London Buses route 81
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 81 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London
, United Kingdom
. The service is currently contracted to London United.
on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, until 8 May 1963 when it was withdrawn between Windsor and Slough at all times. In 1963 it was extended on Sundays further into London, to Shepherds Bush Green, via Isleworth, although this only lasted until August 1969.
On 18 April 1970, the route was converted from Routemaster
crew operation, to single decker one person operation (using SM class AEC Swift
s). From 1976 Leyland National
s took over.
There were three variations of route 81. These were the 81A which operated Mon-Fri peak hours from Hounslow to Langley; the 81B, a daily service from Hounslow to Heathrow Central; and the 81C, a short lived service between Slough and Heathrow Central.
The 1980s saw the introduction by London Regional Transport
of route tenders. The 81 was the first route to be put out to tender. The contract for the route was awarded to Len Wright Travel, which later became London Buslines, and passed to them from London Buses on 13 July 1985.
Tendering saw the route move from Hounslow Garage to Lampton (later Isleworth, then Southall) and revert back to double deck, using yellow DMS
class buses. These were replaced in 1987 by new Leyland Lynx
single-deckers. On 29 July 1995 the route was lost to Westlink and moved to Hounslow Heath Garage using DA
class single deckers.
Westlink was bought out by London United in 1999, and by 2000 the full allocation had moved back to Hounslow Garage, subsequently being converted to low floor operation. Contract renewal in July 2005 saw the route being retained by Transdev with Dennis Darts single deckers.
In April 2008 a Muslim bus driver on route 81 was reported to have stopped a bus at Langley to pray. London United stated that he was in fact on a 10-minute break having been told to terminate the bus in Langley owing to late running.
From October 2009 the route was converted to double deck operation.
The route has no dedicated night service, although night bus route N9 covers the section between Heathrow and Hounslow.
In late 2011 the contract was retained by London United and the bus route has been awarded with 13 new double deckers. These double deckers are suspected to be Scania Omnicity
. These changes are due to come in to effect late July 2012.
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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The service is currently contracted to London United.
History
Route 81 is a long standing route, reaching the furthest west out of London to Slough. The 81 once stretched even further west, terminating at Windsor CastleWindsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, until 8 May 1963 when it was withdrawn between Windsor and Slough at all times. In 1963 it was extended on Sundays further into London, to Shepherds Bush Green, via Isleworth, although this only lasted until August 1969.
On 18 April 1970, the route was converted from Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
crew operation, to single decker one person operation (using SM class AEC Swift
AEC Swift
The AEC Swift was a rear-engined single-deck bus chassis built by AEC between 1964 and 1974. The chassis design was closely related to the Leyland Panther...
s). From 1976 Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
s took over.
There were three variations of route 81. These were the 81A which operated Mon-Fri peak hours from Hounslow to Langley; the 81B, a daily service from Hounslow to Heathrow Central; and the 81C, a short lived service between Slough and Heathrow Central.
The 1980s saw the introduction by London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
of route tenders. The 81 was the first route to be put out to tender. The contract for the route was awarded to Len Wright Travel, which later became London Buslines, and passed to them from London Buses on 13 July 1985.
Tendering saw the route move from Hounslow Garage to Lampton (later Isleworth, then Southall) and revert back to double deck, using yellow DMS
Daimler Fleetline
The Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
class buses. These were replaced in 1987 by new Leyland Lynx
Leyland Lynx
The Leyland Lynx is a single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992. It was designed to replace the ageing Leyland National.Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986. From 1990 to 1992 the updated Lynx II version was produced...
single-deckers. On 29 July 1995 the route was lost to Westlink and moved to Hounslow Heath Garage using DA
Optare Delta
The Optare Delta is a single-decker bus body produced for the DAF SB220 chassis. They were built in a factory in Leeds. They are known for their distinctive sloping front window.-Production:...
class single deckers.
Westlink was bought out by London United in 1999, and by 2000 the full allocation had moved back to Hounslow Garage, subsequently being converted to low floor operation. Contract renewal in July 2005 saw the route being retained by Transdev with Dennis Darts single deckers.
In April 2008 a Muslim bus driver on route 81 was reported to have stopped a bus at Langley to pray. London United stated that he was in fact on a 10-minute break having been told to terminate the bus in Langley owing to late running.
From October 2009 the route was converted to double deck operation.
The route has no dedicated night service, although night bus route N9 covers the section between Heathrow and Hounslow.
In late 2011 the contract was retained by London United and the bus route has been awarded with 13 new double deckers. These double deckers are suspected to be Scania Omnicity
Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
. These changes are due to come in to effect late July 2012.
Current route
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