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This is a list ofTransport for London (TfL) contractedbus routes in London, England, as well as commercial services that enter theGreater London area (exceptcoaches).
Bus services in London are operated byArriva London,Go-Ahead London (Blue Triangle,Docklands Buses,London Central andLondon General),Metroline,First Bus London,Stagecoach London (East London,Selkent andThameside),Transport UK London Bus andUno. TfL-sponsored operators run more than 500 services.
Examples of non TfL-sponsored operators include, but are not limited to:Arriva Herts & Essex,Arriva Southern Counties,Carousel Buses,Diamond South East,Go-Coach,First Beeline,Metrobus,Stagecoach South,Thames Valley Buses andReading Buses.
In Victorian times, people who took the bus would recognise the owner and the route of anomnibus (Latin for 'for all') only by its livery and its line name, with painted signs on the sides showing the two termini to indicate the route. Then, in 1906, George Samuel Dicks of the London Motor Omnibus Company decided that, as the line name 'Vanguard' had proved to be very popular, he would name all lines 'Vanguard' and number the company's five routes 1 to 5. Other operators soon saw the advantage, in that a unique route number was easier for the travelling public to remember, and so the practice of using route numbers soon spread.[1]
Bus routes run by London Transport were grouped as follows.
TheLondon Traffic Act 1924 imposed numbering known as the Bassom Scheme, named afterSuperintendent (laterChief Constable)Arthur Ernest Bassom of theMetropolitan Police who devised it. For many decades, variant and short workings used letter suffixes (e.g. "77B"). The numbers reflected the company that operated the route.
The numbering was revised in 1934 afterLondon Transport was formed:[2]
Numbers | Service | |
---|---|---|
1–199 | "Central Area" red double-decker routes. | |
200–289 | "Central Area" red single-decker routes. | |
290–299 | "Central Area"night buses. | |
300–399 | "Country Area" north of theRiver Thames. | (Operated byLondon Country Bus Services after 1970) |
400–499 | "Country Area" south of theRiver Thames. | |
500–699 | Trolleybuses. | |
701–799 | Green Line Coaches. | |
800–899 | "Country Area" "New Towns" routes. | (LCBS after 1970) |
Route numbers | Type of service |
---|---|
1–599 | Most local day routes, including 24-hour services. |
600–699 | School services, with the majority of them operating only one return journey per day. |
700–799 | Regional and national coach services, includingGreen Line. Also used for temporaryTfL routes. |
800–899 | Regional and national coach services. |
900–999 | One mobility buses route withinTfL, detailedbelow. |
Other letter-prefixed routes | Local day routes, including 24-hour services, with the letter denoting a key area the bus travels through. |
EL-prefixed routes | East London Transit routes. |
SL- and X- prefixed routes | Superloop routes. |
N-prefixed routes | Night Bus routes. |
All routes operate in both directions unless detailed.
Route | Start | End | Operator | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
533[9][93] | Hammersmith bus station | Castelnau | Go-Ahead London | A temporary route replacing routes 33, 72, 209 and 485 until further notice due to the closure ofHammersmith Bridge[10] |
Route numbers from 600 to 699 are used for school services, with the majority of them running one return journey on each weekday during peak times and during school term time.[94]
Route numbers from 900 to 999 represent mobility buses; these mostly provide a once-a-week return journey to a local shopping centre from relatively low-density neighbourhoods where there is no alternative route in the main bus network. The number of mobility buses routes has declined over the past few years because low-floor and wheelchair-accessible buses run on allLondon Buses routes.
Route | Start | End | Operator | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
969 | Whitton | Roehampton Vale | Transport UK London Bus | Operates one return journey on Tuesdays and Fridays only.[102][103] |
Route | Start | End | Operator | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
EL1 | Barking Riverside | Ilford | Go-Ahead London | Operates as a 24-hour service.[25] Originally numbered 369 until 20 February 2010. |
EL2 | Becontree Heath | Dagenham Dock | Go-Ahead London | |
EL3 | Barking Riverside | Little Heath | Go-Ahead London | Originally numbered 387 until 18 February 2017.[115] |
Route | Start | End | Operator | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCS | North Greenwich | Royal Victoria DLR station | Stagecoach London | Only to be used by cyclists.[116] |
Night Bus routes are often related to the day numerical equivalent, normally running the same route but with an extension at either end of the service. This is normally to provide a night service to destinations served by tube or train during the day.[117]
However, there are a few N-prefixed route numbers that have no relation to their daytime equivalents: the N5, N20, and N97 all operate in a different part of London to their respective day routes. Also, the N550 and N551 (which provide night service on parts of the DLR network), and the N271 (whose daytime service was withdrawn on 4 February 2023) have no corresponding daytime routes.[117]
There are also 24-hour routes, which run day and night but usually with a lower frequency during the night hours. The vast majority run the same route at all times. With the introduction of theNight Tube, some day routes have been extended to run during Friday and Saturday nights to serve the stations.
These bus routes are not contracted toTfL and are therefore not 'London Buses', all but three run from villages and towns outsideGreater London to destinations within. They are painted in a colour chosen by the operator, so are not necessarily red likeLondon Buses, and most of them do not acceptOyster cards. These routes are operated with aLondon Service Permit issued byTfL so they are recognised byTfL bus maps and appear onTfL bus stops.[118]
Route | Start | End | Withdrawal date(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
9H | Kensington High Street | Trafalgar Square | 25 July 2014[166][167] | Heritage route that usedAEC Routemaster buses. |
10 | Hammersmith bus station | London King's Cross railway station | 24 November 2018[168][169] | Partially replaced by route23. |
15H | Tower Hill tube station | Trafalgar Square | 14 November 2020[170] | Heritage route that usedAEC Routemaster buses. |
48 | London Bridge bus station | Walthamstow bus station | 12 October 2019[171] | Replaced by routes26,55 and388. |
77A | Aldwych | Wandsworth | 3 June 2006 | Renumbered 87.[172] |
82 | North Finchley bus station | Victoria bus station | 1 April 2017[173][174] | Replaced by route13. |
87 | Barking | Romford Market | 25 March 2006 | Replaced by an extension of route5. |
118 | Morden tube station | Brixton tube station | 1 February 2025 | Replaced by route45.[175] |
129 | Claybury Broadway | Becontree Heath | 26 June 2004 | Replaced by revised versions of routes 128 and 150. |
143D | Christ's College Finchley | Archway tube station | 4 February 2023 | Ran schoolday journeys only. |
168 | Hampstead Heath | Old Kent Road | 30 September 2023 | Replaced by route1.[176] |
239 | London Victoria station | Clapham Junction | 16 February 2008 | Replaced by route 170. |
271 | Finsbury Square | Highgate Village | 4 February 2023 | Replaced by routes21, 263 and N271. |
305 | Edgware bus station | Kingsbury | 1 September 2018 | Replaced by route 303. |
332 | Brent Park | London Paddington station | 29 April 2023 | Replaced by route16.[177] |
347 | Romford railway station | Ockendon railway station | 18 January 2025 | Partially replaced by an extension of route 346[178] |
351 | Bromley North railway station | Penge | 24 June 2002 | Renumbered 354. |
369 | Ilford | Thames View Estate | 20 February 2010 | Replaced by new routes EL1 and EL2. |
374 | Romford railway station | Harold Hill | 14 October 2005 | Replaced by route 174. |
387 | Little Heath | Barking Riverside | 18 February 2017 | Renumbered EL3. |
391 | Richmond | Hammersmith bus station | 12 December 2020[111] | Replaced by route 110. |
405D | Purley | West Croydon bus station | 4 January 2022 | Replaced by route 645. |
414 | Putney Bridge tube station | Marble Arch tube station | 22 February 2025 | Replaced by routes14 and74[179] |
455 | Purley | Wallington railway station | 2 March 2024 | Replaced by routes 166,312 and S4.[180] |
497 | Harold Wood railway station | Harold Hill | 9 March 2024 | Replaced by an extension of route 346.[181] |
507 | London Waterloo station | Victoria bus station | 29 April 2023 | Replaced by routes3,11 and C10.[177] |
521 | London Bridge bus station | London Waterloo station | 29 April 2023 | Replaced by routes59 and133.[177] |
530 | Holloway | Angel tube station | 29 October 2017 | A temporary route introduced on 16 August 2017 and operated byGo-Ahead London. Created due to works onUpper Street. Ran one way toAngel tube station only. |
541 | Prince Regent DLR station | Keir Hardie Estate | 1 June 2012 31 March 2013 30 October 2015 19 February 2016 | A temporary route introduced on 3 May 2011, 1 October 2012, 14 September 2013 and 15 February 2016 and operated byStagecoach London (3 May 2011 until 1 June 2012 and 1 October 2012 until 31 March 2013) andGo-Ahead London (14 September 2013 until 30 October 2015 and 15 February 2015 until 19 February 2016). Created multiple times due to a temporary withdrawal of route 241 betweenCanning Town bus station andPrince Regent DLR station. |
546 | Keston | Downe | 20 December 2024 | A temporary route introduced on 18 November 2024 and operated byEnsignbus due to roadworks on Rookery Road and a temporary withdrawal of route 146 betweenKeston andDowne. |
549 | Loughton tube station | South Woodford tube station | 7 September 2024 | Replaced by a restructured version of route W14.[182] |
558 | Seven Sisters station | Chingford Mount | 28 August 2015 | A temporary route introduced on 10 August 2015 and operated byMetroline. Created due to a closure of theVictoria line betweenSeven Sisters andWalthamstow Central stations.[183] |
588 | Hackney Wick | Stratford City bus station | 14 December 2013 | A temporary route introduced on 13 July 2013 and operated byStagecoach London. Was the first bus route to operate through theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park.[184] |
607 | Uxbridge tube station | White City bus station | 15 July 2023 | RenumberedSL8.[185] |
609 | The Harrodian School | Hammersmith bus station | 18 May 2019[186][187] | Morning journeys fromHammersmith bus station terminated atMortlake. |
611 | Stonebridge Park station | Christ's College Finchley | 18 July 2020 | Partly replaced by route112.[187] |
618 | Mill Hill Broadway railway station | Avanti House Secondary School | 3 April 2018 | [187] |
619 | Edgware bus station | Avanti House Secondary School | 3 April 2018 | [187] |
636 | Kemnal Technology College | Grove Park | 2 September 2017 | Ran one way toGrove Park only.[187] |
637 | Kemnal Technology College | Grove Park | 2 September 2017 | Ran one way toGrove Park only.[187] |
641 | West Molesey | Teddington School | 30 September 2017 | [187] |
648 | Romford railway station | Cranham | 24 July 2021[188] | Replaced by route 248 and partially replaced by route 646.[187] |
689 | Norwood bus garage | Burntwood School | 30 July 2011 | Replaced by route 690. |
692 | Dame Alice Owen's School | Southgate tube station | 2 September 2023 | Ran one way toSouthgate tube station only; reincorporated into route 699.[187] |
718 | Morden tube station | Rosehill | 5 December 2021 | A temporary route introduced on 30 November 2019 and operated byGo-Ahead London. Created due to a closure ofBishopsford Road Bridge.[189] |
728 | Fulham Town Hall | Southside Wandsworth | 2 October 2023 | A temporary route introduced on 24 July 2023 and operated byAbellio London. Created due to a closure ofWandsworth Bridge.[190] |
733 | Oval tube station | Finsbury Square | 13 May 2022 | A temporary route introduced on 15 January 2022 and operated byTower Transit. Created due to a closure of theNorthern line betweenMoorgate andOval stations.[191] |
931 | Crystal Palace | Lewisham Shopping Centre | 19 May 2017[192] | Operated one return journey on Fridays. Replaced by local routes in the area and theDial-a-Ride service.[193] |
953 | Scrattons Eco Park | Romford | 7 November 2012 | Operated two return journeys on Wednesdays. Replaced by local routes in the area and theDial-a-Ride service.[194] |
965 | Riverhill | Kingston upon Thames | 12 October 2018 | Operated one return journey on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. Replaced by theDial-a-Ride service. Crossed border intoSurrey on Worcester Park Road.[195] |
C2 | Parliament Hill Fields | Regent Street | 30 March 2019[196][115] | Replaced by route88.[197] |
H23 | Hounslow bus station | Heathrow Airport | 21 March 2008 | Extended toHeathrow Terminal 5 and renumbered 423. |
H50 | West Drayton railway station | Circular viaStockley Park | 21 March 2008 | Extended toHeathrow Terminal 5 and renumbered 350. |
PR1 | Willesden Junction station | Ealing Broadway station | 23 March 2007 | Replaced by routes 226 and PR2. |
PR2 | Willesden Junction station | Wembley Park | 14 October 2011 | Replaced by route 206. |
R6 | Orpington railway station | St Mary Cray railway station | 29 March 2025 | Replaced by route B14.[198] |
RV1 | Covent Garden | Tower Gateway DLR station | 15 June 2019[199][200] | Partly replaced by route343. |
S2 | Stratford bus station | Clapton | 5 July 2008 | Replaced by routes 425 and 488. |
S5 | Wallington | Mitcham Common | 1 March 2002 | Replaced by a revised version of route 463. |
T31 | New Addington | Forestdale | 24 October 2015[39] | Replaced by changes to routes 64, 130 and 353. |
T32 | New Addington tram stop | Addington Village Interchange | Replaced by changes to routes 64 and 130. | |
T33 | West Croydon bus station | Addington Village Interchange | Renumbered433. | |
W10 | Crews Hill | Enfield Town | 13 March 2021 | Replaced by route456. |
N10 | Richmond | London King's Cross railway station | 29 January 2010 | Replaced by routes10 and 33. |
N13 | North Finchley bus station | Aldwych | 1 April 2017 | Replaced by a 24-hour service on route13. |
N16 | Edgware bus station | London Victoria station | 29 April 2023 | Renumbered N32.[177] |
N35 | Clapham Junction railway station | Tottenham Court Road station | 30 April 2016 | Replaced by a 24-hour service on route 35. |
N36 | Queen's Park station | Grove Park railway station | 9 February 2008 | Replaced by a new 24-hour service on route36 and a new route N136 betweenOxford Circus andGrove Park railway station. |
N47 | Trafalgar Square | St Mary Cray railway station | 12 September 2015 | Replaced by new route N199 and a 24-hour service on route 47. |
N64 | New Addington | Thornton Heath Pond | 24 October 2015 | Replaced by a 24-hour service on route 64. |
N76 | Northumberland Park railway station | Lower Marsh | 8 November 2014 | Withdrawn betweenTottenham andNorthumberland Park railway station and renumbered 76. |
N93 | Putney Bridge tube station | North Cheam | 3 April 2004 | Incorporated into the main service of route 93. |
N159 | Marble Arch tube station | New Addington | 27 August 2010 | Replaced by routes159, N64 and N109. |
X26 | West Croydon bus station | Heathrow Central bus station | 19 August 2023 | RenumberedSL7.[185] |
X68 | Russell Square | West Croydon bus station | 31 July 2023 | RenumberedSL6.[185] |
X140 | Heathrow Central bus station | Harrow bus station | 26 August 2023 | RenumberedSL9.[185] |
All routes operate in both directions unless stated.
Route | Start | End | Operator | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
7X | East Acton | London Paddington station | Metroline | Runs annually during theNotting Hill Carnival weekend.[201] |
36X | Peckham | Harrow Road | Go-Ahead London | Runs annually during theNotting Hill Carnival weekend. Runs one-way towards Harrow Road only.[201] |
The majority of our schoolday-only routes (routes generally numbered 600-699)