London General
Encyclopedia
London General is a bus company operating in Surrey ang Greater London. It is owned by the Go-Ahead Group
and operates most buses under contract to London Buses
. The company was named in honour of the London General Omnibus Company
, the principal operator of buses in London
between 1855 and 1933.
, its original logo being an omnibus in reflection of the name's history. With the privatisation
of LBL in 1994, the company was originally subject to a management buy-out, before being acquired by the Go-Ahead Group in May 1996.
The company has recently moved its offices to an address in Merton
, adjacent to the Merton bus garage. Prior to this they were in Mitcham.
In August 2008, Go-Ahead
's London
bus operations took up the new trading name of Go-Ahead London
.
On 29 July 2009, Transport for London
announced that East Thames Buses
would be sold to London General, part of Go-Ahead London. The sale of East Thames Buses
was for around £5m, which includes all assets. Although it is normal practice in London to tender for additional routes, London General will also begin a new five year contract for all East Thames Buses routes without the tendering process. The sale was completed on 3 October 2009.
They operate a contract with Coulsdon College in south London to provide a school-bus service between West Croydon and the college.
, Putney
, Stockwell
, Sutton
, Waterloo
, Waterside Way, Mandela Way and Belvedere
.
The Sutton garage holds 82 buses, and runs London bus routes 80, 151, 154, 164 (on Sundays), 413, 24-hour routes 93
and 213, and Night route N155. They also run LSP routes Tesco New Malden and Sutton services, 866.
to Morden
and major house-building projects in the area. Between 1945 and 1953, it had an allocation of exactly 100 Utility Daimlers (classed as D's) numbered from D182 - D281. By 1952, the garage had a PVR of 128, achieved mainly by parking buses in surrounding streets. However, this would soon fall again, to 100 in 1966, 82 in 1976 and 62 in 1987. The garage was passed over to the re-born 'London General' bus company in the run-up to privatization in 1985. Sutton Garage also partly took control of route 200 at a yard in Colliers Wood (AA) in 1989, after Cityrama withdrew from their contract. Sutton was responsible for providing drivers for the service, whilst Merton Garage were contracted to do the maintenance. By 1994, the garage PVR had grown to 85 and again to 92 in 2001, including 10 buses subcontracted to Surrey County Council
.
Sutton also helped when Carshalton closed in 1964.
Sutton previously ran another night bus, the N213 (between Kingston and Sutton on the 213 then on most of the 154 route to Croydon), but was discontinued by TfL claiming it was not well used. So they made the 213 a 24 hour service which was not good enough to help the people living in between Sutton and Croydon in Carshalton and Wallington. There has been a few protests by local people to bring the bus back saying it was used a lot for people commuting back from clubbing and people getting to work early in the morning. Local people still want the bus back as this is causing people to walk home or pay for a over priced cab at night. TfL has not realised the problems its caused with people living between Sutton and Croydon. It was a good idea for a night bus the route but was very sadly axed in July 2009. Local people would like to see something done but only half of the route is running which is not good enough for people between Sutton and Croydon.
The Putney garage holds 112 buses, and runs London bus routes 22
, 74
, 424, 430, 670, 24-hour routes 14
and 85, and Night routes N22 and N74.
, 77, 118
, 155, 163, 164 (Monday to Saturday), 200, 201, 219, 270, 280, 355, 655 and the first few outbound journeys on Night Bus route N155. It also operates some duties on route 22
on Sundays. It also runs the St. Bedes School private bus services 514 and 519, which run between the Caterham
area and the school, on behalf of Surrey County Council
.
, including 222 STL-class AEC Regents in 1935, and all of the first 181 D-class utility Daimlers in 1950.
The garage was modernised in 1960, and again in 1991 when a new roof was fitted and various stores and welfare areas were moved to provide a larger, unobstructed parking area, which had previously been renowned for being long and narrow. Some buses were parked at a yard in nearby Colliers Wood
during the rebuilding project. Over recent years, the allocation total has fluctuated between 83 and 134, never really coming close to the garage's original high capacity. Merton
was also responsible for the maintenance of vehicles for route 200 in 1988/9 after the withdrawal of the Cityrama sightseeing company, whilst the route was operated from Sutton garage.
The garage has recently become Go-Ahead London's head office, following the sale of Raleigh House (Mitcham) and the acquisition of the former pub next door.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 249 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from this garage.
in 1998 to house its operations that moved from Crayford
. Harris Bus went into receivership
in 2000, and its routes and garage were taken over by London Buses under the guise of East Thames Buses. Since then, East Thames Buses has become a unit taking over routes from defunct operators such as London Easylink
's 42
& 185
. Following the move to Mandela Way the engineering is now done there, however limited engineering facilities exist at Belvedere.
East Thames buses was sold to Go-Ahead London (London General) in October 2009. As a result of the purchase by Go-ahead some route and allocation movements have taken or are due to take place. On 7 November 2009 route 132 transferred to Nearby Bexleyheath Garage (BX) and its contract placed with London Central. On 1 May 2010 route 108 transfrred to New Cross garage, 185 to Camberwell garage and 661 and part of 669 to Bexleyheath garage.
Even Though Belvedere is a London General Garage it now operates as a satellite of London Central's Bexleyheath Garage (BX). All BV's Engineering and fleet management is done at or organised by BX, in addition BV's staff and Operational Management is also undertaken by BX.
, 453
, 507
, 521
and N1.
, 485 and G1. And also a storage of the training buses.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 493 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from this garage.
The Waterloo garage holds 36 Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses for use on Red Arrow
buses 507
and 521
.
, 87
, 170, 196
, 315, 333, 337, 639, 670 (AM journey), 24-hour routes 24
, 88
and 345, and Night route N11, N44, and N87.
es, Leyland Titans
, Leyland Olympian
s, Dennis Dominator
s, and Volvo Ailsas. The allocation steadied at around 120 for many years, but has increased in the last few years, partially due to taking back full control of route 11 from RA.
London General have successfully gained the contracts for routes 19 and N19 and from 31 March 2012, they will be operated from this garage.
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
and operates most buses under contract to London Buses
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...
. The company was named in honour of 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 :...
, the principal operator of buses in London
Buses in London
The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are...
between 1855 and 1933.
History
The modern-day London General was established in late 1988 as one of 12 operating subsidiaries of London Buses LimitedLondon 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...
, its original logo being an omnibus in reflection of the name's history. With the privatisation
Privatisation of London bus services
The privatisation of London bus services was the progressive process of the transfer of operation of London Buses from public bodies to private companies....
of LBL in 1994, the company was originally subject to a management buy-out, before being acquired by the Go-Ahead Group in May 1996.
The company has recently moved its offices to an address in Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
, adjacent to the Merton bus garage. Prior to this they were in Mitcham.
In August 2008, Go-Ahead
Go-Ahead
Go-Ahead may refer to:*Go-Ahead Group, British transport operator*Go Ahead Eagles, Dutch football club*"Go Ahead", a single from Rilo Kiley's album Take-Offs and Landings...
's 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...
bus operations took up the new trading name of Go-Ahead London
Go-Ahead London
Go-Ahead London is the trading name used collectively for the London bus operations of the Go-Ahead Group. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands...
.
On 29 July 2009, 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...
announced that East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses was the only government owned bus operator of London Buses. It was sold to London General in 2009.-History:East Thames Buses was formed in 1999 to take over the services operated by the failed Harris Bus Company...
would be sold to London General, part of Go-Ahead London. The sale of East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses was the only government owned bus operator of London Buses. It was sold to London General in 2009.-History:East Thames Buses was formed in 1999 to take over the services operated by the failed Harris Bus Company...
was for around £5m, which includes all assets. Although it is normal practice in London to tender for additional routes, London General will also begin a new five year contract for all East Thames Buses routes without the tendering process. The sale was completed on 3 October 2009.
They operate a contract with Coulsdon College in south London to provide a school-bus service between West Croydon and the college.
Garages
The company has nine bus garages in MertonLondon Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
, Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Stockwell
Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...
, Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
, Waterloo
Waterloo, London
Waterloo is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated east of Charing Cross. The area is part of a business improvement district known as Waterloo Quarter, which includes The Cut and the Old Vic and Young Vic theatres, including some sections in the...
, Waterside Way, Mandela Way and Belvedere
Belvedere, London
Belvedere is a suburban and largely working class area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley in Southeast London.-History:The area which is today known as Belvedere was originally part of Lesness Heath, which originally stretched from the area of Lesnes Abbey to Erith and constituted...
.
Sutton (A)
London Buses route 93
London Buses route 93 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
and 213, and Night route N155. They also run LSP routes Tesco New Malden and Sutton services, 866.
History
Opened by the LGOC in January 1924 at cost of £30,000, Sutton bus garage had a capacity for 100 buses. During its early years, less than half of the garage was put to use, holding only 40 buses by 1926. This would change somewhat by the extension of the UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
to Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
and major house-building projects in the area. Between 1945 and 1953, it had an allocation of exactly 100 Utility Daimlers (classed as D's) numbered from D182 - D281. By 1952, the garage had a PVR of 128, achieved mainly by parking buses in surrounding streets. However, this would soon fall again, to 100 in 1966, 82 in 1976 and 62 in 1987. The garage was passed over to the re-born 'London General' bus company in the run-up to privatization in 1985. Sutton Garage also partly took control of route 200 at a yard in Colliers Wood (AA) in 1989, after Cityrama withdrew from their contract. Sutton was responsible for providing drivers for the service, whilst Merton Garage were contracted to do the maintenance. By 1994, the garage PVR had grown to 85 and again to 92 in 2001, including 10 buses subcontracted to Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
.
Sutton also helped when Carshalton closed in 1964.
Sutton previously ran another night bus, the N213 (between Kingston and Sutton on the 213 then on most of the 154 route to Croydon), but was discontinued by TfL claiming it was not well used. So they made the 213 a 24 hour service which was not good enough to help the people living in between Sutton and Croydon in Carshalton and Wallington. There has been a few protests by local people to bring the bus back saying it was used a lot for people commuting back from clubbing and people getting to work early in the morning. Local people still want the bus back as this is causing people to walk home or pay for a over priced cab at night. TfL has not realised the problems its caused with people living between Sutton and Croydon. It was a good idea for a night bus the route but was very sadly axed in July 2009. Local people would like to see something done but only half of the route is running which is not good enough for people between Sutton and Croydon.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (LDP) for routes 413 and 866.
- 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...
(PVL) for route 213 and for contract hire. - Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m (E) for route 213.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro400 9.9m /Optare OlympusOptare OlympusThe Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare...
(DOE) for routes 93, 151, 154 and N155. - Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m / Optare EsteemOptare EsteemThe Optare Esteem is a single-deck bus body. It has been built on Scania N94UB, Scania N230UB, Volvo B7RLE, MAN 12.240, Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 chassis.The Esteem was launched by East Lancashire Coachbuilders...
(SOE) for routes 80 and 164. - Volvo OlympianVolvo OlympianThe Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
/Northern Counties PalatineNorthern Counties PalatineThe Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis...
II (NV) for special hire and events. - Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (SE) to be introduced on route 413 from 3 December 2011
Putney (AF)
London Buses route 22
London Buses route 22 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 74
London Buses route 74
London Buses route 74 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 424, 430, 670, 24-hour routes 14
London Buses route 14
London Buses route 14 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
and 85, and Night routes N22 and N74.
History
With its ancestry going back to the horse bus days of the 1880s, Chelverton Road Garage was converted to a motor-bus garage in 1912. The garage is well hidden in a side road with a modest frontage, yet it has an allocation of 112. It has been modernised twice, firstly in 1935 and then again in 1985. The garage was well known for being allocated the pre-war RTs in 1940 which displaced the STLs. During the war the garage was underutilised and was used to store de-licensed buses. Re-named to Putney in 1963 after the closure of Putney Bridge garage (F) it started to receive RMs and later RMLs for its central London routes. The RMLs remained at the garages until July 2005 when both the 14 and 22 were converted to low floor one-person-operated buses.Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m / Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 (LDP) for route 424.
- 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 / 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....
(WVL) for routes 14, 22, 74, 85, 430, 670, N22 and N74. - Volvo B9TLVolvo B9TLThe Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
10.4m / Enviro 400 (VE) route 85.
Merton (AL)
The Merton garage holds 162 buses, and runs London bus routes 44London Buses route 44
London Buses route 44 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 77, 118
London Buses route 118
London Buses route 118 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 155, 163, 164 (Monday to Saturday), 200, 201, 219, 270, 280, 355, 655 and the first few outbound journeys on Night Bus route N155. It also operates some duties on route 22
London Buses route 22
London Buses route 22 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
on Sundays. It also runs the St. Bedes School private bus services 514 and 519, which run between the Caterham
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...
area and the school, on behalf of Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
.
History
Merton was for many years the largest of the LGOC's garages, and continued to boast high allocations in the early days of London TransportLondon 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...
, including 222 STL-class AEC Regents in 1935, and all of the first 181 D-class utility Daimlers in 1950.
The garage was modernised in 1960, and again in 1991 when a new roof was fitted and various stores and welfare areas were moved to provide a larger, unobstructed parking area, which had previously been renowned for being long and narrow. Some buses were parked at a yard in nearby Colliers Wood
Colliers Wood
Colliers Wood is an area in south London, England, in the London Borough of Merton. Colliers Wood station is served by the London Underground's Northern Line.It is a mostly residential area, split down the middle by a busy High Street...
during the rebuilding project. Over recent years, the allocation total has fluctuated between 83 and 134, never really coming close to the garage's original high capacity. Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
was also responsible for the maintenance of vehicles for route 200 in 1988/9 after the withdrawal of the Cityrama sightseeing company, whilst the route was operated from Sutton garage.
The garage has recently become Go-Ahead London's head office, following the sale of Raleigh House (Mitcham) and the acquisition of the former pub next door.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 249 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from this garage.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Plaxton Pointer 2 (LDP) for routes 201, 219 and 355.
- 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...
(PVL) for routes 22, 44, 77, 155, 200, 270, 280 and 655. - Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m (E) for route 118.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (SE) for route 200.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m / Optare EsteemOptare EsteemThe Optare Esteem is a single-deck bus body. It has been built on Scania N94UB, Scania N230UB, Volvo B7RLE, MAN 12.240, Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 chassis.The Esteem was launched by East Lancashire Coachbuilders...
(SOE) for routes 163 and 164. - Alexander Dennis Enviro400 9.9m / Optare OlympusOptare OlympusThe Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare...
(DOE) for route 163. - VDL SB120VDL SB120The VDL SB120 is a low-floor light-weight midibus produced from 1999 by VDL Bus International of the Netherlands primarily for the UK market....
9.2m / Volvo MeritWright CadetThe Wright Cadet was a midibus body built by British coachbuilder Wrightbus, solely on the DAF/VDL SB120; it was sold via VDL dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. For a time, Volvo additionally sold the chassis/body combination, however the body was marketed as the Merit.The Cadet was replaced by the Wright...
(DW) for route 201. - 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 / 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....
(WVL) for routes 44, 77, 155, 163, 270, 280 and 655. - Volvo B9TLVolvo B9TLThe Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WVL) to be introduced on route 249 from March 2012.
Belvedere (BV)
The Belvedere garage holds 27 buses, and runs London bus routes 180, 244, 669 and Night route N1.History
Belvedere was purchased by Harris BusHarris Bus
Harris Bus is a former bus company based in West Thurrock. It was a subsidiary of Harris Coaches, and operated a small fleet of buses. On deregulation of bus services it was one of the early operators of tendered services for London Buses....
in 1998 to house its operations that moved from Crayford
Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-History:...
. Harris Bus went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in 2000, and its routes and garage were taken over by London Buses under the guise of East Thames Buses. Since then, East Thames Buses has become a unit taking over routes from defunct operators such as London Easylink
London Easylink
London Easylink was a short-lived bus operator located in London. Its base was at the Transco Gas station, on Old Kent Road. In late 2002, Easylink went into liquidation. They operated London Buses route 185 with Plaxton President-bodied Volvo B7TLs, and had just won London Buses route 42 with...
's 42
London Buses route 42
London Buses route 42 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
& 185
London Buses route 185
London Buses route 185 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
. Following the move to Mandela Way the engineering is now done there, however limited engineering facilities exist at Belvedere.
East Thames buses was sold to Go-Ahead London (London General) in October 2009. As a result of the purchase by Go-ahead some route and allocation movements have taken or are due to take place. On 7 November 2009 route 132 transferred to Nearby Bexleyheath Garage (BX) and its contract placed with London Central. On 1 May 2010 route 108 transfrred to New Cross garage, 185 to Camberwell garage and 661 and part of 669 to Bexleyheath garage.
Even Though Belvedere is a London General Garage it now operates as a satellite of London Central's Bexleyheath Garage (BX). All BV's Engineering and fleet management is done at or organised by BX, in addition BV's staff and Operational Management is also undertaken by BX.
Bus types in use
- 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 / 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....
(VWL) for routes 180 and N1. - 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 route 669. - Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.2m (SE) for route 244.
Mandela Way (MW)
The Mandela Way garage runs London bus routes 1London Buses route 1
London Buses route 1 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 453
London Buses route 453
London Buses route 453 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 507
London Buses route 507
London Buses route 507 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 521
London Buses route 521
London Buses route 521 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:Service 521 is one of two Red Arrow routes, the other being route 507, that survived into 2009....
and N1.
Bus types in use
- Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro 12m (MEC) for routes 507 and 521.
- 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 / 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....
(VWL) for route 1 and N1. - Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m (E) for route 453.
Waterside Way (PL)
The Waterside Way garage runs London bus routes 39London Buses route 39
London Buses route 39 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 485 and G1. And also a storage of the training buses.
London General have successfully gained the contract for route 493 and from 31 March 2012, it will be operated from this garage.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m / Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 (LDP) for route 39 and 485.
- Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m / Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 (LDP) for route G1.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart (SE) to be introduced on route 493 from March 2012.
Waterloo (RA)
Red Arrow (bus)
Red Arrow was branding given to two current and several former London bus limited stop routes used as high frequency commuter services in central London...
buses 507
London Buses route 507
London Buses route 507 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
and 521
London Buses route 521
London Buses route 521 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:Service 521 is one of two Red Arrow routes, the other being route 507, that survived into 2009....
.
History
The garage was opened as a bus garage in the early 1980s and was used as a Red Arrow garage and had the 11's as RML in 1990s. The garage is only operated Monday to Friday due to its proximity to residential properties.Stockwell (SW)
The Stockwell garage holds 185 buses, and runs London bus routes 11London Buses route 11
London Buses route 11 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 87
London Buses route 87
London Buses route 87 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
, 170, 196
London Buses route 196
London Buses route 196 is a Transport for London-contracted bus route in London, U.K. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-Service:...
, 315, 333, 337, 639, 670 (AM journey), 24-hour routes 24
London Buses route 24
London Buses route 24 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:This route dates back to 1910, when it ran between Hampstead Heath and Victoria...
, 88
London Buses route 88
London Buses route 88 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
and 345, and Night route N11, N44, and N87.
History
Opened in 1952 after nearly 4 years of planning and building with many materials short of supply and problems re-housing residents of the houses that stood on the site. Stockwell garage is a listed building, and when built was a masterpiece of architectural design incorporating a new roof structure that did not need supports which enabled for a 73350 square feet (6,814.4 m²) unobstructed parking space. The offices and workshops are on the edges of the garage but do not take up any of the parking space. In the first few days of operation the garage ran just 11 buses on route 178 which had moved from Rye Lane (Peckham), but then gained more work from the next stage of the tram replacement program for which it had been designed for, but it was still well short of capacity. More work arrived in late 1953 and early 1954 when routes 77 and 77A (now 87) moved from Victoria garage due to recruitment problems, and the closure of Nunhead which increased the PVR to 110 buses. In the early 1970s the Round London Sightseeing Tours moved to Stockwell. In 1984 Stockwell was chosen to conduct comparative testing on route 170, consisting of MCW MetrobusMCW 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...
es, Leyland Titans
Leyland Titan (B15)
The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport.-Development:...
, Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
s, Dennis Dominator
Dennis Dominator
The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977. Dennis had been absent from the bus manufacturing market since the last Lolines were produced in 1967. The Dominator was described as bespoke, with numerous options...
s, and Volvo Ailsas. The allocation steadied at around 120 for many years, but has increased in the last few years, partially due to taking back full control of route 11 from RA.
London General have successfully gained the contracts for routes 19 and N19 and from 31 March 2012, they will be operated from this garage.
Bus types in use
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart 10.8m (SE) for route 170.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m (E) for routes 24, 88, 196, 337 and 345.
- Alexander Dennis Enviro400H hybrid 10.1m (EH) for route 24.
- Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m / Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 (LDP) for route 315.
- 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...
(PVL) for route 87. - Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m / Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 (DP) for route 170.
- 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 / 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....
(WVL) for routes 11, 88, 333, 639, 670, N11, N44 and N87. - Wright Gemini 2 DLWright Gemini 2The Wright Gemini 2 is a double-decker bus built by Wrightbus since 2008. It was announced in December 2007 but was not named until 2008.It was constructed as an integral with VDL chassis modules. It is available in two versions, the diesel-powered version and the diesel-electric hybrid version...
10.4m (WDL) for route 88. - Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV (WHD) for route 24.
- Volvo B9TLVolvo B9TLThe Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WVL) to be introduced partially on routes 19 and N19 from March 2012. - Volvo B5LVolvo B5LThe Volvo B5L is a hybrid-electric powered bus built by Volvo since 2008.The design of the chassis is similar to that of the Volvo B7L...
Hybrid 10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WHV) to be introduced partially on routes 19 and N19 from March 2012.