Transdev London
Encyclopedia
London United is one of many operators of London Buses
and is owned by the RATP Group, an international public transport
operator owned by the government of France
. The company's legal name is London United Busways Ltd.
London United operates 80 routes on contract to TfL and employs around 600 staff.
, an operator of tram
s and trolleybus
es in west and south west London absorbed by the London Passenger Transport Board
in 1933. The company adopted the former tram company's device, based on the coat of arms
of the City of London
, as its logo. Upon privatisation in 1994, it was purchased by a management buyout and renamed 'London United'.
In 1995, the company purchased Stanwell Buses Ltd (trading as 'Westlink') and took on its routes, vehicles and two garages - located in Hounslow Heath
, Middlesex
and Kingston upon Thames
.
. In 2003, Transdev purchased struggling bus operator London Sovereign
, part of the Blazefield Group
, and adapted London Sovereign's livery and vehicles to a similar style to that of London United. The buyout came with around a dozen routes operated on contract to Transport for London
(TfL) as well as two garages at Harrow
and Edgware
in Middlesex.
In April 2006, the company commenced a rebrand of all of its vehicles with the Transdev name and logo, effectively removing the London United and London Sovereign brands. This was completed in September the same year, although both companies continued to exist as legal entities.
, the majority owner of the Transdev group, started negotiations with Veolia Environnement to merge Transdev with Veolia Transport
. As part of the resulting agreement, made in May 2010, it was agreed that the RATP Group, which had a minority shareholding in Transdev, would take over ownership of some of Transdev's operations in lieu of cash payment. This had a considerable impact on Transdev's London bus operations, as it was agreed that London United would transfer to the RATP Group, whilst London Sovereign
would remain with Transdev and become part of the merged Veolia Transdev
group.
This agreement took effect in March 2011, and the London United brand is now being reintroduced as the principal branding on the company's buses, along with a much less prominent RATP Group branding. By contrast, London Sovereign's buses retain Transdev London branding.
, 131
, 216, 267
, 371, 24-hour routes 65
and 281
, and school routes, 671, 681, and 691.
Fulwell
garage also operate shuttle buses to and from Twickenham Stadium
on behalf of the RFU on event days.
(formerly Tellings Golden Miller), with the entrance in Stanley Road. The Abellio London side had been used by the Grundy company (manufacturers of metal school dinner trays), London Buses Sales Department (to sell off surplus London vehicles until privatisation in the late 1980s), and Kelly construction, before Tellings Golden Miller moved in. Fulwell was the first garage in London to receive trolleybuses, and together with Isleworth was the last to operate them some 31 years later. The last trams operated from the depot in 1935, although some of the tram tracks were, until recently, still visible in the cobbled surface of the Stanley Road entrance. The garage has never reached its capacity, even taking in much of the work from Twickenham (AB) when it closed in 1970, and in 2001 107 buses were allocated. In 1999 the garage housed 13 London Country buses after Arriva Croydon & N. Surrey shut its Leatherhead
garage. The buses on route 85 were operated from the forecourt with Arriva drivers. The large forecourt is at present partly used as the bus stand for route 267.
On 5 September 2011, route 110 was transferred to this garage from Hounslow (AV).
On 1 October 2011, Abellio London successfully gained the contract for route 290, and are now operating it from their Fulwell (TF) garage.
(late and early journeys), 27
(night service only on this 24-hour route), 81
, 111
, 120
, 203, 222, H32
, H37, H98, school routes 696, 697 and Night bus N9.
garage was opened by the London General Omnibus Company
in 1913 on the former site of the District Railway's Hounslow Town station
. The garage along with many others was requisitioned in the First World War. Hounslow was the subject of two firsts in 1925 and 1930 with the first pneumatic tyre buses and the original Dennis Dart allocated respectively. The garage had one problem though: the roof was too low and only open toppers and single deck vehicles could use the depot until the mid 1930s when the roof was raised. A London Transport survey in 1947 found that 92 vehicles were allocated to Hounslow, a garage with a capacity of 72. This was mainly achieved by parking buses on a plot of land behind the garage that was also used to stand vehicles terminating there on layover. The garage was rebuilt in the early 1950s and included a new bus station in front of the garage. The planned allocation was now up to 120 vehicles, although the allocation in 2002 was 127. Hounslow was one of the few garages in London not to operate DMS double deckers
: its first one-person-operated double deckers did not arrive until 1982, in the shape of the M class Metrobus
for routes 111 & 202. With the allocation still high, Hounslow runs a number of night services on behalf of other London United garages to enable it to fit the buses into the garage. It was also the first garage in London to operate a low-floor bus with the arrival of Dennis Lance SLF/Wright Pathfinder
LLW1 direct from the Coach & Bus show.
There were plans to relocate the garage away from the town centre, and allow the expansion of the adjoining bus station. In 2005 there was an unsuccessful planning application for a site in Hanworth Road. This was largely due to a campaign by residents overlooking the site.
In late 2007 the bus station in front of the garage was closed for rebuilding. The overall roof was removed and the eight bus bays demolished. In their place have been built just two stands for routes 120 and 281. The other seven routes that previously served the bus station now stand on the garage forecourt (the old bus station) but pick up passengers in the road outside. One exception was route 81, where buses ran out of service to and from the bus stand at Isleworth
Fire Station however this has since been discontinued and buses again turn around in the bus station.
, 423, 482, H22
, H91
, 24-hour route 285
, school routes 698.
, hence the garage code WK, and initially operated routes 116/117/203 which were all joint London/Surrey contracts. Stanwell Buses was taken over by London United in 1999 and recoded internally as HH. London Buses still use the code WK. The depot has also been extended over the former Travellers Coaches yard next door.
, 24-hour routes 72, 94
, 148, 220
, and Night bus N97.
, 27
(day time service only), 391
and 24-hour route 10
.
bus service between Heathrow Airport and the West London Air Terminal in Kensington
.
The original plan was to create a temporary home for the R (Riverside) buses and staff whilst that garage was re-built with a view to taking on the workload from Mortlake and Turnham Green which were to close. However this idea was changed and the garage took on the work from Turnham Green which closed and also inherited the garage code V. Following service reductions, Mortlake & Riverside closed in 1983, with some of their work moving to Stamford Brook.
Later that year Stamford Brook took on the A1 & A2 'Airbus' routes following the withdrawal of the existing British airways services from London - Heathrow Airport. These vehicles were transferred in 1994 to West Ramp (which became an outstation of V) leaving the garage with an allocation of MRL's, M's, L's and Darts.
The garage closed in 1996 and became a store for unlicensed vehicles for possible future use, and reopened in 1999 when it was reutilised to cater for increased demand in the area. In 2001 the allocation consisted entirely of Dennis Darts. When route 9 was converted from Routemaster
to one person operation, it was moved from Shepherds Bush to Stamford Brook, and double deckers reappeared at the garage.
Stamford Brook ceased to operate route 283 on 28 February 2009 when it was transferred to NCP Challenger, later known as NSL Buses. The 283 is now run from sister company Transdev London Sovereign's ex-NSL Park Royal garage (see below) following the acquisition of NSL Buses by Transdev in November 2009.
Route 10 was transferred to this garage from First London on 30 January 2010.
This garage holds 100 buses, and runs London bus routes 265, K1
, K2
, K3
, K4
, 24 hour route 57
and school bus routes 613 and 665, mobility bus route 965 also the seasonal K50 - see below.
.
Tolworth was originally planned in the late 1990s following the closure of Kingston Garage and the announcement that the site was to be part sold off and part converted into the new bus station. A recruitment centre was opened on Tolworth Broadway long before building work ever started.
The sale of the Kingston site was brought forward somewhat, and this appeared to catch out the operator as Tolworth Garage was not yet ready. Buses were temporarily parked in a car park in Kingston until the new 100 capacity bus garage finally opened in early 2002. In recent times the yard has been used to store Routemaster
s coming out of service.
On 3 September 2011, Quality Line successfully gained the contract of route 467 and they are operating it from their Epsom (EB) garage.
, Christmas park & ride service. Different vehicles have been used each year, depending on what is available at the time. The service runs daily from early November to mid January each year.
In 2004 this was operated by LLW-class Dennis Lances and in 2005 by single door Darts DP1 - 11.
In 2006 it was mainly operated by Dennis Dart SLF/Caetano (DN) on hire from Blue Triangle.
In 2007 DP's 2-11 returned to the route, with each one being named after one of Santa's Reindeer.
In 2008 DPS's recently displaced from the 285 were used.
Each year the buses have had vinyl adverts for the service applied to all lower panels. In 2004 they were green, turquoise in 2005 and blue in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
In 2009 the service is once again being operated by surplus Transdev DPSs, the contract has been renewed for another 5 years.
In 2010 (from 13/11/2010 to 14/01/2011), the service was operated by Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m (DP). Fleet number between DP80-DP98.
In 2011 (from 12/11/2011 to 13/01/2012), the service is operated by Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m (DPS) from (AV), (TV) & (FW)garages, DPS537, DPS538, DPS542, DPS541, DPS551, DPS580, DPS583, DPS582, DPS588 & DPS654 were in use on the first day of service.
and E11.
Garage in Atlas Road, Harlesden (HR), which had been closed in 2005.
The garage is actually located in a 3 places boundary, which are Park Royal
, North Acton
and Old Oak Common
.
The garage was taken over by Transdev London in November 2009.
Trading Estate, off Rugby Road. The garage holds approximately 45 buses, and runs London bus routes 33
, 419 and 493.
The garage was taken over by Transdev London in November 2009.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 493 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from their Waterside Way (PL) garage.
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
and is owned by the RATP Group, an international public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
operator owned by the government of France
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
. The company's legal name is London United Busways Ltd.
London United operates 80 routes on contract to TfL and employs around 600 staff.
Origins
London United Busways was set up as a subsidiary of London Buses in 1989. The company was a "reincarnation" of the former London United TramwaysLondon United Tramways
London United Tramways Company Limited was an operator of trams and trolleybuses in the western and southern suburbs of London, UK, from 1894 to 1933, when it passed to the London Passenger Transport Board.-Origins:...
, an operator of tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s and trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es in west and south west London absorbed by the London Passenger Transport Board
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
in 1933. The company adopted the former tram company's device, based on the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, as its logo. Upon privatisation in 1994, it was purchased by a management buyout and renamed 'London United'.
In 1995, the company purchased Stanwell Buses Ltd (trading as 'Westlink') and took on its routes, vehicles and two garages - located in Hounslow Heath
Hounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
.
The Transdev era
In 1997, the bus company was purchased by French transport group TransdevTransdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
. In 2003, Transdev purchased struggling bus operator London Sovereign
Transdev London Sovereign
London Sovereign is one of the many operators of London Buses, owned by Transdev. Since Transdev sold London United to RATP, it is Transdev's only remaining London bus company....
, part of the Blazefield Group
Blazefield Group
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus groups in England. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev.-History:...
, and adapted London Sovereign's livery and vehicles to a similar style to that of London United. The buyout came with around a dozen routes operated on contract to Transport for London
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...
(TfL) as well as two garages at Harrow
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
and Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
in Middlesex.
In April 2006, the company commenced a rebrand of all of its vehicles with the Transdev name and logo, effectively removing the London United and London Sovereign brands. This was completed in September the same year, although both companies continued to exist as legal entities.
Mergers and demergers
In 2009, the Caisse des dépôts et consignationsCaisse des dépôts et consignations
The Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations is a French financial organization created in 1816, and part of the government institutions under the control of the Parliament. Augustin De Romanet is the board chairman and chief executive...
, the majority owner of the Transdev group, started negotiations with Veolia Environnement to merge Transdev with Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
. As part of the resulting agreement, made in May 2010, it was agreed that the RATP Group, which had a minority shareholding in Transdev, would take over ownership of some of Transdev's operations in lieu of cash payment. This had a considerable impact on Transdev's London bus operations, as it was agreed that London United would transfer to the RATP Group, whilst London Sovereign
Transdev London Sovereign
London Sovereign is one of the many operators of London Buses, owned by Transdev. Since Transdev sold London United to RATP, it is Transdev's only remaining London bus company....
would remain with Transdev and become part of the merged Veolia Transdev
Veolia Transdev
Veolia Transdev is a French-based international public transport operator. It claims to be the world's leading such business. Its operations are spread across all the inhabited continents....
group.
This agreement took effect in March 2011, and the London United brand is now being reintroduced as the principal branding on the company's buses, along with a much less prominent RATP Group branding. By contrast, London Sovereign's buses retain Transdev London branding.
Garages
The company has eight bus garages.Fulwell (FW)
This garage holds 107 buses, and runs London bus routes 71, 110London Buses route 110
London Buses route 110 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 131
London Buses route 131
London Buses route 131 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:This route dates back to 1949....
, 216, 267
London Buses route 267
London Buses route 267 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 371, 24-hour routes 65
London Buses route 65
London Buses route 65 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
and 281
London Buses route 281
London Buses route 281 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, and school routes, 671, 681, and 691.
Fulwell
Fulwell
Fulwell is an affluent suburb of northern Sunderland. It borders Seaburn, Southwick, Monkwearmouth, and Roker. Fulwell is located near the district border between Sunderland and South Tyneside. Statistically, it is the most affluent of the City of Sunderland's 25 wards.Housing in the area is varied...
garage also operate shuttle buses to and from Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
on behalf of the RFU on event days.
History
When new, the 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) site was described as one of the finest plants in the country and was the main depot of London United Tramways with 20 covered tracks. The garage is nowadays divided into two sections, one used by London United, with the entrance in Wellington Road, and the other by Abellio London, who recently purchased Travel LondonTravel London
Travel London was a bus operator in London which was originally a subsidiary of the National Express Group. In May 2009 the company was sold to NedRailways, now called Abellio...
(formerly Tellings Golden Miller), with the entrance in Stanley Road. The Abellio London side had been used by the Grundy company (manufacturers of metal school dinner trays), London Buses Sales Department (to sell off surplus London vehicles until privatisation in the late 1980s), and Kelly construction, before Tellings Golden Miller moved in. Fulwell was the first garage in London to receive trolleybuses, and together with Isleworth was the last to operate them some 31 years later. The last trams operated from the depot in 1935, although some of the tram tracks were, until recently, still visible in the cobbled surface of the Stanley Road entrance. The garage has never reached its capacity, even taking in much of the work from Twickenham (AB) when it closed in 1970, and in 2001 107 buses were allocated. In 1999 the garage housed 13 London Country buses after Arriva Croydon & N. Surrey shut its Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
garage. The buses on route 85 were operated from the forecourt with Arriva drivers. The large forecourt is at present partly used as the bus stand for route 267.
On 5 September 2011, route 110 was transferred to this garage from Hounslow (AV).
On 1 October 2011, Abellio London successfully gained the contract for route 290, and are now operating it from their Fulwell (TF) garage.
Bus types in use
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200H Hybrid (HDE) for route 371.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 371.
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPS) for routes 110 and 216.
- Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
9.9m / Alexander ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
(TA) for routes 131, 281, 371, 671, 681 and 691. - Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
10.5m/ Alexander ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
(TLA) as a logical spare. - Scania OmniDekkaScania OmniDekkaThe Scania OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK...
10.6m (SLE) for routes 267. - Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe 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....
10.6m (SP) for routes 65, 71 and 267. - Volvo B7TLVolvo B7TLVolvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10m / Alexander ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
(VA) as a logical spare.
Hounslow (AV)
This garage holds 120 buses, and runs London bus routes 9London Buses route 9
London Buses route 9 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The regular service on route 9 is currently contracted to London United...
(late and early journeys), 27
London Buses route 27
London Buses route 27 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
(night service only on this 24-hour route), 81
London Buses route 81
London Buses route 81 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. 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...
, 111
London Buses route 111
London Buses route 111 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 120
London Buses route 120
London Buses route 120 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:London General introduced route 120 on 27 January 1926...
, 203, 222, H32
London Buses route H32
London Buses route H32 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:The H32 was formed from a section of the withdrawn route 232 on 24 April 1993....
, H37, H98, school routes 696, 697 and Night bus N9.
History
HounslowHounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
garage was opened by the London General Omnibus Company
London General Omnibus Company
The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.- Overview :...
in 1913 on the former site of the District Railway's Hounslow Town station
Hounslow Town tube station
Hounslow Town was a London Underground station in Hounslow in west London. The station was at the east end of Hounslow High Street at the junction with Kingsley Road...
. The garage along with many others was requisitioned in the First World War. Hounslow was the subject of two firsts in 1925 and 1930 with the first pneumatic tyre buses and the original Dennis Dart allocated respectively. The garage had one problem though: the roof was too low and only open toppers and single deck vehicles could use the depot until the mid 1930s when the roof was raised. A London Transport survey in 1947 found that 92 vehicles were allocated to Hounslow, a garage with a capacity of 72. This was mainly achieved by parking buses on a plot of land behind the garage that was also used to stand vehicles terminating there on layover. The garage was rebuilt in the early 1950s and included a new bus station in front of the garage. The planned allocation was now up to 120 vehicles, although the allocation in 2002 was 127. Hounslow was one of the few garages in London not to operate DMS double deckers
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...
: its first one-person-operated double deckers did not arrive until 1982, in the shape of the M class Metrobus
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
for routes 111 & 202. With the allocation still high, Hounslow runs a number of night services on behalf of other London United garages to enable it to fit the buses into the garage. It was also the first garage in London to operate a low-floor bus with the arrival of Dennis Lance SLF/Wright Pathfinder
Wright Pathfinder
The Wright Pathfinder, or Pathfinder 320, is a low-floor single-decker bus body built by Wright of Ballymena on Dennis Lance SLF and Scania N113CRL chassis. It was introduced in 1993....
LLW1 direct from the Coach & Bus show.
There were plans to relocate the garage away from the town centre, and allow the expansion of the adjoining bus station. In 2005 there was an unsuccessful planning application for a site in Hanworth Road. This was largely due to a campaign by residents overlooking the site.
In late 2007 the bus station in front of the garage was closed for rebuilding. The overall roof was removed and the eight bus bays demolished. In their place have been built just two stands for routes 120 and 281. The other seven routes that previously served the bus station now stand on the garage forecourt (the old bus station) but pick up passengers in the road outside. One exception was route 81, where buses ran out of service to and from the bus stand at Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
Fire Station however this has since been discontinued and buses again turn around in the bus station.
Bus types in use
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200DartAlexander Dennis Enviro200DartThe Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart is a midibus manufactured by Alexander Dennis for the British market as the successor of the Dart SLF chassis and Pointer body.-Design:...
10.8m (DLE) for route H98. - Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPS) for route 222.
- Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe 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....
10.6m (SP) for routes 111, 120, 697 and H32. - Mercedes-Benz O530 CitaroMercedes-Benz O530 CitaroThe Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
12m (MCL) for routes 203. - Optare TempoOptare TempoThe Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel.It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals....
12m (OT) for route H37. - Volvo B7TLVolvo B7TLVolvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10m / Alexander ALX400 (VA) for routes 27, 81, 222, 696 and N9. - Volvo B7TLVolvo B7TLVolvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10m / Plaxton PresidentPlaxton PresidentThe Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
(VP) for routes 27, 81, 120, 696 and N9.
Hounslow Heath (HH)
This garage holds 57 buses, and runs London bus routes 116London Buses route 116
London Buses route 116 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 423, 482, H22
London Buses route H22
London Buses route H22 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:Route H22 was introduced on 28th April 1990, as a replacement for the western end of route 202...
, H91
London Buses route H91
London Buses route H91 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 24-hour route 285
London Buses route 285
London Buses route 285 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, school routes 698.
History
Situated in Tamian Way, off Green Lane, Hounslow Heath was the original operating base of Stanwell Buses, a company set up by London Buses just prior to deregulation. They traded as WestlinkWestlink
Westlink or West-link could refer to:*Westlink M7, an urban freeway connecting the northern and southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.*Westlink, the A12 dual-carriageway through Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, hence the garage code WK, and initially operated routes 116/117/203 which were all joint London/Surrey contracts. Stanwell Buses was taken over by London United in 1999 and recoded internally as HH. London Buses still use the code WK. The depot has also been extended over the former Travellers Coaches yard next door.
Bus types in use
- Alexander Dennis Enviro400H Hybrid (ADH) for route H91.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 116, 285 and 698.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.8m (DLE) for route 423.
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPS) for routes 116 and H22.
- Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe 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....
(SP) for route 482, 698 and H91.
Shepherd's Bush (S)
This garage holds 111 buses, and runs London bus routes 49London Buses route 49
London Buses route 49 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:Route 49 is a long standing route, once running as far as Crystal Palace...
, 24-hour routes 72, 94
London Buses route 94
London Buses route 94 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 148, 220
London Buses route 220
London Buses route 220 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, and Night bus N97.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
10.5m / Alexander ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
(TLA) for routes 94 and 220. - Volvo B7TLVolvo B7TLVolvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10m / Alexander ALX400 (VA) for routes 220 and N97. - Alexander Dennis Enviro400H Hybrid (ADH) for route 94.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for route 72.
- Volvo B7TL 10m / East Lancs Myllennium VykingEast Lancs Myllennium VykingThe East Lancs Myllennium Vyking is a type of bus body built on the Volvo B7TL chassis by East Lancashire Coachbuilders.-History:The Myllennium Vyking superseded the East Lancs Vyking. The Vyking was also the East Lancs body for the Volvo B7TL, but in 2000, was given a facelift with East Lancs'...
(VE) for route 49. - Volvo B7TL 10m / Wright Eclipse GeminiWright Eclipse GeminiThe Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
(VR) as a logical spare. - Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe 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....
10.6m (SP) for routes 49 and 148.
Stamford Brook (V)
This garage holds 77 buses, and runs London bus routes 9London Buses route 9
London Buses route 9 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The regular service on route 9 is currently contracted to London United...
, 27
London Buses route 27
London Buses route 27 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
(day time service only), 391
London Buses route 391
London Buses route 391 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
and 24-hour route 10
London Buses route 10
London Buses route 10 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
.
History
Stamford Brook opened as a bus garage in 1980 after a 2-year project costing some £2 Million started in 1978. Originally built as Chiswick Tram depot, it had latterly been used to operate the British AirwaysBritish Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
bus service between Heathrow Airport and the West London Air Terminal in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.
The original plan was to create a temporary home for the R (Riverside) buses and staff whilst that garage was re-built with a view to taking on the workload from Mortlake and Turnham Green which were to close. However this idea was changed and the garage took on the work from Turnham Green which closed and also inherited the garage code V. Following service reductions, Mortlake & Riverside closed in 1983, with some of their work moving to Stamford Brook.
Later that year Stamford Brook took on the A1 & A2 'Airbus' routes following the withdrawal of the existing British airways services from London - Heathrow Airport. These vehicles were transferred in 1994 to West Ramp (which became an outstation of V) leaving the garage with an allocation of MRL's, M's, L's and Darts.
The garage closed in 1996 and became a store for unlicensed vehicles for possible future use, and reopened in 1999 when it was reutilised to cater for increased demand in the area. In 2001 the allocation consisted entirely of Dennis Darts. When route 9 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...
to one person operation, it was moved from Shepherds Bush to Stamford Brook, and double deckers reappeared at the garage.
Stamford Brook ceased to operate route 283 on 28 February 2009 when it was transferred to NCP Challenger, later known as NSL Buses. The 283 is now run from sister company Transdev London Sovereign's ex-NSL Park Royal garage (see below) following the acquisition of NSL Buses by Transdev in November 2009.
Route 10 was transferred to this garage from First London on 30 January 2010.
Bus types in use
- Scania OmniDekkaScania OmniDekkaThe Scania OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK...
10.6m (SLE) for route 27. - Volvo B7TLVolvo B7TLVolvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10.6m / East Lancs Myllennium Vyking (VLE) for routes 9 and 27. - Volvo B7TL 10m / Wright Eclipse GeminiWright Eclipse GeminiThe Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
(VR) as a logical spare. - Optare VersaOptare VersaThe Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....
10.4m (OV) for route 391. - Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe 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....
10.6m (SP) for route 10.
Tolworth (TV)
London Buses route K1
London Buses route K1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, K2
London Buses route K2
London Buses route K2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, K3
London Buses route K3
London Buses route K3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, K4
London Buses route K4
London Buses route K4 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
, 24 hour route 57
London Buses route 57
London Buses route 57 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
and school bus routes 613 and 665, mobility bus route 965 also the seasonal K50 - see below.
History
Tolworth is one of the newest London bus garages and is built on the site of a former coal yard behind Tolworth railway stationTolworth railway station
Tolworth railway station in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, is a station on the Chessington branch south west of London Waterloo...
.
Tolworth was originally planned in the late 1990s following the closure of Kingston Garage and the announcement that the site was to be part sold off and part converted into the new bus station. A recruitment centre was opened on Tolworth Broadway long before building work ever started.
The sale of the Kingston site was brought forward somewhat, and this appeared to catch out the operator as Tolworth Garage was not yet ready. Buses were temporarily parked in a car park in Kingston until the new 100 capacity bus garage finally opened in early 2002. In recent times the yard has been used to store 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...
s coming out of service.
On 3 September 2011, Quality Line successfully gained the contract of route 467 and they are operating it from their Epsom (EB) garage.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m/Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPK) for route K4.
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m/Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPS) for routes 265, 665, K2, K3 and K50.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 8.9m (SDE) for routes 965 and K1.
- Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
9.9m/Alexander ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
(TA) for routes 57 and 613.
Kingston Christmas Park & Ride K50
Transdev held a 5-year contract (2004–2008 incl.) to operate route K50, the Kingston - Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
, Christmas park & ride service. Different vehicles have been used each year, depending on what is available at the time. The service runs daily from early November to mid January each year.
In 2004 this was operated by LLW-class Dennis Lances and in 2005 by single door Darts DP1 - 11.
In 2006 it was mainly operated by Dennis Dart SLF/Caetano (DN) on hire from Blue Triangle.
In 2007 DP's 2-11 returned to the route, with each one being named after one of Santa's Reindeer.
In 2008 DPS's recently displaced from the 285 were used.
Each year the buses have had vinyl adverts for the service applied to all lower panels. In 2004 they were green, turquoise in 2005 and blue in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
In 2009 the service is once again being operated by surplus Transdev DPSs, the contract has been renewed for another 5 years.
In 2010 (from 13/11/2010 to 14/01/2011), the service was operated by Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m (DP). Fleet number between DP80-DP98.
In 2011 (from 12/11/2011 to 13/01/2012), the service is operated by Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m (DPS) from (AV), (TV) & (FW)garages, DPS537, DPS538, DPS542, DPS541, DPS551, DPS580, DPS583, DPS582, DPS588 & DPS654 were in use on the first day of service.
Park Royal (PK)
This garage can hold approximately 50 buses, and runs London bus routes 272, 283, 440, C1London Buses route C1
London Buses route C1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:The route has always been operated by minibuses since London Transport operation...
and E11.
History
Park Royal (PK) garage was opened by NCP-Challenger on 26 May 2007, on the site of the former MetrolineMetroline
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:...
Garage in Atlas Road, Harlesden (HR), which had been closed in 2005.
The garage is actually located in a 3 places boundary, which are Park Royal
Park Royal
Park Royal is an area in northwest London, UK. It is the largest industrial and business park in London, occupying about , and is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Partnership...
, North Acton
North Acton
North Acton is a place in West London, UK. It is part of Acton and on the edge of the industrial district of Park Royal. It is located in the London Borough of Ealing.-Commercial activity:...
and Old Oak Common
Old Oak Common
Old Oak Common is an area of London between Harlesden and Acton known for its railway depots, particularly Old Oak Common TMD. Further south lies an open area, Wormwood Scrubs Park, and Wormwood Scrubs prison...
.
The garage was taken over by Transdev London in November 2009.
Bus types in use
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 272, 440 and C1.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 8.9m (SDE) for route E11.
- Optare VersaOptare VersaThe Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....
10.4m (OV) for route 283
Twickenham (NC)
This garage is located on TwickenhamTwickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
Trading Estate, off Rugby Road. The garage holds approximately 45 buses, and runs London bus routes 33
London Buses route 33
London Buses route 33 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Transdev London.-History:...
, 419 and 493.
History
Their Twickenham Garage (NC) was NCP's first garage, opened on 12 November 2005, to operate routes 33 and 419, and later the 493.The garage was taken over by Transdev London in November 2009.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 493 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from their Waterside Way (PL) garage.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (DPS) for route 419.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 33 and 493.
External links
- http://www.londonutd.co.uk/
- http://transdev.club.officelive.com/default.aspx
- London Bus Routes Zenfolio