London Buses route 134
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 134 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline
.
and Potters Bar Garage
via Trafalgar Square, Camden Town
, Archway, East Finchley
, North Finchley, Whetstone
, Barnet
and Hadley Highstone.
A small extension at Potters Bar was introduced as from 7 October 1937 when the route was extended daily from the LT Garage via Great North Road and Church Road to Potters Bar (The Avenue)
. Less than three months later, on 5 January 1938 a more important change occurred, when the 134 swapped its intermediate routing between Highgate and Whetstone with its supplementary and 'sister route' 135 - most probably to provide the Muswell Hill area with an improved service. The 134 now ran daily between Victoria (Coach Station)
, Westminster
, Trafalgar Square, Camden Town, Archway, Muswell Hill
, Friern Barnet
, Whetstone, Barnet, Hadley Highstone, Potters Bar (The Avenue)
.
As a wartime economy, the 134 was withdrawn evenings between Friern Barnet and Potters Bar as from 15 November 1939. This curtailment was partially re-instated as from the 3 January 1940, when the route was reinstated evenings between Friern Barnet and Hadley Highstone.
Yet another wartime economy was introduced as from 15 May 1940. The supplementary route 135 was withdrawn completely, the 134 was diverted at Victoria as a partial replacement, away from the Coach Station, to run to Pimlico (Dolphin Square)
. The evening service to Potters Bar was also restored at this time.
An emergency express service between Muswell Hill and Victoria was introduced from 7 November 1940. This was operated by 'provincial buses' drafted into London to help out during the difficult days of the Blitz
. It worked throughout the winter months and was withdrawn on 19 March 1941.
The introduction of the winter timetable on 29 October 1941, saw the evening service on the 134 between Victoria and Pimlico withdrawn. This remained until 1946 and the route now running as follows:
The 134 was a very stable operation and nine years were to go by until the next change, albeit very minor, occurred. As from 12 October 1955 it was extended from Potters Bar (The Avenue) to Potters Bar Station
. Three years later in the aftermath of the Bus Crews Strike of 1958, the 134 was again altered slightly as from 26 November 1958, making the service patterns much more complicated. The service past Victoria to Pimlico now only operated on Monday to Friday at peak times, Saturdays and Sundays. The Sunday service on the 134 was cut back to Potters Bar Garage, but was supplemented by a new 134A which operated between Victoria Station and Barnet via the 134 and then to Barnet (Chesterfield Road) to replace route 34
over this section on that day.
The routes had remained unchanged for nearly eleven years, but as from 23 August 1969 in a rationalisation programme, the 134A was withdrawn. Concurrently the 134 was also revised, with the Sunday service to Pimlico being withdrawn. Three months later on 25 October 1969, the Saturday service to Pimlico was also withdrawn, leaving only a Monday to Friday peak hour service past Victoria to Pimlico.
On 1 January 1970 the Greater London Council (GLC)
took over responsibility for the operation and running of London Transport. As from 24 January 1970, a number of bus routes were re-organised to take into account the changes in travelling patterns brought about by the opening of the Victoria Line
to Victoria in March 1969. As well as cutting out duplication of services, they were intended to 'encourage' passengers to transfer to the underground. The 134 was cut back at this time to terminate at Warren Street Station
, where the terminus stand space had been made free by the withdrawal of route 127. Over a period of just six months, the 134 had been completely removed from operating in Central London.
By 1975, it was generally considered that the 134 had been too severely cut back in 1970. Removing it as it did, from the major traffic objective of Oxford Street
. As from 14 June of that year, it was extended daily southwards to Tottenham Court Road Station
which has been its southern terminal ever since. On 23 April 1983, the 134 was cut back to Barnet Church and replaced over the section to Potters Bar by route 263
. This was the first section of the 134 to be converted to one-person operation and had been made necessary by the need for cost cutting outside the GLC area (in this case, within Hertfordshire
). Three years later, the 134 itself was converted to one person operation as from 21 June 1986.
The 134 was further cut back to terminate at Friern Barnet (Town Hall)
as from 7 October 1989. It was replaced over the section to Barnet Church by new route 234. A year later, as from 21 July 1990, the closure of Muswell Hill Garage and the change of the route's operating garage to Finchley meant an extension on Mondays to Saturdays to North Finchley was introduced. The Sunday service also extended there as from 1 February 1998.
The route currently operates Dennis Tridents and Volvo B7Tls which replaced MCW Metrobuses in 2003.
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline
Metroline
Metroline, owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation of Singapore, is one of many companies operating bus services in London under the management of London Buses.-Company history:...
.
History
Today's route 134 commenced operation on 3 October 1934 and was in fact a re-numbering of routes 284 & 284A. It ran as a daily service between Victoria (Coach Station)Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
and Potters Bar Garage
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
via Trafalgar Square, Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, Archway, East Finchley
East Finchley
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, in north London, and situated north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.- History :The land on which...
, North Finchley, Whetstone
Whetstone, London
-Buses:* 34 - Barnet Church to Walthamstow Central bus/tube/railway station* 125 - Winchmore Hill to Finchley Central* 234 - Barnet to Highgate Wood * 251 - Edgware bus/tube station to Arnos Grove tube station...
, Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
and Hadley Highstone.
A small extension at Potters Bar was introduced as from 7 October 1937 when the route was extended daily from the LT Garage via Great North Road and Church Road to Potters Bar (The Avenue)
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
. Less than three months later, on 5 January 1938 a more important change occurred, when the 134 swapped its intermediate routing between Highgate and Whetstone with its supplementary and 'sister route' 135 - most probably to provide the Muswell Hill area with an improved service. The 134 now ran daily between Victoria (Coach Station)
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, Trafalgar Square, Camden Town, Archway, Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
, Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
, Whetstone, Barnet, Hadley Highstone, Potters Bar (The Avenue)
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
.
As a wartime economy, the 134 was withdrawn evenings between Friern Barnet and Potters Bar as from 15 November 1939. This curtailment was partially re-instated as from the 3 January 1940, when the route was reinstated evenings between Friern Barnet and Hadley Highstone.
Yet another wartime economy was introduced as from 15 May 1940. The supplementary route 135 was withdrawn completely, the 134 was diverted at Victoria as a partial replacement, away from the Coach Station, to run to Pimlico (Dolphin Square)
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
. The evening service to Potters Bar was also restored at this time.
An emergency express service between Muswell Hill and Victoria was introduced from 7 November 1940. This was operated by 'provincial buses' drafted into London to help out during the difficult days of the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. It worked throughout the winter months and was withdrawn on 19 March 1941.
The introduction of the winter timetable on 29 October 1941, saw the evening service on the 134 between Victoria and Pimlico withdrawn. This remained until 1946 and the route now running as follows:
- Route 134 Potters Bar (The Avenue) - Victoria (Daily) extended (evenings excepted) to Pimlico (Dolphin Square).
The 134 was a very stable operation and nine years were to go by until the next change, albeit very minor, occurred. As from 12 October 1955 it was extended from Potters Bar (The Avenue) to Potters Bar Station
Potters Bar railway station
Potters Bar railway station serves the town of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, England. It is located on the Great Northern Line between London Kings Cross and on the East Coast Main Line....
. Three years later in the aftermath of the Bus Crews Strike of 1958, the 134 was again altered slightly as from 26 November 1958, making the service patterns much more complicated. The service past Victoria to Pimlico now only operated on Monday to Friday at peak times, Saturdays and Sundays. The Sunday service on the 134 was cut back to Potters Bar Garage, but was supplemented by a new 134A which operated between Victoria Station and Barnet via the 134 and then to Barnet (Chesterfield Road) to replace route 34
London Buses route 34
London Buses route 34 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
over this section on that day.
- Route 134 Pimlico (Monday to Friday Peaks, Saturdays and Sundays) - Potters Bar Garage (Sundays) extended (Monday to Saturday) to Potters Bar Station.
- Route 134A Victoria Station - Barnet (Chesterfield Road) (Sundays).
The routes had remained unchanged for nearly eleven years, but as from 23 August 1969 in a rationalisation programme, the 134A was withdrawn. Concurrently the 134 was also revised, with the Sunday service to Pimlico being withdrawn. Three months later on 25 October 1969, the Saturday service to Pimlico was also withdrawn, leaving only a Monday to Friday peak hour service past Victoria to Pimlico.
On 1 January 1970 the Greater London Council (GLC)
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
took over responsibility for the operation and running of London Transport. As from 24 January 1970, a number of bus routes were re-organised to take into account the changes in travelling patterns brought about by the opening of the Victoria Line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
to Victoria in March 1969. As well as cutting out duplication of services, they were intended to 'encourage' passengers to transfer to the underground. The 134 was cut back at this time to terminate at Warren Street Station
Warren Street tube station
Warren Street tube station is a London Underground station, located at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. It is on the branch of the Northern Line, between and , and the Victoria Line between and Euston. It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and is the nearest tube station to...
, where the terminus stand space had been made free by the withdrawal of route 127. Over a period of just six months, the 134 had been completely removed from operating in Central London.
By 1975, it was generally considered that the 134 had been too severely cut back in 1970. Removing it as it did, from the major traffic objective of Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
. As from 14 June of that year, it was extended daily southwards to Tottenham Court Road Station
Tottenham Court Road tube station
Tottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
which has been its southern terminal ever since. On 23 April 1983, the 134 was cut back to Barnet Church and replaced over the section to Potters Bar by route 263
London Buses route 263
London Buses route 263 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
. This was the first section of the 134 to be converted to one-person operation and had been made necessary by the need for cost cutting outside the GLC area (in this case, within Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
). Three years later, the 134 itself was converted to one person operation as from 21 June 1986.
The 134 was further cut back to terminate at Friern Barnet (Town Hall)
Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
as from 7 October 1989. It was replaced over the section to Barnet Church by new route 234. A year later, as from 21 July 1990, the closure of Muswell Hill Garage and the change of the route's operating garage to Finchley meant an extension on Mondays to Saturdays to North Finchley was introduced. The Sunday service also extended there as from 1 February 1998.
The route currently operates Dennis Tridents and Volvo B7Tls which replaced MCW Metrobuses in 2003.
Current route
- North Finchley Bus Station
- High Road
- Woodhouse Road
- Friern BarnetFriern BarnetFriern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
- Colney Hatch Lane
- Muswell Hill Broadway
- Muswell Hill Road
- Highgate StationHighgate tube stationHighgate tube station is a London Underground station on Archway Road, Highgate, not far from Highgate Village in north London. It is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Archway and East Finchley, in Travelcard Zone 3....
- Archway Road
- Archway StationArchway tube stationArchway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
- Junction Road
- Tufnell Park StationTufnell Park tube stationTufnell Park tube station is a London Underground station in Islington close to its boundary with Camden . It is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Archway and Kentish Town, and in Travelcard Zone 2. It has distinctive Edwardian red tiling and has two lifts between the street...
- Kentish Town StationKentish Town stationKentish Town station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Kentish Town in the London Borough of Camden. It is at the junction of Kentish Town Road and Leighton Road...
- Kentish Town Road
- Camden Street
- Camden Road
- Camden Town StationCamden Town tube stationCamden Town tube station is a major junction on the Northern Line and one of the busiest stations on the London Underground network...
- Bayham Street
- Crowndale Road
- Mornington Crescent StationMornington Crescent tube stationMornington Crescent is a London Underground station in Camden Town in north west London, named after the nearby street. The station is on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line, between and...
- Hampstead Road
- Slip Road
- Warren Street StationWarren Street tube stationWarren Street tube station is a London Underground station, located at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. It is on the branch of the Northern Line, between and , and the Victoria Line between and Euston. It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and is the nearest tube station to...
for Euston Square StationEuston Square tube stationEuston Square is a London Underground station at the corner of Euston Road and Gower Street, just north of University College London and within walking distance of Euston railway station. It is between Great Portland Street and King's Cross St. Pancras on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and... - Gower Street
- Bloomsbury Street
- Shaftesbury Avenue
- St Giles High Street
- Tottenham Court Road StationTottenham Court Road tube stationTottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
St Giles High Street
Previous route 134s in London
The route number 134 had been used once prior to its current use.- From 1 December 1924 - 2 October 1934 for a Liverpool StreetLiverpool Street stationLiverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
Addiscombe AddiscombeAddiscombe is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south of Charing Cross.It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy...
service 134