London Central
 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead London |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 April 1989 |
| Headquarters | Merton |
| Service area | South London |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depots | 5 |
| Website | goaheadlondon |
London Central(officiallyLondon General Transport Services Limited),[1]trading asGo-Ahead London,is a bus company operating inSouth London.The London Central brand is a subsidiary ofGo-Ahead Londonand operates services under contract toTransport for London.
History
[edit]
London Central commenced operating on 1 April 1989 when London Buses was divided into 11 separatebusiness units.In September 1994, it was sold to theGo-Ahead Groupfor £23.8 million.[2]In August 2008, Go-Ahead's London bus operations all adopted theGo-Ahead Londontrading name, although the individual company names are still applied beneath the logo on most buses.
Garages
[edit]London Central operates five bus garages.
Bexleyheath (BX)
[edit]As of January 2024, Bexleyheath garage operates routes51,89,132,244,486,601,624,625,658,B11,B12,B13andB16.[3]
History
[edit]Built as a trolleybus depot by theLondon Passenger Transport Board,Bexleyheath was the only new garage built for trolleybuses. The depot is a large and imposing building, slightly set back from the main road to enable parking on the forecourt, which was used as a terminus forroute 122.Bexleyheath closed in 1986, with work transferred toCatford,Plumsteadand Sidcup garages.
In 1988 it re-opened under the guise ofBexleybus,a low-cost unit set up by London Buses under de-regulation, and had a large and varied allocation fromIveco/Robin Hoods andMCW MetroriderstoLeyland OlympiansandDaimler Fleetlines.The move to set up the new company to tender for routes backfired, and in the next round of tendering onlyroute B16was awarded to Bexleybus, whilst London Central won nine.
London Central took control of Bexleyheath garage and routes in 1990. Lately the garage has had a good utilisation figure, up to 139 in 2001 which necessitated parking in the rear yard and the forecourt. In January 2007, the garage received its firstAlexander Dennis Enviro400sfor use on route 486.
This garage also houses one of the companies iBus hubs, controlling routes for Bexleyheath, Morden Wharf, New Cross, and Peckham garages.
In 2022, Bexleyheath became the first bus garage in London to be equipped for 'opportunity charge'electric busoperation, whereby the bus is charged while terminating before starting its next journey. This was introduced onroute 132whose eastern terminus is at the garage.[4]A gantry was installed at the garage connecting with apantographon the top of the bus.[5]On 9 July 2022, a fleet ofAlexander Dennis Enviro400EVsbegan to enter service on the route.[5]
Camberwell (Q)
[edit]As of January 2024, Camberwell garage operates routes1,12,35,40,42,100,108D,176,185,355,360,484,N1,N15(additional workings only) andSL6.[6]On 30 April 2016, route 345 passed toAbellio London.On 2 May 2020, route P5 passed to Abellio London.
History
[edit]Although built in 1914, Camberwell garage was not used as a bus garage until 1919 as it had been requisitioned for the war effort. Once it came into use it was one of London's largest garages and also carried out body overhauls in 1940/41. The garage was bombed duringWorld War IIin 1940 with four buses being destroyed and 13 seriously damaged.
During the early 1950s the garage underwent modernisation with the welfare and operational block reconstructed and the parking area extended. The new building also incorporated a new pit and workshop layout in a separate self-contained block which also undertook heavy maintenance for the adjacent Walworth garage, 350 buses in all.
The allocation at Camberwell decreased slightly over the years from 165 in 1952 until the closure ofWalworth garagein 1985 increased the allocation to 142. Camberwell was also the home of threeLeyland Titansfitted with electronic blinds which were used on night bus standby duties.
New Routemasterswere introduced onroutes 12and68between 2015 and 2016, and newAlexander Dennis Enviro200EVswere introduced onroute 484on 20 March 2021.
On 18 March 2023, London Central commenced operating three additional journeys on route N15.
Route 188 was transferred from this garage back to Morden Wharf (MG) garage on 30 September 2023.
Route 1 was transferred to this garage from Morden Wharf (MG) garage on 30 September 2023.
Morden Wharf (MG)
[edit]As of September 2023, Morden Wharf garage operates routes108,178,188,225,286,291,386and469.
History
[edit]On 29 July 2017, Morden Wharf garage opened on theGreenwich PeninsulaafterLondon General's Mandela Way garage closed, initially operating routes 108, 129, and 286.[7][8]
New Cross (NX)
[edit]As of April 2024, New Cross garage operates routes21,36,108,129,171,172,321,343,436,453,N21,N89,N136,N171,N343andP4.[9]
History
[edit]Said to be the largest of London's bus garages with space for over 300 buses, New Cross garage was originally a tram depot and opened in 1906. In 1952 with the trams withdrawn, the depot was converted into a bus garage. The garage has never been even close to its capacity due to the close proximity of other garages, but has at various times been used to store surplus vehicles.
The garage allocation has fluctuated over the years, from 191 in 1966 to 132 in 2001. The garage also houses some of the private hire fleet which is painted in the style of the former London General company. New Cross was also the garage for two special services, first in 1972 when it operated en ex Tilling ST onroute 100andLPGEast Lancs MyllenniumbodiedDAF SB220sforMillennium Domeservices M1 and M2. In 2003 the garage also began operatingMercedes-Benz Citaroarticulated buses onroute 436.In January 2005route 36ceased to be operated byAEC Routemasterswith one man operated double deckers taking over.
Peckham (PM)
[edit]As of December 2023, Peckham garage operates routes37,78,197andP12.[6]
History
[edit]Peckham garage was converted from a local authority maintenance depot and opened in 1994 with a capacity for 75 buses. In 2000 the garage put London's firstAlexander ALX400bodiedVolvo B7TLlow-floor vehicles into service on63.Peckham won bus garage of the year in 2004, although this turned out to be a poisoned chalice for the garage, losing almost half of its work in the next year's tender awards.
Fleet
[edit]As at December 2019, London Central had a peak vehicle requirement of 676 buses.[3][9][6]
References
[edit]- ^Companies House extract company no 2328489London General Transport Services Limited
- ^"GAG buys London Central".Coach & Bus Week.No. 136. Peterborough: Emap. 1 October 1994.
- ^abCarr, Ken (May 2015).The London Bus Guide(5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 114.ISBN978-0-9931735-3-0.
- ^"OPP charge buses enter service".Buses.Retrieved6 September2022.
- ^abLydall, Ross (26 October 2022)."Fleet of London buses get rapid charging tech".Evening Standard.Retrieved26 October2022.
- ^abcCarr, Ken (May 2015).The London Bus Guide(5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 118.ISBN978-0-9931735-3-0.
- ^Mandela Way garage has closed its gates, after nearly 10 yearsGo-Ahead London August 2017
- ^New garage for Go-Ahead LondonBusesissue 750 September 2017 page 24
- ^abCarr, Ken (May 2015).The London Bus Guide(5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 117.ISBN978-0-9931735-3-0.
External links
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Media related toLondon Centralat Wikimedia Commons
Bus operators inLondon | |
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