1. Classification of route numbers
    Historic classification  Current classification 

2. List of routes
    1–99  100–199  200–299  300–399  400–499  500–599  600–699  900–999  Letter prefixes  Night only routes (N-prefixed) 

3. Non-TfL bus routes in Greater London

4. Temporary routes

5. Former routes

6. See also

7. References

8. Bibliography

9. External links

This is a list of Transport for London (TfL) contracted bus routes in London, England, as well as commercial services that enter the Greater London area (except coaches). Bus services in London are operated by Abellio London, Arriva London, CT Plus, Go-Ahead London (Blue Triangle, Docklands Buses, London Central, and London General), Metroline, RATP Group (London Sovereign, London United, and Quality Line) Stagecoach London (East London, Selkent, and Thameside), Sullivan Buses, Tower Transit, and Uno. TfL-sponsored operators run more than 500 services.

Non-TfL-sponsored operators including Arriva Shires & Essex, Arriva Southern Counties, Bexley Accessible Transport Scheme, Cardinal Buses, Carousel Buses, EOS Buses, Go-Ahead London, Go-Coach, First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, Hallmark Bus, Metroline, Metrobus, Red Rose Travel, Southdown PSV, Stagecoach South, Trustybus, and Uno operate services between parts of Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex on the one hand and London on the other, with one local council-sponsored service each in the boroughs of Bexley, Barking & Dagenham, and Hackney (extending into Islington).

Classification of route numbers

In Victorian times, passengers could only recognise the owner and route of an omnibus (Latin: "for everyone") by its distinctive livery (colour(s)) and line name, with painted signs on the sides showing the two termini to indicate the route. Then, in 1906, George Samuel Dicks of the London Motor Omnibus Company decided that, as the line name 'Vanguard' had proved to be very popular, he would name all lines 'Vanguard' and number the company's five routes 1 through to 5. Other operators soon saw the advantage, in that a unique route number was easier for the travelling public to remember, and so the practice of using route numbers soon spread.^[1]

Historic classification

Bus routes run by London Transport were grouped as follows.

The London Traffic Act 1924 imposed numbering known as the Bassom Scheme, named after Superintendent (later Chief Constable) Arthur Ernest Bassom of the Metropolitan Police who devised it. For many decades, variant and short workings used letter suffixes (e.g. "77B"). The numbers reflected the company that operated the route.

The numbering was revised in 1934 after London Transport was formed:

Current classification

List of routes

All routes operate in both directions unless detailed.

1–99

100–199

200–299

300–399

400–499

500–599

600–699

900–999

Route numbers from 900 to 999 represent Mobility Buses; these provide a once-a-week return journey to a local shopping centre from relatively low-density neighbourhoods where there is no alternative route in the main bus network. The number of Mobility Buses routes has declined because low-floor and wheelchair-accessible buses run on all London Buses routes except for the heritage route.

Letter prefixes

Night only routes (N-prefixed)

Night bus routes are often related to the day numerical equivalent, normally running the same route but with an extension at either end of the service. This is normally to provide a night service to destinations served by tube or train during the day.^[17]

However, there are a few N-prefixed route numbers that have no relation to their daytime equivalents: the N5, N20, and N97 all operate in a different part of London to their respective day routes, and the N550 and N551 (which provide night service on parts of the DLR network) have no corresponding daytime routes.^[17]

There are also 24-hour routes, which run day and night but usually with a lower frequency during the night hours. The vast majority run the same route at all times. With the introduction of the Night Tube, some day routes have been extended to run during Friday and Saturday nights to serve the stations.

Non-TfL bus routes in Greater London

These bus routes are not contracted to TfL and are therefore not 'London Buses'. All but three run from the villages and towns outside Greater London to destinations within (the exceptions are the 812, 938, and MB1, which run entirely within the boundary). They are painted in a colour chosen by the operator, so are not necessarily red like London Buses, and most of them do not accept Oyster cards. These routes are operated with a London Service Permit issued by TfL so they are recognised by TfL bus maps and appear on TfL bus stops. {{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Temporary routes

There are three special TfL express routes which only run during the Notting Hill Carnival: 2X, 36X and 205X.^[37]

Former routes

This list shows some old routes that used to operate but do not exist anymore. Services withdrawn before 1994 are not listed.

See also

• Category: London bus operators

References

Bibliography

• Atkin, Michael. [https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-197292,00.html "THIS SCEPTRED ISLE"], The Guardian
• Carr, Ken, The London Bus Guide. Boreham: Visions International Entertainment, 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-9570058-0-8}}.

External links

• [https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/ London Buses]

• Griffin Logue
• Griffin, Mark
• Griffin, Matthew
• Griffin McElroy
• Griffin, Michael
• Griffin missile
• Griffin, Missouri
• Griffin Money
• Griffin Mountain
• Griffin Munro
• Griffin (mythical creature)
• Griffin Neal
• Griffin Newman
• Griffin No. 66
• Griffin Oakes
• Griffin, Oliver
• Griffin, Paul
• Griffin, Peter
• Griffin, Richard
• Griffin, Rob
• Griffin, Robert
• Griffin Roberts
• Griffin, Ryan
• Griffin, Sara
• Griffin, Sarah