Trivia: Unique London bus routes

[telstarbox]

Name a TfL bus route and say why it's unique - for any reason.

The 108 (Stratford-Lewisham) is the only route to cross the Thames by tunnel.

 

[Be3G]

I'd wager that the W10 is unique in that the majority of its route is hail and ride – though I stand to be corrected if there're other London buses for which this applies too.

Also, the 603, for being the only school bus that runs during school holidays too (except between Christmas and the New Year, interestingly).

 

[Statto]

X68 only route that has pick up, set down stopping restrictions.

 

[extendedpaul]

The 498 is the only regular London bus route to Brentwood and may be the only one that crosses the M25 in Essex. There are several other places served by only one route - eg Dorking and St Albans though only the latter is outside London travelcard zones for reasons I've never really understood
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X68 only route that has pick up, set down stopping restrictions.

I think the 96 between Bluewater and Woolwich has similar restrictions, running non stop from Dartford to Bluewater in both directions

 

[Tom B]

The 498 is the only regular London bus route to Brentwood and may be the only one that crosses the M25 in Essex. There are several other places served by only one route - eg Dorking and St Albans though only the latter is outside London travelcard zones for reasons I've never really understood

I believe the service 84 is a registered service outwith London, operated commercially, as opposed to being a TfL tendered service.

 

[W-on-Sea]

The 498 is the only regular London bus route to Brentwood and may be the only one that crosses the M25 in Essex.

I suppose it depends which definition of Essex you are using (current administrative county - in which case the 498 fits; current ceremonial county - in which case the 372 also does so, in Thurrock, near Lakeside; or historic - and former postal - county - in which case the 347 and 370 both do, at different places, in what is now the London Borough of Havering, near North Ockendon and Cranham, respectively)

 

[Be3G]

I think the 96 between Bluewater and Woolwich has similar restrictions, running non stop from Dartford to Bluewater in both directions

That's not quite the same; what Statto is talking about is a restriction such that at certain stops people are only allowed to join the bus (not leave) and vice-versa.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Route 357 is the only route to have double-deckers Monday-Saturday, and single-deckers on Sunday...I think. The reason is on Sundays, the route goes to Whipps Cross Hospital proper rather than to the roundabout, and there's a low bridge or building which precludes deckers. Does that also make it the only route to have a Sunday extension?

Route 379, the route with the shortest distance between termini as the crow flies? (Chingford station to Yardley Lane turning circle).

 

[Cambus731]

The 237 in that its current route has only about a mile (if that) of is original route remaining between Hounslow and Hounslow Heath. having been severly curtailed at its country end and having been extended at its London end from Hounslow to White City
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The 15 is the only route to have regular scheduled half cab double decker operation on part of its route and the only route in London to have regular step entrance buses.

 

[Abpj17]

RV1 - only service that starts with RV
Only bus for many of the stops
Sunday frequency is same as rest of week i.e. every ten minutes
One of two routes used for wifi trials
And I believe it's the only bus to cross the thames twice (or certainly within zone 1) and is contained entirely within a single zone/zone 1

 

[Be3G]

And I believe it's the only bus to cross the thames twice (or certainly within zone 1) and is contained entirely within a single zone/zone 1

The 521 also fulfils both of these criteria – and is the only bus to use the Strand Underpass too.

 

[CatfordCat]

I think the 96 between Bluewater and Woolwich has similar restrictions, running non stop from Dartford to Bluewater in both directions

Last time I was in that patch, the 96 was non stop between Dartford and Bluewater, the 428 had only one intermediate stop, at Darent Valley Hospital, and the 492 was 'all stops'

The X 26 (Croydon - Heathrow) is also limited stop

(but yes, I don't think there are the same sort of restrictions as the X68 has anywhere else)

If we are talking about current routes -

The 55 has been converted to one-person operation three times (1972, 1987 and 2003)

The 607 is the only route bearing the former trolleybus route number for broadly the same route, and is the only 6xx route that isn't a school route

I did start thinking that the 96 was the only route still using the number that was used by the tram service it replaced (albeit with a spell of trolleybus operation) but realised the 69 and 97 share this feature

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I'd wager that the W10 is unique in that the majority of its route is hail and ride – though I stand to be corrected if there're other London buses for which this applies too.

The 434 in the Purley area also has large sections of hail & ride - not sure if it's the majority of the route though.

There's a bus stop in the Biggin Hill area (not sure of the route) that's within sight of a working farm...

 

[Statto]

That's not quite the same; what Statto is talking about is a restriction such that at certain stops people are only allowed to join the bus (not leave) and vice-versa.

That's what i was on about, 96 stops all stops Woolwich-Dartford boarding & alighting then non stop to Bluewater, but does not the stopping restrictions the X68 has.
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X68 may be the only route that operates in one direction, Northbound morning peak Southbound afternoon peak.

 

[Deerfold]

Also, the 603, for being the only school bus that runs during school holidays too (except between Christmas and the New Year, interestingly).

The 603 isn't a school route - thats why it runs in the school holidays. With the hours that it runs it may attract some school children.

The 607 is the only ... 6xx route that isn't a school route

Except the 603.

I believe the service 84 is a registered service outwith London, operated commercially, as opposed to being a TfL tendered service.

The 84 is a commercial service along its entire route. For a while (along with several other bus operators) they had an agreement with TfL to accept TfL tickets as far as Potters Bar but a few years ago they decided the remuneration from this agreement was not worth it for them.

Route 357 is the only route to have double-deckers Monday-Saturday, and single-deckers on Sunday...I think. The reason is on Sundays, the route goes to Whipps Cross Hospital proper rather than to the roundabout, and there's a low bridge or building which precludes deckers. Does that also make it the only route to have a Sunday extension?

Route 246 has a Summer Sunday extension to Chartwell.

The 267 used to have a Summer Sunday extension to Hampton Court Palace.

Route 379, the route with the shortest distance between termini as the crow flies? (Chingford station to Yardley Lane turning circle).

The H9 and H10 have even closer Termini - both within Harrow Bus Station (see also 327, H2, H18, H19, R5, R10)

The 215 is the only route to have a daily extension in summer (to Lee Valley camp site)

That's made me think - the 327 is the only circular service not to have a prefix letter.

X68 may be the only route that operates in one direction, Northbound morning peak Southbound afternoon peak.

Depends if you count school buses. If you do, there's loads.

 

[Be3G]

The 603 isn't a school route - thats why it runs in the school holidays. With the hours that it runs it may attract some school children.

I beg to differ. The times it runs at are clearly designed for schoolchildren, and it's a 6xx series bus (which, 607 aside for historical reasons, always denotes school buses in London). It also doesn't run at all during the Christmas shutdown; this is a trait only shared with other school buses – even the other non-Saturday services such as the 521 and X68 run on weekdays over Christmas. It therefore seems fairly clear that it's a school route that just happens to run during most of the holidays. Even the venerable London Bus Routes website agrees!

 

[Deerfold]

I beg to differ. The times it runs at are clearly designed for schoolchildren, and it's a 6xx series bus (which, 607 aside for historical reasons, always denotes school buses in London). It also doesn't run at all during the Christmas shutdown; this is a trait only shared with other school buses – even the other non-Saturday services such as the 521 and X68 run on weekdays over Christmas. It therefore seems fairly clear that it's a school route that just happens to run during most of the holidays.

I'd argue that the very fact it runs in school holidays makes it not a school route.

It's not classed as a school route internally - there have been proposals to extend the hours during which it runs which have not yet been successful.

I certainly can't see the morning trips from Swiss Cottage being very useful for anyone going to school.

Even the venerable London Bus Routes website agrees!

That depends where you look - if you look at the list of routes at http://www.londonbusroutes.net/routes.htm it is listed in the "Main daytime Bus Network section", not in the list of school routes, lower down.

 

[Be3G]

I certainly can't see the morning trips from Swiss Cottage being very useful for anyone going to school.

Acccording to the page I linked to, those journeys are return runs for the parents who've accompanied their children to school.

That depends where you look - if you look at the list of routes at http://www.londonbusroutes.net/routes.htm it is listed in the "Main daytime Bus Network section", not in the list of school routes, lower down.

Good point: I'll give you that one. I still think the route fits the profile of a school bus better than it does a normal bus though.

 

[MotCO]

Can I suggest route 61 whose terminals (Bromley and Chislehurst) are only roughly 3 miles apart, but the route takes a big loop via Orpington so that the journey is around 11 miles. I'm not sure how to describe its unique character - maybe the biggest ratio between the 'as the crow flies' distance between termini and actual routeing.
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The H9 and H10 have even closer Termini - both within Harrow Bus Station (see also 327, H2, H18, H19, R5, R10)

You can also add R9 to the list of routes starting and finishing at the same point

 

[Deerfold]

Acccording to the page I linked to, those journeys are return runs for the parents who've accompanied their children to school.

Although I'll grant you that that website holds much useful information, any opinions are only those of the one person who runs the site.

The returns runs are useful for those parents - and commuters.

Good point: I'll give you that one. I still think the route fits the profile of a school bus better than it does a normal bus though.

I'll happily admit an important reason it's there is for school journeys but that's true of many non-London routes too.

 

[317 forever]

Route 142 has had its operator change ownership 5 times whilst remaining at the same garage GR! It started out as part of NBC, then management, then Luton & District, then British Bus, then Cowie/Arriva and now Deutsche Bahn!

Route 5 is the only single-digit route not to serve central London, although it did until 1990.

Route 55 has had 2 phases of crew operation (1981-87 and 2001-03) since its original opo conversion (in 1972).

Route 67 has uniquely been operated by Arriva, First, Go-Ahead and Stagecoach!

Route 24 has twice lost its batch of E400s and once lost its batch of Volvo B5LHs!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Any routes other than the 71 that operate to tourist attractions during the high season? During the winter it runs Kingston to Tolworth Broadway, extending to Chessington World of Adventures in the summer. It was also used by an escaped chicken in an episode of 'The Good Life'.

 

[Deerfold]

Any routes other than the 71 that operate to tourist attractions during the high season? During the winter it runs Kingston to Tolworth Broadway, extending to Chessington World of Adventures in the summer. It was also used by an escaped chicken in an episode of 'The Good Life'.

That's not a summer extension. It runs to Chessington all year. I'm not aware of it having not done this all year (it's been all year since at least 2000).

The 215 and 246 summer extensions have been mentioned already


Route 65 is the only 24-hour route (i.e. it doesn't show an N in front of the route at night) which extends further at night than during the day - to Chessington World of Adventures.

The K50 is the only Christmas Park and ride service in London. EDIT - bugger - it's not running this year.

 

[hassaanhc]

Can I suggest route 61 whose terminals (Bromley and Chislehurst) are only roughly 3 miles apart, but the route takes a big loop via Orpington so that the journey is around 11 miles. I'm not sure how to describe its unique character - maybe the biggest ratio between the 'as the crow flies' distance between termini and actual routeing.
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You can also add R9 to the list of routes starting and finishing at the same point

Think it would be the H13 (Ruislip Lido to Northwood Hills, St Vincent's) which are at opposite ends of Ruislip Woods. The shortest route Google Maps gives between the two is through those woods, a distance of about 1 mile! Route runs via Ruislip, Eastcote, Pinner and Northwood.

 

[Springs Branch]

From before TfL days, but candidate for the least frequent London bus route ever:

N81 night bus

Back in the 1970/80s, this ran once every 10,080 minutes, meaning one journey per week, on Saturday night / Sunday morning only. And it didn't even manage one full round trip. Timetable shown is dated 1 September 1979

 

[Statto]

I beg to differ. The times it runs at are clearly designed for schoolchildren, and it's a 6xx series bus (which, 607 aside for historical reasons, always denotes school buses in London). It also doesn't run at all during the Christmas shutdown; this is a trait only shared with other school buses – even the other non-Saturday services such as the 521 and X68 run on weekdays over Christmas. It therefore seems fairly clear that it's a school route that just happens to run during most of the holidays. Even the venerable London Bus Routes website agrees!

I'd argue that the very fact it runs in school holidays makes it not a school route.

It's not classed as a school route internally - there have been proposals to extend the hours during which it runs which have not yet been successful.

I certainly can't see the morning trips from Swiss Cottage being very useful for anyone going to school.



That depends where you look - if you look at the list of routes at http://www.londonbusroutes.net/routes.htm it is listed in the "Main daytime Bus Network section", not in the list of school routes, lower down.

Couldn't there be a case for the 603 operating as an all day route, East-West links that part of London are poor, & 603 has useful links?

 

[Deerfold]

Couldn't there be a case for the 603 operating as an all day route, East-West links that part of London are poor, & 603 has useful links?

There is such a case - however so far it hasn't been seen as a strong enough case compared with the cost.

 

[RJ]

Route 357 is the only route to have double-deckers Monday-Saturday, and single-deckers on Sunday...I think. The reason is on Sundays, the route goes to Whipps Cross Hospital proper rather than to the roundabout, and there's a low bridge or building which precludes deckers. Does that also make it the only route to have a Sunday extension?

Route 379, the route with the shortest distance between termini as the crow flies? (Chingford station to Yardley Lane turning circle).

I think that honour would fall to the H13, which goes from one side of Ruislip Lido to the other, taking an 11 miles detour. If there was an index of route distance relative to the distance between termini as the crow flies, the H13 would be at the top by some margin.

RV1 - only service that starts with RV
Only bus for many of the stops
Sunday frequency is same as rest of week i.e. every ten minutes
One of two routes used for wifi trials
And I believe it's the only bus to cross the thames twice (or certainly within zone 1) and is contained entirely within a single zone/zone 1

A number of bus routes cross the Thames twice in addition to the RV1 and 521 - the 33, 411, 641, R68 and N22.

I have a great interest in trivia of the London bus network - I even did a bus themed quiz at a work Christmas party which was centred on unusual features of bus routes, such as those with an express section, passing over a level crossing or through a security check . Just about any route can be unique if too many qualifiers are put in.

Some odd occurrences on the network, excluding school and mobility routes;

Routes that serve the same bus stop twice in one trip - 265, K5, R5 and R10. The B11 also has a full loop within a hail and ride section.
Routes that do not run on Saturday - 521, X68
Routes running at 1bph or less which have a Sunday service - 146, N28, N31
Routes with trip times exceeding 2 hours - the X26 has some 130 minute trips, whilst the 25 has some PM peak trips out of London scheduled for 121 minutes, though in reality they can take up to 135 minutes

The A10 is the only TfL route that runs along a motorway - I learned that from a recent entry on Diamond Geezer's blog
The N279 is the only night route to cross the M25

At the moment, no route has a higher PVR at night than it does during the day - the N29 is closest, requiring only 5 less buses than the 29. However, this will change if the N35 gets its rumoured weekend frequency increase to 7.5bph. This would be due to various factors, primarily the schedule having an unreasonable level of slack time built in - I was on one that was 17 minutes late at Shoreditch, yet reached Clapham Junction on time.

 

[telstarbox]

RJ - I was actually inspired to create the thread by the Diamond Geezer blog series

 

[lightning76]

Mention of the 265 reminds me that the 265, and the 384, have stops that are served by buses travelling in either direction. As for motorways, the 265 once had stops on the main carriageway of a 70mph road. How the buses didn't end up being punted into next week by an artic lorry I don't know. Like wandering around a fume-filled garage without wearing hi-vis clothing, it was the sort of health & safety issue that never crossed our minds, back in the day.