Taking a trip down memory lane to the
decade of the 2000’s, twelve London Bus routes operated with articulated buses.
The type of articulated bus was the Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro G artic.
The photographs are taken from
Wikimedia Commons.
London
Buses route 12
Go Ahead London Central MAL91 BX54UDZ
By
oyxman - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2141681
Operated from 06th November 2004 till
05th November 2011
London
Buses route 18
First London EA11066 LV52VFW
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736684
Operated from 15th November 2003 till
13th November 2010
London
Buses route 25
Stagecoach East London 23039 LX04KZL
By
Oxyman - Own work, CC BY 2.5,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1991145
Operated from 26th June 2004 till 25th
June 2011
London
Buses route 29
Arriva London MA127 BX55FWL
By
Sean Quinn from Dumbarton, Scotland - Uploaded by oxyman, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10901039
Operated from
14th January 2006 till 26th November 2011
London
Buses route 38
Arriva London MA90 BX55FWB
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4447990
Operated from 29th October 2005 till
14th November 2009
London
Buses route 73
Arriva London MA60 BX04NBK
By
Iwouldstay - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2798605
Operated from 4th September 2004 till
3rd September 2011
London
Buses route 149
Arriva London MA29 BX04MYF
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736452
Operated from 24th April 2004 till
16th October 2010
London
Buses route 207
First London EA11045 LK05FDJ
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736645
Operated from
9th April 2005 till 10th September 2011
There was an experimental trial of six
Volvo B10LA/Wright artics which operated from 15th October 2001 till
27th April 2002. More information can be seen here, here and here
(which includes images).
London
Buses route 436
Go Ahead London Central MAL38 BD52LNP
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736722
Started off as a new route from 9th
February 2003 till 19th November 2011
London
Buses route 453
Stagecoach Selkent 23008 LX03HCG
By
Badudoy at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3800009
Go Ahead London General MAL98 BD57WDC
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736902
Started off as a new route with
standard double decks and operated by Stagecoach Selkent from 15th February
2003. Then the artics were introduced from 15th March 2003. Later, on 16th
February 2008 the contract was moved to Go
Ahead London General with new Mercedes Citaro artics. The route was converted
to double deck buses on 24th September 2011.
Red
Arrow route 507
Go Ahead London General MAL21 BX02YYJ
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736850
Operated from 5th June 2002
till 25th July 2009
Red
Arrow route 521
Go Ahead London General MAL17 BX02YZA
By
Arriva436 - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10736826
Operated from 5th June 2002
till 1st September 2009
I’d like to add that routes 12, 38 and
73 was converted from crew operated AEC Routemaster buses to One Person
Operation Mercedes-Benz Citaro artics. Currently, routes 12, 38, 73, 149 and 453
are served with 3 door 2 staircase hybrid buses called the New Routemaster.
You can follow me on Twitter and Google Plus which is @CLondoner92
Related articles
Two former bendy bus routes to be served by New Routemasters (Routes 12 and 149)
Route 453 conversion to New Routemaster finally announced by TFL
The Oddities of London Buses (Which includes history of the first bendy bus trial back in 1992)
Route 453 conversion to New Routemaster finally announced by TFL
The Oddities of London Buses (Which includes history of the first bendy bus trial back in 1992)