Photos of Bendy Buses in London

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 15^th October 2001 till 27^th 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 5^th June 2002 till 25^th 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 5^th June 2002 till 1^st 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.

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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)