London Buses route 43
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 43 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London
, United Kingdom
. The service is currently contracted to Metroline
.
and London Bridge Station via Holloway Road
, Upper Street, Angel, City Road Moorgate
, Bank
and London Bridge
, and was quickly extended to Muswell Hill Broadway
via East Finchley
and Fortis Green Road
.
On 11 September 1913 a daily supplementary 43A was introduced between Highgate (Archway Tavern)
and London Bridge Station, but the Sunday service on this route was withdrawn in November 1913. On 29 June 1914, the 43A was extended daily to Peckham Rye
, and introduced on Saturdays and Sundays between Muswell Hill Broadway and Peckham Rye.
On 25 October 1914 the 43A was withdrawn as a wartime economy
, but on 7 December 1914 it was re-instated as a daily route between Colney Hatch Lane
and London Bridge Station, although the Sunday service was withdrawn in January 1915. On 2 April 1915, the 43A again became a daily route, being extended northwards on Sundays as from 16 April 1916 to Friern Barnet (Orange Tree)
. On 16 July 1916, the 43A disappeared. On 29 March 1918, the 43 was extended southwards on Sundays to Brixton
via Elephant & Castle and Kennington
. The Sunday service was further extended to Kenley Hotel
via Streatham
, Croydon
, and Purley
in April 1919. This lasted until December 1919, when the 43 was withdrawn on Sundays. In 1920 it was reintroduced between Muswell Hill Broadway and Caterham (Old Surrey Hounds)
, but was cut back to terminate at South Croydon (Swan & Sugar Loaf)
at the end of the summer, Caterham becoming the Summer Sunday and Bank Holiday terminus.
On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London Buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. This made the Metropolitan Police
responsible for bus operation and route numbering in London. Route 43 retained its number; route 43A was renumbered 143
, while route 43B became route 144. All three routes had short working suffixed routes, the plain route number being only used for journeys for the whole length of the route. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted London Passenger Transport Board
instituted its own numbering system, which re-instated the situation previous to December 1924, apart from route 143 which kept its number.
The 43 was withdrawn on Sundays from 21 April 1935 with a new Sunday only route 43A introduced for the summer months, between Friern Barnet and Croydon Airport
. It was withdrawn in October 1935 when the 43 was re-instated on Sundays between Friern Barnet and South Croydon. The Sundays only 43A was introduced again in 1936 as from 12 April, with the 43 becoming a Monday to Saturday route again, working until 10 March 1937, when the 43 was again introduced on Sundays to replace the 43A, now running on to Croydon AIrport.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, when economies in fuel consumption had to be made, the 43 was withdrawn on 15 November 1939 except Monday-Fridays peak hours between Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet. It was also withdrawn throughout on Monday-Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoons and evenings. On Sunday evenings, the route was cut into two sections, being withdrawn between London Bridge Station and Streatham Garage. During the summer of 1940 the Sunday evening service between London Bridge and Streatham was re-introduced from 28 March, but was withdrawn from 24 November. A further retrenchment occurred on 6 April 1941 when the 43 was withdrawn south of London Bridge Station on Sundays. It was replaced by parallel services and a Sunday extension of route 115 between Streatham Common and Croydon Airport.
In April 1943 the route was re-instated on Monday to Friday evenings between Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet. By 1950, the route had become a daily service between London Bridge and Friern Barnet, with evening restrictions to the service on Mondays to Saturdays. Towards the end of the decade, in the aftermath of the Busmen's Strike of 1958, London Transport needed to make economies and these affected the 43. From 30 November 1958, the Sunday service was withdrawn and was replaced by an extension of route 133
to Archway.
On 8 November 1961, stage 12 of the trolleybus
replacement scheme took effect with route 609 (Moorgate to High Barnet) replaced by the 104 which paralleled the 43 from Archway to Moorgate. The service on the 43 was increased, but on Saturday afternoons the service was cut back to City Road
. The Saturday afternoon service was further cut back to Angel in January 1966.
From 28 October 1978, the 43 became an all-day Monday-Saturday Friern Barnet to London Bridge service. From 28 July 1984 until 21 June 1986, garage journeys to and from Finchley Garage could be used by passengers. A year later, on 14 July 1987, the 43 was converted to one-person operation.
From 2 February 1991 the 43 was extended on Sundays to Liverpool Street Station
via Moorgate
. At the same time it was withdrawn on Sundays between Muswell Hill Broadway and Friern Barnet. From 31 January 1998, the service once again became a daily Friern Barnet - London Bridge service. On Sundays the route was diverted between Old Street
and Monument
via Shoreditch
and Liverpool Street Station.
The route along which the 43 operates was designated as London's first Red Route bus priority scheme in 1992. In late 1999 the route became one of the first in London to be operated by low-floor double-deck buses, when new Dennis Trident
s with Plaxton President
bodywork were introduced by Metroline. These were replaced by Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-deckers in 2006.
From 6 November 2004, the Sunday service via Liverpool Street Station was withdrawn, buses then reverting to the Monday to Saturday routing. On 2 February 2005 became a 24 hour daily route between Friern Barnet and London Bridge Station.
In September 2006 a bus operating route 43 caught fire. No passengers were injured as the bus driver had evacuated the vehicle.
double-deckers branded as Red Express. London Northern
, the subsidiary of London Buses which had taken over operation of the route in 1989, stated that passenger numbers along the route increased by 8,700 in the year following its introduction.
.
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 Metroline
Metroline
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:...
.
History
The 43 commenced operation in August 1912 as a daily route between Highgate (Archway Tavern)Archway tube station
Archway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
and London Bridge Station via Holloway Road
Holloway Road
Holloway Road is a road in London. It is one of the main shopping streets in North London, and carries the A1 road as it passes through Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington...
, Upper Street, Angel, City Road Moorgate
Moorgate
Moorgate was a postern in the London Wall originally built by the Romans. It was turned into a gate in the 15th century. Though the gate was demolished in 1762, the name survives as a major street in the City of London...
, Bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
and London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
, and was quickly extended to Muswell Hill Broadway
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
via East Finchley
East Finchley
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, in north London, and situated north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.- History :The land on which...
and Fortis Green Road
Fortis Green
Fortis Green is a ward in the extreme north-western corner of the Borough of Haringey, North London. It is also the name of the road that runs between Muswell Hill and East Finchley which forms part of the A504....
.
On 11 September 1913 a daily supplementary 43A was introduced between Highgate (Archway Tavern)
Archway tube station
Archway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
and London Bridge Station, but the Sunday service on this route was withdrawn in November 1913. On 29 June 1914, the 43A was extended daily to Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye
For 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....
, and introduced on Saturdays and Sundays between Muswell Hill Broadway and Peckham Rye.
On 25 October 1914 the 43A was withdrawn as a wartime economy
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but on 7 December 1914 it was re-instated as a daily route between Colney Hatch Lane
Colney Hatch
Colney Hatch is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. The name Colney Hatch was originally that of a hamlet in the parish of Friern Barnet, first recorded in the early 15th century...
and London Bridge Station, although the Sunday service was withdrawn in January 1915. On 2 April 1915, the 43A again became a daily route, being extended northwards on Sundays as from 16 April 1916 to Friern Barnet (Orange Tree)
Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
. On 16 July 1916, the 43A disappeared. On 29 March 1918, the 43 was extended southwards on Sundays to Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
via Elephant & Castle and Kennington
Kennington
Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark....
. The Sunday service was further extended to Kenley Hotel
Kenley
Kenley is a district in the south of the London Borough of Croydon. It borders Purley, Coulsdon, Riddlesdown, Caterham and Whyteleafe. Kenley is situated 13 miles south of Charing Cross. The 2001 census showed Kenley having a population of 13,525....
via Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, and Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
in April 1919. This lasted until December 1919, when the 43 was withdrawn on Sundays. In 1920 it was reintroduced between Muswell Hill Broadway and Caterham (Old Surrey Hounds)
Caterham
Caterham is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is geographically divided into two sections: Caterham on the Hill and Caterham Valley - the main town centre. The town lies close to the A22, a few miles south of Croydon, in a valley cut into the dip slope of the North Downs...
, but was cut back to terminate at South Croydon (Swan & Sugar Loaf)
South Croydon
South Croydon is a locality in Greater London, the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon about 1 km in radius, centred on the Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is part of the South Croydon post town and in the London Borough of Croydon...
at the end of the summer, Caterham becoming the Summer Sunday and Bank Holiday terminus.
On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London Buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. This made the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
responsible for bus operation and route numbering in London. Route 43 retained its number; route 43A was renumbered 143
London Buses route 143
London Buses route 143 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
, while route 43B became route 144. All three routes had short working suffixed routes, the plain route number being only used for journeys for the whole length of the route. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted 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...
instituted its own numbering system, which re-instated the situation previous to December 1924, apart from route 143 which kept its number.
The 43 was withdrawn on Sundays from 21 April 1935 with a new Sunday only route 43A introduced for the summer months, between Friern Barnet and Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
. It was withdrawn in October 1935 when the 43 was re-instated on Sundays between Friern Barnet and South Croydon. The Sundays only 43A was introduced again in 1936 as from 12 April, with the 43 becoming a Monday to Saturday route again, working until 10 March 1937, when the 43 was again introduced on Sundays to replace the 43A, now running on to Croydon AIrport.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, when economies in fuel consumption had to be made, the 43 was withdrawn on 15 November 1939 except Monday-Fridays peak hours between Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet. It was also withdrawn throughout on Monday-Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoons and evenings. On Sunday evenings, the route was cut into two sections, being withdrawn between London Bridge Station and Streatham Garage. During the summer of 1940 the Sunday evening service between London Bridge and Streatham was re-introduced from 28 March, but was withdrawn from 24 November. A further retrenchment occurred on 6 April 1941 when the 43 was withdrawn south of London Bridge Station on Sundays. It was replaced by parallel services and a Sunday extension of route 115 between Streatham Common and Croydon Airport.
In April 1943 the route was re-instated on Monday to Friday evenings between Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet. By 1950, the route had become a daily service between London Bridge and Friern Barnet, with evening restrictions to the service on Mondays to Saturdays. Towards the end of the decade, in the aftermath of the Busmen's Strike of 1958, London Transport needed to make economies and these affected the 43. From 30 November 1958, the Sunday service was withdrawn and was replaced by an extension of route 133
London Buses route 133
London Buses route 133 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
to Archway.
On 8 November 1961, stage 12 of the 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...
replacement scheme took effect with route 609 (Moorgate to High Barnet) replaced by the 104 which paralleled the 43 from Archway to Moorgate. The service on the 43 was increased, but on Saturday afternoons the service was cut back to City Road
City Road
City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through inner north and central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at the Angel, Islington where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for London's first bypass, the New Road from...
. The Saturday afternoon service was further cut back to Angel in January 1966.
From 28 October 1978, the 43 became an all-day Monday-Saturday Friern Barnet to London Bridge service. From 28 July 1984 until 21 June 1986, garage journeys to and from Finchley Garage could be used by passengers. A year later, on 14 July 1987, the 43 was converted to one-person operation.
From 2 February 1991 the 43 was extended on Sundays to Liverpool Street Station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
via Moorgate
Moorgate
Moorgate was a postern in the London Wall originally built by the Romans. It was turned into a gate in the 15th century. Though the gate was demolished in 1762, the name survives as a major street in the City of London...
. At the same time it was withdrawn on Sundays between Muswell Hill Broadway and Friern Barnet. From 31 January 1998, the service once again became a daily Friern Barnet - London Bridge service. On Sundays the route was diverted between Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...
and Monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
via Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
and Liverpool Street Station.
The route along which the 43 operates was designated as London's first Red Route bus priority scheme in 1992. In late 1999 the route became one of the first in London to be operated by low-floor double-deck buses, when new Dennis Trident
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis 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...
s with 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...
bodywork were introduced by Metroline. These were replaced by Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-deckers in 2006.
From 6 November 2004, the Sunday service via Liverpool Street Station was withdrawn, buses then reverting to the Monday to Saturday routing. On 2 February 2005 became a 24 hour daily route between Friern Barnet and London Bridge Station.
In September 2006 a bus operating route 43 caught fire. No passengers were injured as the bus driver had evacuated the vehicle.
Variants
In 1992 a peak hour route X43 was introduced to supplement the 43 in connection with the Red Route bus priority scheme introduced at the time. It used specially liveried Scania N113Scania N113
The Scania N113 was a transverse-engined bus chassis built by Scania AB of Sweden between 1988 and 2000.Like its predecessor, the N112, the N113 had an 11-litre engine mounted at the rear, coupled to either a Scania or Voith gearbox...
double-deckers branded as Red Express. London Northern
Metroline
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:...
, the subsidiary of London Buses which had taken over operation of the route in 1989, stated that passenger numbers along the route increased by 8,700 in the year following its introduction.
In popular culture
An Alexander Dennis Enviro400 operating on route 43 was used in the 2007 film The Bourne UltimatumThe Bourne Ultimatum (film)
The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American spy film directed by Paul Greengrass and loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title. This film is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy...
.
Current route
- Friern BarnetFriern BarnetFriern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
Library - Muswell Hill BroadwayMuswell HillMuswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
- Highgate StationHighgate tube stationHighgate tube station is a London Underground station on Archway Road, Highgate, not far from Highgate Village in north London. It is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Archway and East Finchley, in Travelcard Zone 3....
- Archway StationArchway tube stationArchway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
- Holloway Road StationHolloway Road tube stationHolloway Road is a station on the London Underground. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Caledonian Road and Arsenal stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2. The station opened on 15 December 1906....
- Highbury & Islington StationHighbury & Islington stationHighbury & Islington station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is served by the Victoria line, London Overground's East and North London Lines and First Capital Connect's Northern City Line....
- IslingtonIslingtonIslington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
High Street - Angel StationAngel tube stationAngel tube station is a London Underground station in The Angel, Islington. It is on the Bank branch of the Northern Line, between Old Street and King's Cross St. Pancras stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1. The tube stop serves as a portal to several Off West End, or fringe theatre, venues,...
- Old Street StationOld Street stationOld Street station is a central London National Rail and London Underground station located at the junction of Old Street and City Road just north of the City of London. It lies close to the border between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney...
- Moorgate StationMoorgate stationMoorgate station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London; it provides National Rail services by First Capital Connect for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth and also serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Lines and...
- Bank StationBank and Monument stationsBank and Monument are interlinked London Underground and Docklands Light Railway stations that form a public transport complex spanning the length of King William Street in the City of London. Bank station, named after the Bank of England, opened in 1900 and is served by the Central, Northern and...
- Monument StationBank and Monument stationsBank and Monument are interlinked London Underground and Docklands Light Railway stations that form a public transport complex spanning the length of King William Street in the City of London. Bank station, named after the Bank of England, opened in 1900 and is served by the Central, Northern and...
- 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...