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London Buses route 2

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2
Overview
OperatorArriva London
GarageNorwood
VehicleVolvo B5LH Wright Gemini 3[1][2]
Peak vehicle requirement21[1]
PredecessorsRoute 2B
Night-timeNight Bus N2
Route
StartNorwood bus garage
ViaBrixton
Victoria
Marble Arch
EndMarylebone station
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyAbout every 7-12 minutes

London Buses route 2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Norwood bus garage and Marylebone station, it is operated by Arriva London.

History

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AEC Routemaster in Crystal Palace in April 1971
Arriva London Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL in September 2007

Route 2 was the last West End bus route that was operated by step-entrance buses other than AEC Routemasters. Ironically, it was also the first London bus route to use the Routemaster.[3]

In the 1950s, the route was run using AEC Regent IIIs.[4] On 8 February 1956, the first prototype AEC Routemaster ran on route 2 between Golders Green and Crystal Palace and after undergoing modifications the following year, it passed to route 260.[5][6] On 29 January 1994, route 2 was converted to one man operation with the AEC Routemasters replaced by Leyland Olympians and MCW Metrobuses.[7]

In 2003, brand new Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TLs were introduced. Conversion to the type took place a few months before the contract was renewed.

In 2015, the route received a part allocation of Enviro400s from route 341. Some of its longer 10.6 metre Volvo B7TL's were transferred to Edmonton bus garage for use on route 123.[8]

It is operated out of Norwood bus garage with a peak vehicle requirement of 21 buses.[9]

In 2021, the peak frequency of the service was reduced from eight buses per hour to seven.[10]

Current route

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Route 2 operates via these primary locations:[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ken Carr (2015). The London Bus Guide. Visions International.
  2. ^ David Maxey (2016). Red all Over- The London Bus Review of 2015. Visions International.
  3. ^ Marshall, Prince (1972). Wheels of London. The Sunday Times Magazine. ISBN 0-7230-0068-9.
  4. ^ Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781854142337.
  5. ^ Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 99. ISBN 0853290830.
  6. ^ Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 9781854142337.
  7. ^ Blacker, Ken (2007). Routemaster: 1970–2005. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-85414-303-7.
  8. ^ Carr, Ken (May 2015). The London Bus Guide (5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.
  9. ^ Maxey, David (2016). Red All Over- The London Bus Review of 2015. Visions International.
  10. ^ Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ Route 2 Map Transport for London
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