London Buses route 1

Summary

London Buses route 1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Canada Water bus station and Hampstead Heath, it is operated by London Central.

1
Overview
OperatorLondon Central
GarageCamberwell
Night-timeN1
Route
StartCanada Water bus station
ViaSurrey Quays
South Bermondsey
Bricklayers Arms
Elephant and Castle
Waterloo
Aldwych
Holborn
Russell Square
Euston
Mornington Crescent
Camden Town
EndHampstead Heath
Service
LevelDaily

History edit

 
An AEC Routemaster double-decker, operating on route 1 on the Strand, 1981
 
A Volvo B7TL double-decker operated by East Thames Buses on route 1 at Waterloo, 2007

Route 1 was one of the first motorbus routes to be introduced in London. It was in operation by November 1908. By the time the London Passenger Transport Board took over its operations in 1933, it operated from Willesden garage to Lewisham. In June 1956, the Willesden to Marylebone station section was replaced by route 176.[1]

Despite subsequent route changes, it continues to serve part of its original route, between Elephant & Castle and Aldwych.[2]

On 3 October 2009, East Thames Buses was sold to London General, which included a five-year contract to operate route 1.[3][4][5][6] London General commenced a further contract on 1 October 2016 with a peak vehicle requirement of 17 Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5LHs.[7][8][9]

In November 2021 Transport for London launched a successful consultation with a view of merging routes 1 and 168 to form a continuous service between Hampstead Heath and Canada Water, as well as re-routing route 188 to serve its former terminus at Tottenham Court Road.[10] These changes came into effect on 30 September 2023.[11]

Current route edit

Route 1 operates via these primary locations:[12]

References edit

  1. ^ Warren, Kenneth (1986). The Motorbus in Central London. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 61–64. ISBN 0-7110-1568-6.
  2. ^ London's oldest bus routes The London Magazine 30 March 2010
  3. ^ Go-Ahead Acquires East Thames Buses Go-Ahead Group 30 July 2009 Archived 22 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Go-Ahead buys East Thames Buses Bus & Coach Professional 3 August 2009 Archived 24 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ East Thames Buses Archived 24 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead London
  6. ^ Bus tender results Route 1/N1 Transport for London 1 July 2009
  7. ^ Carr, Ken (May 2015). The London Bus Guide (5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.
  8. ^ Tender News Bus Talk issue 40 page 11
  9. ^ Routes Archived 7 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead London
  10. ^ Proposed changes to routes 1, 168 and 188 Transport for London 21 March 2022
  11. ^ Changes to routes 1, 168 & 188 - 30 September 2023 Transport for London 30 September 2023
  12. ^ Route 1 Map Transport for London

External links edit

  Media related to London Buses route 1 at Wikimedia Commons