastic recasting" of bus services, Holmes explained that the new system could not be brought in "overnight", but would take between 10 and 15 years to complete.
As there was insufficient time to design a bus specifically for London Transport, it was decided to standardise on the 36 foot (11 m) Merlin that had been used for the pioneer Red Arrow service.
[16] The buses for the satellite suburban services were fitted with automatic fare collecting equipment developed jointly by London Transport and Setright Registers.
[22] Enacted as the Transport Act 1968, the legislation provided that only vehicles registered after 1 August 1968 would qualify for the "New Bus Grant".
A flat fare network serving Peckham (P1–P2) was introduced, and a number of existing routes were converted to OMO, and altered or shortened.
Engineering works on the Blackwall Tunnel meant it was no longer accessible to double deckers, and Merlins were introduced as a consequence.
[20] On 30 November a flat fare network serving Ealing Broadway and Greenford (E1–E3) was introduced, while two north London routes (143 and 242) were converted to single deck OMO.
While the Red Arrow routes had proven a success, it was clear that the remaining service and vehicle alterations were extremely unpopular with the travelling public.
[16][25] Off-peak bus users (especially elderly passengers and those with children or shopping) on the suburban schemes also found the buses unsuitable due to the turnstiles.
[25][27] The complicated fare collection equipment chosen by the London Transport Board contrasted with the simpler systems successfully introduced by many bus operators outside the capital at the same time.
[25] 15 March saw more Autofare Merlins introduced to the country area garages: Crawley, Dorking, Gravesend, Harlow and Windsor all received small numbers of the vehicle.
[25] With currency decimalisation due in February 1971, it became necessary to replace the coin machines on the Red Arrow fleet as they only accepted sixpence pieces.
[29] By March 1969, it had become clear that the Merlin was unsuited to use in London, and orders were placed for shorter (33 foot (10 m) long) single deck buses.
[27] As the LTE took over the shorter Swift buses were in the course of delivery, with the first examples entering service on 24 January on routes 160 and 160A in the Eltham area replacing RT double-deckers.
[31] In 1972, following reliability problems with services converted to OMO and flat fare, the LTE initiated a survey to examine the desirability of continuing the conversion programme on busy central London routes.
[32] In the meantime the Merlins had started to display serious mechanical problems, with oil spillage onto the roads leading to complaints from local authorities and the Metropolitan Police.
[33] The next comprehensive plan for reforming London's bus services - "BusPlan 78" - was announced following the 1977 local elections, when the Conservative Party took control of the GLC.