London Buses route 343
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 343 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London
, United Kingdom
. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London
.
at their New Cross Garage using Volvo B7TL
10m / Plaxton President
s (PVLs) on the existing contract for the withdrawn route P3. The initial route P3 began on 24 January 1970 using Leyland Atlantean
s as a circular route from Peckham Garage via Peckham Rye and Nunhead, replacing part of route 173. It was later extended to London Bridge before becoming route 343.
The route was withdrawn from London Bridge Station during September 2002, and rerouted from Borough High Street via Tooley Street, Druid Street, Crucifix Lane and to stand at St Thomas Street for Guy's Hospital in 2002.
Travel London gained the contract to operate the route from 21 September 2005 from their Walworth Road bus garage, using new Volvo B7TL
s with Wright Eclipse Gemini
bodywork.
The 343 also has a night service in the form of route N343, which runs parallel to the day route and then continues to Trafalgar Square via route N381, Waterloo and Aldwych.
A consultation on improving bus provision over the section of the route between Elephant & Castle and Peckham, in which the 343 is the only option of public transport available, was carried out by London Assembly member Valerie Shawcross (Labour) in late 2007. Following complaints from residents, Shawcross monitored the service at the Southampton Way stop, finding that the service suffered from long gaps in service and overcrowding at peak times.
In 2008 Southwark Council attempted to increase usage on the 343 by promoting it with a two-page spread in the publication Southwark Life.
The contract to operate the route was retained by Travel London's successor Abellio London in early June 2010. In the same month, the route was revealed to be amongst the ten worst performing in London. Two additional morning peak journeys were introduced on 12 June with the intention of solving the problems; performance improved as a result, although the route continued to receive complaints.
A proposal to increase the frequency of the route was announced by Transport for London in November 2010.
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 Abellio London
Abellio (UK bus company)
Abellio London and Abellio Surrey operate buses in London and Surrey. They are part of the Abellio Group owned by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.-History:...
.
History
Route 343 was introduced on 3 February 2001 to replace the withdrawn route P3, running from London Bridge Station to New Cross Gate, operated by London CentralLondon Central
London Central is one of many operators of London Buses. It was established in late 1988 as one of 12 operating subsidiaries of London Buses Limited , and was privatised to the Go-Ahead Group in September 1994...
at their New Cross Garage using Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
10m / Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The 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...
s (PVLs) on the existing contract for the withdrawn route P3. The initial route P3 began on 24 January 1970 using Leyland Atlantean
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
s as a circular route from Peckham Garage via Peckham Rye and Nunhead, replacing part of route 173. It was later extended to London Bridge before becoming route 343.
The route was withdrawn from London Bridge Station during September 2002, and rerouted from Borough High Street via Tooley Street, Druid Street, Crucifix Lane and to stand at St Thomas Street for Guy's Hospital in 2002.
Travel London gained the contract to operate the route from 21 September 2005 from their Walworth Road bus garage, using new Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
s with Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The 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....
bodywork.
The 343 also has a night service in the form of route N343, which runs parallel to the day route and then continues to Trafalgar Square via route N381, Waterloo and Aldwych.
A consultation on improving bus provision over the section of the route between Elephant & Castle and Peckham, in which the 343 is the only option of public transport available, was carried out by London Assembly member Valerie Shawcross (Labour) in late 2007. Following complaints from residents, Shawcross monitored the service at the Southampton Way stop, finding that the service suffered from long gaps in service and overcrowding at peak times.
In 2008 Southwark Council attempted to increase usage on the 343 by promoting it with a two-page spread in the publication Southwark Life.
The contract to operate the route was retained by Travel London's successor Abellio London in early June 2010. In the same month, the route was revealed to be amongst the ten worst performing in London. Two additional morning peak journeys were introduced on 12 June with the intention of solving the problems; performance improved as a result, although the route continued to receive complaints.
A proposal to increase the frequency of the route was announced by Transport for London in November 2010.
Current route
- City HallCity Hall (London)City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge...
Queen Elizabeth Street - Tower Bridge Road
- Druid Street
- Crucifix Lane
- St Thomas Street for Guy's HospitalGuy's HospitalGuy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
- Stainer Street
- Tooley Street
- Duke Street Hill
- London Bridge StationLondon Bridge stationLondon Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
- Borough High Street
- Borough StationBorough tube stationBorough tube station is a London Underground station in The Borough area of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on the Bank branch of the Northern Line between Elephant & Castle and London Bridge stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1....
- Newington Causeway
- Elephant & CastleElephant & Castle stationElephant & Castle station may refer to one of two stations located in Elephant and Castle, London:* Elephant & Castle railway station - a National Rail station* Elephant & Castle tube station - a London Underground station...
- Walworth Road
- Heygate Street
- Rodney Road
- Flint Street
- Thurlow Street
- Albany Road
- Wells Way
- Southampton Way Estate
- Peckham Road
- Peckham High StreetPeckhamPeckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
- Clayton Road
- Hanover Park
- Rye Lane
- Peckham Rye StationPeckham Rye railway stationPeckham Rye railway station is a station on Rye Lane in the centre of the shopping district of Peckham in South London. It opened on 1 December 1865 for LC&DR trains and on 13 August 1886 for LB&SCR trains...
- Peckham RyePeckham RyeFor the rail station of the same name see Peckham Rye Railway StationPeckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England....
- Cheltenham Road
- Ivydale Road
- Merttins Road
- St Norbert Road
- Frendsbury Road
- BrockleyBrockleyBrockley is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross.It is covered by the London postcode districts SE4 and SE14.-History:...
- Avignon Road
- Pepys Road
- Jerningham Road
- New Cross Gate Jerningham Road for New Cross Gate StationNew Cross Gate stationNew Cross Gate station is a railway station in New Cross, London, on the Brighton Main Line. It is about 600 metres west of station. It is in Travelcard Zone 2, on the East London Line. The station is operated by London Overground.-History:...
See also
- List of bus routes in London
- Abellio LondonAbellio (UK bus company)Abellio London and Abellio Surrey operate buses in London and Surrey. They are part of the Abellio Group owned by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.-History:...
- London Buses route N343