| 18 | |
|---|---|
_First_Bus_London_VH45116_BT13YWM_18_2025-06-16.jpg) | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | London United (First Bus London)[1] |
| Garage | Park Royal[1] |
| Vehicle | Volvo B5LHWright Gemini 3 |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 37 |
| Former operators | Metroline First London RATP Dev Transit London |
| Night-time | N18 |
| Route | |
| Start | Sudbury & Harrow Road station |
| Via | Wembley Stonebridge Harlesden Kensal Green Baker Street |
| End | Euston bus station |
| Length | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | About every 4-7 minutes |
| Journey time | 42-90 minutes |
| Operates | 05:15 until 01:11 |
| Annual patronage | 12.6 million (2022/23) |
London Buses route 18 is aTransport for London contracted bus route inLondon, England. Running betweenSudbury & Harrow Road station andEuston bus station, it is operated byFirst Bus London subsidiaryLondon United.
In the period 2022/23, it was the busiest bus route in London.[2]
In 1934 there were four routes, 18, 18A, 18B and 18C. The 18 and 18A, plus 18B on weekdays, ran fromLondon Bridge station, viaSouthwark Bridge,St Paul's station andGray's Inn Road toKing's Cross station. From here the 18 and 18B ran daily, the 18A on Mondays to Saturdays and the 18C on Sundays, viaPaddington andHarrow Road toHarlesden, where the 18A continued toPark Royal. The other three routes ran toStonebridge Park; the 18B ran on via theNorth Circular Road toBrent Cross. The 18C peeled off here to serveWembley Empire Pool, while the 18 and 18C served Wembley and Sudbury. The 18C then headed south toGreenford andHanwell, while the 18 continued north toHarrow andHarrow Weald.[3]
Route 18 was withdrawn betweenCentral London and Harlesden except on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, times at which route 18A no longer ran. The 18A, having run every four minutes, was withdrawn without replacement on 17 October 1939. The 18C Sunday extension into the centre was also withdrawn; the 18 was cut back to Wembley Empire Pool on Mondays to Saturdays, but was diverted at Wealdstone to serveCanons Park andEdgware, with a peak hours and Sundays extension to provide a service toAldenham Works. The 18C was renumbered to 92 on 14 June 1944, with a 92A variant running to Wembley Trading Estate at certain times of the week.[3]
Trolleybus replacement in the 1960s saw the 18 extended back toPaddington Green to replace route 662. The 18B was withdrawn, and the 18 extended except on Monday to Saturday evenings to London Bridge. The former 18A was reintroduced at peak hours, running betweenActon and Paddington Green via a slightly different route. This was extended toBaker Street in 1978, but withdrawn in September.[3]
In 1970, the 18 was cut back to run only as far out as Sudbury, with newroute 182 covering the section between Wembley and Harrow Weald (and on toWatford), and the 186 the section between Harrow and Edgware, both routes later being extended to new shopping centre at Brent Cross. In 1985 the 18 was curtailed at King's Cross, apart from a peak hours service as far asFarringdon Street. The section between King's Cross and London Bridge was covered by newroute 17.[3]
In 1992 the Countdownreal-time information system was installed at stops on route 18. The system proved popular with passengers and has been extended across London.[4]
In November 2003, route 18Mercedes-Benz O530G articulated buses replacedPlaxton President bodiedDennis Tridents with the route transferred fromWestbourne Park garage toWillesden Junction.[5]
In 2008 the route was named as the most problematic for crime in London.[6] On 13 November 2010, route 18 was converted back to double deck operation as part of theMayor of London's policy to replace the O530Gs.[7] NewWright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodiedVolvo B9TLs were introduced, and the frequency was increased to every 4 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes and to 6-7 Sunday daytimes.[8]
On 22 June 2013, route 18 was included in the sale ofFirst London's Willesden Junction garage toMetroline.[9][10][11] Upon being re-tendered it was awarded toLondon United'sPark Royal garage from 11 November 2018.[12][13][14]
In the period 2022/23 the route was the busiest TfL bus route, carrying 12.6 million passengers, a position it has held continuously since 2018/19 when it carried 16.7 million passengers.[15]
On 28 February 2025, the route passed fromLondon United toFirst Bus London following the acquisition ofRATP Dev Transit London byFirstGroup.[16] The route is to be converted to usebattery electric buses with the delivery of a batch ofBYD BD11 double deckers expected in early 2026.[17]
Route 18 operates via these primary locations:[18]
Media related toLondon Buses route 18 at Wikimedia Commons
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