I was thinking a short break to Valletta might be enhanced by taking one of the 'bendy buses' that used to serve London.
Is it possible to ride one of these? Or alternatively, are there any bus routes in London that are still served by bendy buses? If not, then where would I have to go to ride one?
The buses that London sold to Malta are unfortunately, no longer in Malta.
All 80 Mercedes buses have been exported to Sudan after they caused congestion, caught fire and were generally disliked, it seems.
Indeed, the article notes, in addition to the fires:
In offering the buses for sale, Transport Malta had laid down that they cannot be returned to Malta’s roads, because of the congestion they caused.
None of the bendy buses operate any longer in London, however they were moved around the UK in addition to Malta:
Withdrawn buses have found their way to other parts of the UK. Some went to Arriva Midlands in Leicester and Arriva North West in Liverpool. Go-Ahead Group transferred some to their Brighton & Hove, Go North East, Southern Vectis and Wilts & Dorset operations. Some were sold to CT Plus, Bristol and McGill's Bus Services, Glasgow
And indeed, the Wiki article on their use in the UK shows that they're still operating in Cardiff, among other places.
There are no more bendy buses on Malta's roads, but they have NOT been exported to Sudan in the end... They are, in fact, rotting in a yard in San Gwann (next to the road to Naxxar). If you want to "experience" a bendy bus, you could come to Innsbruck, Austria. Here they are something totally normal :)
