The 72

Jenny O'Mara

June 8th, 2026 4:41 min read 1289 words

You were reliable in the mornings.

I would walk over the bridge to catch you at nine, or nine-thirty, and there would be multiple buses all lined up waiting for me. I was never running late and neither were you. We were a match made.

It would be quiet at first, and then through Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush the people piled on. My spare empty seat often being filled. People were kind, not very friendly, but still considerate, I was offered a tissue on the 72 once.

The ride home was slightly different.

I would stand at White City Bus station for an age before you showed up, I’d see so many pass going the other direction but you were never going the way I needed you to.

The screen would say five minutes for fifteen, Citymapper, my frenemy of sorts, would say either nothing or that you were twenty minutes away. I could never get real answers.

And then you’d appear, bright lights out of the concrete gloom, my knight in shining red armour.

And then you changed.

You stopped riding down Wood Lane. You started diverting to Shepherd’s Bush Market and around the residential part of White City. You turned into slow moving traffic and it made me reflect. Were you still convenient for me? Were you still what I needed?

That’s when I met the 220.

Hello the 220. Double-decker daydream.

I’ve known about you for a while, but I don’t think I ever gave you the respect you deserved. That one January day you appeared for me. In the darkest, wettest, coldest hour you gave me a lift to Hammersmith Library, and it meant a lot to me.
I’m sorry to say you will never be as perfect as the 72 was, your lift isn’t quite door-to-door, but your frequency and effort mean a lot.
The cracks were always there between us.

I always secretly had an issue with how your day service stopped at Hammersmith Bridge but your night service took me straight to my door. Why the change? You could just keep the night service route permanently and deliver me home like a taxi. And not only that, why does your night service only start at 00.25. That’s not when night starts?