Tom London & Surrey Bus Blog

Route 157 Observations

2016-12-04T15:02:00.001+00:00

Yesterday, it was the turn of route 157 to pass to Arriva London South. Route 157 runs between Morden and Crystal Palace via Croydon, and began in 1934 running between Morden and Wallington. In 1935, it was extended to Raynes Park. In 1959 it was extended to Crystal Palace, as a replacement for Trolleybus route 654. In 1970 it was curtailed to terminate at Morden, with the exception of some afternoon journeys. In 1973 the route was converted to one person operation. In 1988 the route was reallocated to Sutton fully, and the Thornton Heath and South Croydon allocations were withdrawn. In 1997, as part of the Sutton area retendering scheme, the route gained 14 brand new Volvo Olympains with Northern Counties bodywork, replacing older MCW Metrobuses. In December 2001, Connex won the contract to run the route. They ordered 16 new Dennis Tridents with ALX400 bodywork, and ran it from their Beddington Cross depot. In 2004 Connex sold the London bus operations to National Express, who rebranded it as Travel London. In 2006 Travel London retained the contract for the 157 for another 5 years, on the basis of the existing Tridents being refurbished. In 2009 National Express sold the Travel London operation to NedRailways, who shortly after acquiring the business rebranded as Abellio, which is known as a goddess of apple trees. The Travel London operation was rebranded Abellio London. In 2011 Abellio retained it with Volvo B7TLs with Wright Eclipse Gemini bodies formerly used on route 188. These have proved problematic on the route, which has resulted in older Tridents being used often. The 157 has long suffered from poor reliability, due to its low PVR, long length and the fact it serves several bottlenecks. It therefore, it wasn't particularly surprising to hear in May 2016 that Arriva had won the contract for it from December 2016, on the basis of existing Enviro 400s from route 133. The route will be run officially from Thornton Heath, with drivers, the entire Sunday allocation, and 2 of the 17 vehicles based there. The remaining 15 vehicles will be stationed at Norwood garage. Yesterday, there was the usual teething troubles, with bunching quite frequent, but no doubt things will soon get better. I wish Arriva every success over the next 5 years. I hope you enjoy reading this post.

South East Bus Festival

2016-04-03T22:05:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 2nd of April, the annual South East Bus Festival took place at Detling. The theme this year was 100 years of East Kent and two vehicles repainted in a commerative livery were present. A diverse mix of vehicles were present, and there was also heritage cars as well as the buses. It was an enjoyable event and I look forward to next years. I hope you enjoy reading this post.

Route 367 Observations

2016-03-20T15:02:00.004+00:00

On Saturday the 19th of March 2016, Route 367 transferred to Abellio London from Metrobus. Route 367 runs between Bromley North and West Croydon and has a PVR of 9. The route began in 1990 and ran between West Croydon and Beckenham Junction and was run by South London from their Streatham depot. In 1994 the contract was awarded to London & Country and the route was extended to Bromley North. The route used Mercedes 811D's from their Beddington Farm depot. In 1995 Beddington Farm became part of londonlinks so the route was run by them. In 1999 the operation was rebranded as Arriva London South. In October 2000, due to staff shortages Arriva subcontracted 7 vehicles to Blue Triangle of Rainham in Essex. This continued until March 2001 when Metrobus won the contract from their Orpington depot and used brand new MPD's on the route. In 2005 the route was rerouted between East Croydon and Shirley to replace withdrawn route 494 and transferred to Polhill depot whilst Orpington was being rebuilt. In 2006 the route was retained with new Darts with ELC Myllenium bodywork and the route transferred to the new Croydon depot in Beddington Lane. In 2008 the route once again was transferred back to Orpington and in 2011 was retained with existing vehicles. In 2014 the route transferred to Croydon to replace route 54/75 there which had been lost to Stagecoach Selkent. In July 2015 TfL awarded the new contract to Abellio London on the basis of new Euro6 single deckers beginning in March 2016. Abellio have decided to lease 10 brand new Enviro 200 MMC's with Lazzerini seats and Allison gearboxes and are rather nice vehicles to ride on. The route however is twisty and turny and takes a long time to get anywhere. The service yesterday did not seem great and I had just missed a 367 and had to wait for 45 mins for one, not good for a route that should run every 20 mins on a Saturday. I wish Abellio every success with the route and hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 229 Observations

2016-03-20T14:49:00.000+00:00

On Saturday the 23rd of January, Route 229 transferred from London Central to Arriva London North. The route runs between Thamesmead and Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup via Bexleyheath and has a PVR of 20. The route began in 1951 running between Wren Road in Sidcup and Sidcup bus Garage before being extended to Orpington later that year. In 1952 it was extended to Bexleyheath. In 1959 it was extended to Woolwich. In 1977 it was curtailed to Erith but extended to Farnborough at the other end. In 1982 it was cut back to Green Street Green. In 1986 the route was cut back to Sidcup Garage and in 1988 was again cut back to Foots Cray upon the closure of Sidcup Garage. In 1991 it was rerouted to Queen Marys Hospital. In 1994 it was extended to Thamesmead. In 2000 it was converted to low floor operation using Volvo B7TL's with Plaxton President bodywork coded as PVLs. In 2016 it was awarded to Arriva Kent Thameside with new vehicles, which are Euro 6 Enviro 400's which were originally meant to be coded in the Arriva Kent Thameside double decker series of 64** but due to a group restructuring which saw Dartford depot, which runs the route, transfer to Arriva London North, these vehicles were instead coded T301-331. These vehicles are Euro6 Enviro400's and are likely to be the last old style E400's for London. I wish Arriva London North every success with the route over the next 5 years. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 469 Observations

2016-02-21T14:12:00.002+00:00

On Saturday 23rd of January, Route 469 transferred from Stagecoach Selkent to Arriva London North. Route 469 runs between Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich and Erith and began in 1988 run by Bexleybus and ran largely to the same route, although continuing to Bexleyheath. This replaced a section of route 269 which was withdrawn. In 1991, Bexleybus lost its work and sold its only depot Bexleyheath (BX) to London Central who had won the 469. Therefore the 469 was ran by London Central. In 1999 the route received new Dennis Dart SLF's with Marshall Capital bodywork and was rerouted slightly between Plumstead and Abbey Wood. In 2009 the route passed to Selkent from their Plumstead (PD) depot and the route received new Optare Versas and was cut back to Erith from Bexleyheath. In 2013 it received Enviro 200s from Barking (BK), with the Versas heading the other way to centralise the Versa fleet within the Stagecoach London fleet. In July 2015 the route was awarded to Arriva on the basis of new buses, however this was changed to existing vehicles and the route now uses existing E200s displaced from route 499 and T31. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 159 Observations

2015-12-19T13:23:00.000+00:00

On the 12th of December 2015, route 159 transferred from Arriva to Abellio, and gained 34 New Routemasters, which are the first for Abellio. The route runs between began in 1934 and ran between South Croydon and Camden Town. Since then the route has been shortened several times and now runs between Marble Arch and Streatham. The route has also been run from several depots such as Streatham (AK), South Croydon (TC), Brixton (BN), Camberwell (Q), Old Kent Road (P), Clapham (CA), and Thornton Heath (TH). Of these depots, only BN, Q, TH and TC are still in use. The route also had a night service, N159, which began in 1999 replacing the N109 an was initially operated by London Central between between Coulsdon and Marble Arch from Q, until being diverted to New Addington in 2000. Arriva took over operation in 2001 and ran it from TH until 2006, when it was split between TC and TH. The route remained this way until 2010, when it was withdrawn, and replaced by a 24 hour 159 service, a N109 service between and a N64 service (now withdrawn). The route now runs from Battersea (QB) and driver changeovers will take place at Kennington. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 119, 246 and 358 Observations

2015-10-16T21:26:00.001+01:00

Recently, routes 119 and 358 were retained by Metrobus, with 246 being awarded to Metrobus from Stagecoach. Route 119 received brand new Volvo B5LH's with Gemini3 bodywork, the 358 received brand new Mercedes Citaro C2's and the 246 received cascade MAN 12.240's with MCV Evolution bodywork, cascaded from route 202 which also received Volvo Hybrids. Route 119 runs between Purley Way and Bromley via Croydon, route 246 runs between Westerham and Bromley via Biggin Hill, and route 358 runs between Orpington and Crystal Palace. Having ridden both batches of new vehicles, I have to say both are impressive, and of good quality. Route 119 has also received 2 ex demo Volvo B5TL's, BF63HDE and BF63HDG. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 326 Observations

2015-07-29T20:12:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 25th of July, Route 326 passed from Metroline to London Sovereign. Route 326 began in 1991 running between Brent Cross and New Barnet Station with Monday to Saturday shopping journeys and Sunday journeys extended to Potters Bar garage. In 1993, Sunday journeys between New Barnet Station and Potters Bar were withdrawn. In 1998, the route was withdrawn from Potters Bar and replaced by new route 383 but extended from New Barnet Station to Barnet, The Spires. The route also received low floor single deckers at that time. In 2008,the contract was renewed and the route received Enviro 200's. These lasted on the route until July 2015, when London Sovereign took over using Enviro 200's displaced by Gemini 3's on route 285.These vehicles have been refurbished with a repaint and new seat covers. I rode this route from Barnet to Brent Cross, and it is quite a nice route, going through some nice leafy suburbs and on a dual carriageway approaching Brent Cross. I wish London Sovereign luck running this route. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 135 Observations

2015-06-06T22:11:00.004+01:00

On the 23rd of May, Route 135 passed to Docklands Buses at Silvertown depot from Arriva London at Barking depot. The route, which runs between Old Street and Crossharbour, via Shoreditch, Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Westferry, Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, was introduced in 2008, to provide a direct link between the Isle of Dogs and the city of London, and was awarded to Arriva London using brand new Enviro 400's. Those vehicles, following the loss of the route, will transfer to Thornton Heath depot for use on route 198. The route is currently using 61 plate Enviro 400's, displaced from route 436 with hybrids, until the new Volvo B5LH's with Enviro 400 MMC bodywork, coded EMC1-16, are delivered. I have included a picture of these vehicles. The service seemed quite good when I used it, however as per usual, not all drivers had full Go Ahead uniform, and some were still wearing the Arriva uniform. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Tramlink CR4000 refurbishment

2015-06-01T21:26:00.002+01:00

Tramlink have recently put into service the first of 24 refurbished Bombardier CR4000s, 2553 which has been refurbished. The tram, which has seen new seat covers, a deep clean, removal of stop request buttons and displays, and a new external vinyl. I recently took a ride on this tram and was very impressed. The seats were comfortable, and the ride was smooth. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

New buses for Brighton and Hove

2015-05-28T20:40:00.003+01:00

Recently, Brighton and Hove have invested over £4.5 million in 24 new Wright Streetdecks for use on route 12, which runs between Brighton and Eastbourne, and is branded as the Coaster. These new vehicles are in a new green and blue livery, designed by Ray Stenning of Best Impressions, free wifi, audio-visual announcements, USB power sockets, Isrighausen high-backed Civic V3 seats, a 230 bhp Daimler OM934 Euro 6 engine and a 4 speed Voith DIWA gearbox. Having ridden on of these vehicles, I have to say they are nice vehicles, and are smooth and comfortable. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

New buses for Metrobus

2015-05-16T21:46:00.000+01:00

Metrobus have recently put in service some new Enviro 200's. These vehicles, which represent a £1 million investment, are built to a high specification including Isrighausen high-backed Civic V3 seating, free wifi, audio-visual announcements, a 180 horsepower 4.5 litre Cummins ISBE Euro 6 engine, and a 6 speed ZF AS-Tronic Lite automated manual gearbox. These vehicles also are painted in a new blue and yellow livery, designed by Ray Stenning of Best Impressions, with branding for routes 200 and 270, with 2 spare vehicles in a plain livery advertising mobile ticketing. These vehicles look very smart and I hope to see more vehicles in this new livery. I hope you enjoyed reading his post.

South East Bus Festival

2015-03-30T19:57:00.004+01:00

Saturday the 28th of March saw the annual South East Bus Festival take place, at the Kent County Showground in Detling in Kent. This was my first visit to this rally and I was very impressed. There was a wide variety of vehicles at the event, with a big emphasis on preserved Maidstone & District vehicles, and indeed this event originates from the centenary event of M&D hosted in 2011. There was around 120 vehicles at this event, including preserved former M&D 5928, former Metrobus 834, and a rare Nu-Venture Irisbus Agora-Line new to Norfolk Green for use on Coasthopper services. The event was hosted in conjunction with the Kent Heritage Transport Show, which saw vintage cars, vans and lorries also present. Also at the event was brand new Arriva Southern Counties Enviro 400 6479 present, new for route 101 to replace older 58 plate Enviro 400's at Gillingham depot. This vehicle had not entered service when the event was being hosted, so I was lucky to be able to see this vehicle before entering service. I enjoyed this event very much, and I look forward to visiting the event next time it is hosted on the 2nd of April 2016. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 212 Observations

2015-03-19T21:34:00.001+00:00

On the 7th of March, route 212 passed to Tower Transit after 5 years with CT Plus. The route was introduced in 1981 using Leyland Titans running between Chingford and Walthamstow Central. In 1982, the route was extended to Yardley Lane, however this was withdrawn in 1988 and the route resumed terminating at Chingford once again. As part of the break up of London Transport operating subsidiary London Forest in 1991, the route passed to Capital Citybus. The route also received new Leyland Olympians the same year. During the 90's, the route was extended to St James Street. In 1998, the route passed to First Capital as part of the sale of Capital Citybus to FirstGroup. In 2000, the route was converted to single deckers using Darts with Marshall Capital bodywork, however, within a few years the route had resumed double decker operation using Dennis Tridents with Plaxton President bodywork. In 2010, the route passed to CT Plus using Scania Omnicities from Ash Grove garage. In 2014, the route was awarded to Tower Transit, using new Gemini 3's with a Volvo B5LH chassis. The vehicles have been equipped with the pleasant green and grey Tower Transit interior and a high backed, leather padded Chapman Nova Urban drivers seat equipped with a seatbelt. The buses were very nice, and the drivers seem friendly, however, within around 10 mins of leaving St James Street, I'd already seen 8 212's, and it seems they were having some problems with keeping a even service, however I wish Tower Transit luck with the route over the next 5 years, and hope for a more even service. Thanks for reading this post

Route 444 Observation

2015-03-08T20:49:00.001+00:00

Route 444 was created in 1991 after routes 102 and 144 were withdrawn from serving the Chingford area. The 444, which runs across the Lea Valley between Chingford and Turnpike Lane via Edmonton, has been run by Arriva and predesscors since 1991, beginning with CountyBus at Edmonton using Darts. The route then transferred to the Leaside subsidiary, before being rebranded as Arriva London North in 1998. The route was run from Edmonton garage between 1991 and 2012, before being transferred to Lea Valley in 2012 due to the closure of Edmonton. The route lasted at Lea Valley until May 2014, when the land was complusiroly purchased by the National Grid, and transferred back to a reopened Edmonton garage. In June 2014, it was announced Arriva London had lost the contract for route 444 to Tower Transit. Shortly after this, Tower Transit announced plans to open a new depot at Picketts Lock in Enfield, however due to delays with that project, the route will be run from Lea Interchange until the new depot is ready. Yesterday, the route passed to Tower Transit along with route 212, and if I'm honest, it didn't seem to be going very well. Chingford Bus Station was chaotic with 6 buses (2 444's and 4 212's) all stuck at the bus station. However, the journey was good with an even service the other way. The new buses ordered, are 10.8 metre Wrightbus Streetlites, the first to be equipped with 5.1 litre Daimler engines, and are also equipped with Chapman Nova Urban high backed drivers seats with a seatbelt. They are very nice vehicles, and also carry Tower Transit's new green and grey interior. I wish Tower Transit every success with the route in the future, and I hope you enjoy reading this post.

Route 109 Observations

2015-02-01T21:37:00.002+00:00

On the 31st of January, route 109 transferred to Abellio London from Arriva London, after a period of 63 years, 9 months and 21 days with Arriva and its predecessors. The route began on the 8th of April 1951 and was a circular route starting at Purley, running via Croydon, Streatham, Brixton, Elephant, Westminster, Kennington, Brixton, Streatham, Norbury and Croydon finishing at Purley. The route began as a tram replacement route, and was operated using AEC Regent's with the familiar code of RT from Brixton and Thornton Heath garages. By 1957, the Sunday extension to Westminster was withdrawn and the route ran to Blackfriars, and the Brixton garage Sunday allocation withdrawn, but by 1958, this was reintroduced. Later in 1958, the route was revised with the weekday service running between Purley and Victoria Embankment, and the Sunday service running to Horse Guards Parade via Westminster Bridge. The Sunday service to Blackfriars was withdrawn. The Sunday Brixton allocation was again withdrawn. In January of 1964, RTL's were introduced on the Saturday service run from Brixton, but by April 1964, RTW buses began to take over the duties. In 1966, the Sunday service was withdrawn all day bar some early morning journeys ran from Thornton Heath garage. In April 1966, the 109 was back to a fully RT operation. In October 1970, a Sunday service, using SMS type buses from Thornton Heath was introduced, using the one person operation method. By 1974, the service was ran using DMS type buses. In 1975, DM type buses were introduced on Saturdays from Brixton garage. In 1976, the Monday to Friday service from Brixton garage was converted to Routemaster operation, with the Thornton Heath Monday to Saturday service also converting to Routemaster operation the same year. By March 1978 the weekday service was converted to DM type buses, with Saturday service also converting to DM type buses in August 1978. In October 1978 a all day Sunday service was introduced, with changes to the route due to the withdrawal of route 59. Purley and Victoria Embankment was served Monday to Saturday and on Sunday AM journeys, and South Croydon garage and Brixton Station were served all day Sunday. By 1981 the Brixton garage allocation was back to RMs, due to the D type buses being cascaded to other garages. By 1982, Thornton Heath and Brixton were both running the route with RM's, and some routing changes were initiated. Purley and Victoria Embankment via Westminster were served Monday to Saturday and on Sunday AM journeys, with South Croydon garage and Brixton Station again being served on Sunday's only. Blackfriars was served on weekdays and Elephant on Saturday's only. In 1985, the route was again revised with South Croydon garage being served Monday to Saturday, Victoria Embankment via Westminster or Blackfriars weekdays and the Elephant again served only on Saturday's. The 109 was also withdrawn between South Croydon garage and Purley. The Sunday service was again withdrawn, and replaced with a new route 59. By 1986, the route was withdrawn between Croydon Town Centre and South Croydon garage. In 1987, the 109 was withdrawn from serving the Victoria Embankment loop and was diverted via Trafalgar Square. The operation was converted to OPO using Metro Cammell Weymann Metrobuses form Brixton and Thornton Heath garage. By 1990 the Brixton allocation was withdrawn and transferred to Streatham garage. By 1991, the Thornton Heath allocation was withdrawn and the entire route was run from Streatham garage. In 1992, the route returned to Purley once again, and as Streatham garage closed, the route was run from Thornton Heath and South Croydon and at weekends by Brixton, Thornton Heath and South Croydon. By 1994, the Brixton and South Croydon allocations had both been withdrawn, with the route being run entirely from Thornton Heath. In 1995, the London Transport South London operating unit was sold to Cowie plc, now known as Arriva. In 1996, a weekday allocation was introduced from Brixton using Metrobuses, with the main allocation using Leyland Olympians. In 1998, the 109 was again withdrawn between Croydon and Purley and Brixton and Central London. In 1999, the Brixton allocation was again withdrawn. In 2003, the route received new DAF DB250 bodied ALX400 buses known as DLA's as part of a contract renewal. In 2010, route 109 was retained with the DLA's, but by late 2010, new Enviro 400's from routes 198 and 250 were common occurences. In March 2012, Arriva had a bad tender round, and lost routes 19 and 455. To improve effecincy, a restructuring took place of Arriva London South, with Beddington Farm garage closed, routes 264, 403, 405D and 627 moved to South Croydon, routes 410 and 450 moved to Thornton Heath, and route 50 moved to Brixton, along with the 109. This saw DW's and DLA's become common occurrences. In April 2014, a shock tender round saw Abellio London win the route on the basis of new double decker hybrid vehicles. It was soon announced this was to be Enviro 400 vehicles, of the new MMC type and would be run from Beddington Cross garage and be Abellio London's flagship route, as well as their biggest. The buses started to arrive in December 2014, and were used on other routes before starting duties on the 109. I have to say, the buses look the part, but some of the promises by Alexander Dennis have been delivered, including zero rattles. However, the ride is quite smooth, and fast. The buses are equipped to a specification including Lazzerini Practico seating, a BAE systems series hybrid drive system and a Chapman Nova Urban drivers seat. The operation did seem to be suffering from some teething issues, with buses running closely, and curtailments. A Volvo Gemini from route 157, 9021 was also out, and I have attached a picture of it at Streatham Common. I do apologize for the poor picture quality of this bus. However, I wish Abellio ever success for the next 5 years. Thank you for reading this post.

Route 407 Observations

2015-01-25T21:27:00.001+00:00

Recently route 407 has received brand new Enviro 200's as part of its contract renewal in November 2014. The route began in 1991 and ran between Caterham and Walling, run by South London from South Croydon garage using Leyland Olympians. In 1994, London's bus companies were privatised and South London was sold to Cowie plc and the operation was now known as Cowie South London. As well as this, the route was diverted at Wallington Green to serve Carshalton before terminating at Sutton. The route was also awarded to London & Country and the route was run using Optare Metroriders from the Croydon (CR) (later known as Beddington Farm) garage. London & Country was also rebranded as Londonlinks, and in 1997 Cowie plc was renamed Arriva plc and the operation was branded Arriva Croydon & North Surrey. The next change was in 1999, when Arriva London from Beddington Farm won the route using a batch of new ALX200's featuring Euro 2 engines and Lazzerini seats. By 2001, the route had been transferred back to South Croydon. The next change was in 2009, when Travel London won the route from their Beddington Cross garage. The route transferred to Beddington Cross on the 31st of October 2009 using new Enviro200's, being used as a launch route for the then new Abellio London operation, as National Express sold Travel London to reduce debts. In 2014, Abellio London retained the contract using more new Enviro 200's, this time equipped with a flywheel, which will soon be added, to improve fuel efficiency. The new contract was supposed to be awarded in February, however delays saw this award delayed til June. The new vehicles, were therefore going to be late inevitably, however during early January the new Enviro's for the 407, and the newly won route 201 started to arrive and enter service. I decided to go out on the 10th of January to ride these new buses. They are built to a specification including the new ZF automated manual gearbox, Lazzerini Practico seats, and Thermo King drivers air conditioning. The buses certainly look the part, but the ride is somewhat disappointing, with the new ZF gearbox so far proving to be unreliable, among Abellio's and Go Ahead's examples. The gearbox also seems to change from 1st to 2nd at around 5 mph, which slows the bus down significantly. However, the seats are rather comfortable and this makes up for the poor gearbox. Many thanks to the kind driver for allowing me to take pictures in the cab and I wish Abellio London every success for the new contract, building on the great service they have provided since 2009. Many thanks for reading this post.

Croydon goes Electric

2014-12-12T13:50:00.000+00:00

As part of Transport for London's plans for cleaner air across London, there is currently a trial of new electric buses across London. Some examples have been in service for one year now, including the BYDs with Go Ahead London and the Metrocities with London United have been in service for around six months. It was also announced that Arriva London South would be receiving two Optare Metrocity' electrics for use on route 312. This short 4 mile long route between South Croydon bus garage, where these vehicles are based and Norwood Junction station, is perfect for electric vehicles, due to the fact the route is short and terminates at the depot, where charging points have been installed. These vehicles arrived in early November, and have been sitting in the depot undergoing engineering familiarisation, due to the fact Arriva London does not currently operate any Optare vehicles and driver type training. However, on the 10th of December, the buses enetered service on route 312, and the following day, I decided to travel out and see the new vehicles. These vehicles have been ordered to a specification including Isringhausen Civic V2 and V3 seating and a Magtec P144 electric drive system. There is also reports that at the new contract of route 312 in 8 months time, electric buses will be used fully. I was impressed by the quiet and smooth ride and look forward to more of these vehicles. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route S4 Observations

2014-11-18T12:28:00.002+00:00

On the 15th of November 2014, Route S4 transferred to Abellio London from Quality Line after TfL awarded the new S4 contract to Abellio, beating other bidders. The route was won on the basis of new flywheel hybrid single deckers, known as flybrids, which use a flywheel to store energy, and whilst the bus is braking, energy returns to the system, powering on-board electric systems. Route S4 runs between Roundshaw and St Helier, via Wallington, Belmont, Sutton and Benhill. The route is 11 miles long and takes around 70 mins end to end. The route was run by Quality Line from 1997 to 2014, and used Plaxton Beaver 'bread-vans' from 1997 to 2002, until replaced by the low floor Optare Solo, which were used until the route passed to Abellio. On Saturday, the first day of operation on the S4 by Abellio, the route seemed to be well run, with friendly drivers, good reliability and nice vehicles. Abellio decided to use new Enviro 200's on this route, which have been built to specification including 25 Lazzerini Practico seats, a 4.5 litre Cummins IsBe 180 horsepower Euro 6 engine, and a 6 speed ZF AS Lite automated manual gearbox, which improves fuel efficiency. I wish Abellio every success with the route and hope that the next five years is successful. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Edinburgh Observations

2014-10-12T15:04:00.004+01:00

In August 2014, I visited Edinburgh and Queensferry on holiday. Whilst I was there, I got pictures of the bus scene in the area, and the recently opened Tram network. Edinburgh has a very competitive bus network, with Scotland native First and Stagecoach having a reasonable amount of work, and council owned Lothian running several routes. There is also a large network of Intercity coach service provided by Citylink, a joint venture between Comfort Delgro and Stagecoach which runs services to Aberdeen, Inverness and Glasgow in completion with First Scotrail (soon to be Abellio ScotRail). I hope you enjoy reading this post.

Route 286 Observations

2014-07-13T11:08:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, London Central took over operation of Route 286, from Arriva, who lost the route to London Central in October 2013. New buses have been ordered for the route, and they are new 10.8 metre Enviro 200's. These also carry the new 180 horsepower Euro 6 Cummins engine, with a six-speed Allison 2100 gearbox. Route 286 originates from Route 108A, which ran from the roundabout at Well Hall, over the Thames to Poplar, however the current route did not come to its current route until 1986. Intially double deckers were used, however, new Optare Star Riders were introduced from New Cross garage. In 1992, Transcity Coaches was awarded the route, one of many coach operators to go into TfL bus work, and new Dart's were purchased for the route, however, in 1993, Kentish Bus purchased Transcity, and the vehicles were repainted in the cream and maroon livery of Kentish Bus, who ran the route from their Dartford base, however, in 1995, the original Dart's were sold to Metrobus, and Northern Counties bodied Dart's took over, until 1998, when new, low-floor, Dart's were introduced. These were painted in Arriva's smart aquamarine livery, until the painted red in the early 2000's. These buses were replaced in 2007, by brand new Euro 4, 10.7m Enviro 200's, and the Dart's, were displaced to route 370, and 477, where they replaced newer Dart's that did not have appropriate exhaust traps for TfL's Low Emission Zone. In October 2013, London Central won Route 286 from Arriva, beating competiton from the incumbent operator, and Stagecoach. Brand new Enviro 200's were ordered for the route, and yesterday, London Central put to work the new 14 strong fleet of Enviro 200's on route 286, however, it wasn't entirely smooth, for example SE206 broke down at Blackheath, Royal Standard. I hope you enjoyed reading this post!

Metroline Potters Bar Garage Open Day/Sullivan Buses South Mimms Garage Open Day

2014-07-08T20:40:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 5th of July 2014, Metroline hosted their annual open day in connection with TfL's Year of the Bus event. However, Dean Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Buses, decided to run a circular tour from the garage to this South Mimms garage, via the North Mymms maintenance base. This tour was run using DEL1. In addition, enthusiasts were allowed to walk around the yard to take pictures. At PB, serveral buses were on display, many of which I got pictures of. Potters Bar garage currently runs route's 82, 84, 217, 234, 242, 263, 383, 384, W8, W9, 634 and a part allocation of route N91. From November, the garage will take on Route 34. TE's will be allocated to this route on a interim basis, however, along with route 125 which has been gained from January, brand new Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 3 buses will be introduced. Also present at the event, was refurbished DEL853, in Metroline's new Hertfordshire livery, as well as refurbished TE911, and DES800. Overall I enjoyed the event, there was decent buses on stand and all in a good layout. I hope you enjoyed reading this post!

Regent Street Bus Rally

2014-06-28T21:48:00.001+01:00

Late in 2013, it was announced by TfL that 2014 would be Year of the Bus, with events celebrating the history of London's buses. One of the highlights of these events was a bus rally in Regent Street. I was quite surprised at this happening, however I think it was a very good idea! The rally included 50 buses, all have worked in London at some point. The Orpington Roundabout Optare City Pacer sadly didn't turn up however there were plenty of other good buses there. Also present was London United's new Optare Metrocity electric, which has part leather seats. London Central's WHV1 has also been fitted with a seat availability screen at the bottom of the staircase, showing which seats available. Tower Transit's WSH62994 has also been fitted with a GPS device, showing the location of the bus on a screen. All in all, there was some very good buses there, and I hope TfL do a similar event soon. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 54 Observations

2014-05-08T21:44:00.001+01:00

Route 54 started in the 1940's?, and provided a service between Selsdon and Plumstead, using RT's from Catford garage. In 1952, a Sunday allocation at Elmers End was introduced. In 1959 the Sunday service ceased to serve Plumstead. In 1961, the Elmers End Sunday allocation was withdrawn, and Catford garage ran the entire service. In 1963, the entire service ceased to serve Plumstead Common all other days of the week, and terminated at Woolwich. In 1965 weekday peak hour journeys were introduced between Riddlesdown and Woolwich Industrial Estate. In 1972 a Elmers End allocation was reintroduced and Catford ceased to run the service on a Sunday. In 1973, the route ceased to serve Selsdon and Woolwich Industrial Estate, and simply ran Woolwich to Croydon. The Sunday service also started to be run by RM's. Later that year, the Sunday service was converted to One Person Operation. In 1978 the full service was converted to One Person Operation. In 1985, during Saturday shopping hours, some Saturday daytime journeys were extended to serve the Asda superstore at Charlton, however these ceased just a year later. In 1988, a Sunday Plumstead allocation was introduced, and used Leyland Olympians. Some Sunday journeys were also extended from Woolwich to Plumstead garage. In 1991, the Sunday allocation was transferred back to Catford garage, and used single deckers. Later that year, a part allocation was also given to Plumstead garage. In 1993, the entire service was transferred to Plumstead garage. In 1996, the Sunday service reverted to double deckers. In 1997, Volvo Olympians, were introduced. In 1999 the service and its buses transferred to Catford garage. In 2000, route 54 ceased to serve Croydon, due to the new Tramlink system. In 2001, a Plumstead allocation was reintroduced, running the full service on a Saturday, and a joint service on weekdays and Sunday's. In 2002, the route received brand new ALX400 Trident's, and in 2003, the Plumstead allocation was removed. IN 2006, Stagecoach sold their London operations to Australian investment bank Macquarie, for £264 million pounds. This saw the route run by East London bus group, with South London business branded Selkent. In 2009, Selkent lost Route 54 to Metrobus, who ordered Scania/Optare Olympuses, running the route from Green Street Green depot. These arrived late, and for a few months Selkent Trident's were hired. In 2012, due to the loss of Route's T33 and X26 at Croydon depot, Route 54 was transferred there. In 2014, Metrobus lost Route 54 to Stagecoach, who purchased Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 3 buses for the route, however, these were transferred to Plumstead instead. The 54 ended up using Enviro 400 hybrids, running from Catford garage. The Scania Olympuses the ran the route for 5 years, will be transferred to Go Ahead London, one will go to Belvedere, two to Bexleyheath and the remain vehicles will be transferred to Blue Triangle at Rainham for route 498 and school routes. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Route 75 Observations

2014-04-27T11:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Route 75 retruned back home to Stagecoach Selkent from Catford garage, after 5 years at Metrobus with Scania bodied Optare Olympus'. Route 75 started in 1934 running between Woolwich and Caterham, but by 1950 was shortened run between west Croydon and Woolwich. In 1960, the weekday service was extended to South Croydon bus garage, and the PVR was increased to 29 RT's Monday to Friday. In 1962, the Sunday service ceased to serve Charlton and Woolwich, serving Blackheath to West Croydon only. In 1969, the sunday service ceased to serve Selhurst and Croydon, with the exception of some morning journeys, but by February 1977, the Sunday service once again served Croydon. The route was also converted to one person operation that month. In 1985, the Sunday service had a allocation at Elmers End garage reintroduced, but just a year later, the Sunday service went back to South Croydon garage as Elmers End garage was closed. In 1988 South Croydon garage introduced new Olympians onto the 75, however, by 1989, the Sunday service was transferred to Catford garage. In 1991, the 75 ceased to serve Charlton and Woolwich all days of the week, and the route simply ran Blackheath to Croydon. Later that year, some Saturday journeys were extended to serve Surrey Quays shopping complex, however this extension ceased to run beyond 1994. In 1993, the Sunday service was converted to single deck operation, in 1994, the Monday to Saturday service also was single deck operated. In 1995, Selkent converted the route back to double deck operation once again. In 1997, Stagecoach Selkent introduced brand new Volvo Olympian's on the 75. In 2002, the route was extended from West Croydon bus station, to Fairfield Halls, new ALX400 Trident's were also introduced around the same time. In 2004, the night service was withdrawn. In 2006 Australian investment bank Macquarie purchased Stagecoach' London operation, rebranding the operations as Selkent and East London respectively. In April 2009, Selkent lost the route to Metrobus, however late delivery of the state of the art Scania bodied Optare Olympus' saw the Tridents linger on until July 2009, when the buses had been delivered and accepted into service. In August 2013, Route 75 was lost to Stagecoach Selkent once again, on the basis of brand new hybrid double deckers from Catford garage. A order for 32 Volvo B5LH/ Wight Gemini 3's was placed, a first for Stagecoach, however these were reallocated to Plumstead garage, and the 75 gained Enviro 400 hybrids. Today the change happened and there were many curtailments, West Croydon being the most common. I will miss Metrobus operating the route, hwoever I hope Stagecoach run the route well. Many thanks to the kind driver for letting me take pictures of the cab and interior. Thanks for reading!