London Buses route 96
| 96 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | Stagecoach London |
| Garage | Plumstead |
| Vehicle | Alexander Dennis Enviro400H |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 24 |
| Began service | 4 March 1959 |
| Predecessors | TrolleybusRoute 696 |
| Former operator(s) | Kentish Bus Bexleybus London Regional Transport London Transport Executive |
| Night-time | No night service |
| Route | |
| Start | Woolwich |
| Via | Plumstead East Wickham Welling Bexleyheath Crayford Dartford |
| End | Bluewater Shopping Centre |
| Length | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | About every 8-15 minutes |
| Journey time | 40-77 minutes |
| Operates | 04:30 until 01:08 |
London Buses route 96is aTransport for Londoncontracted bus route inLondonandKent,England. Running betweenWoolwichandBluewater Shopping Centre,it is operated byStagecoach London.
History
[edit]
Route 96 was atram linerunning betweenWoolwichandDartford.On 10 November 1935, it was replaced, along with several other tram routes, bytrolleybusroute 696 operating out ofBexleyheath garage.[1]Route 696 was replaced by motor bus route 96 on 4 March 1959.[2][3]It was extended from Dartford toBluewater Shopping Centreon 16 March 1999. Because this stretch is outsideGreater London,it runs express between these points, only stopping atDarent Valley Hospitalin between.[4]
On 31 July 2006, a vehicle operating route 96 bound for Bluewater caught fire in Dartford.[5]In 2013, a report from theLondon Assemblyfound the route to be among the ten most crowded in London.[6]
There were proposals as early as 2011 to alter the route to run viaDarent Valley Hospital.[7]However, this change was delayed as it was deemed necessary to use theFastrack Bus Lanes,andKent County Councilhad refused to allow route 96 to use it.[8][9]The route alteration was finally implemented on 16 December 2017.[10][11][12][13]
Having been operated byBexleybusandKentish Bus,it has been operated bySelkentout ofPlumstead garagesince January 1999.[14][15]
Current route
[edit]Route 96 operates via these primary locations:[16]
- Woolwich Arsenal station
- Woolwich station
- Plumstead station
- East Wickham
- Welling
- Crook Log
- Bexleyheath Shopping Centre
- Crayford
- Dartford station
- Darent Valley Hospital
- Bluewater Shopping Centre
Between Dartford and Bluewater, route 96 operates as an express service, only stopping at Darent Valley Hospital in between.[17]
Previous use
[edit]The 96 route number has also been used for a non-related route inChelsea.This route was withdrawn in the late 1950s.[18][19]
References
[edit]- ^"60 miles of trolleybus routes".Daily Mirror.26 October 1935. p. 6.Retrieved18 August2021.
- ^"Routes 696 & 698".Trolleybus.Retrieved18 August2021.
- ^The London Bus(5 ed.). Stamford:Key Publishing.2018. p. 116.
- ^Moth, David (2019),Buses in Outer London Since 1990,Amberley Publishing,ISBN9781445687858
- ^Teenagers wanted over bus blazeNews Shopper1 August 2006
- ^"Overcrowding on London's buses set to get worse".ITV News.30 October 2013.Retrieved13 August2021.
- ^"Councillors, democracy and elections".Dartford Borough Council.30 June 2011.Retrieved18 August2021.
- ^"Rescheduling bus route 96 to include Darent Valley Hospital".Mayor's Question Time.16 January 2012.Retrieved13 August2021.
- ^TfL to serve Fastrack for first timeBusesissue 752 November 2017 page 23
- ^Improving route 96Transport for London11 December 2017
- ^Porter, Toby (20 December 2017)."96 bus route to serve hospital".South London News.Retrieved13 August2021.
- ^Bull, Tom (19 December 2017)."Bus route 96 to run to Darent Valley Hospital".News Shopper.Retrieved13 August2021.
- ^Bus service changesTransport for London 1 December 2017 page 7
- ^Large TfL tender round sees Arriva scoop new serviceCoach & Bus Weekissue 1357 28 August 2018 page 7
- ^Latest tendered service awardsBusesissue 763 October 2018 page 23
- ^Route 96 MapTransport for London
- ^Marius, Callum (12 August 2021)."The 19 London bus routes that take you outside the M25".MyLondon.Retrieved13 August2021.
- ^"Council protest over bus services".Chelsea News and General Advertiser.6 March 1959. p. 2.Retrieved18 August2021.
- ^"'Waiters'".Fulham Chronicle.12 June 1959. p. 6.Retrieved18 August2021.
External links
[edit]
Media related toLondon Buses route 96at Wikimedia Commons
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