London Buses route 93

London Buses route 93 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London General.

History
Today's 93 commenced operation on 19 April 1924 as a Saturday and Sunday service between Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon via Harrow Road, Harlesden, Wood Lane, Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith, Fulham Palace Road, Putney Bridge and Putney. It was one many of many new and existing routes extended to Wembley for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. This was the sixth time the route number 93 had been used on a motor bus route in London.

Shortly after in May 1924, it was amended to run as a daily route between Wembley and Putney with a Sunday extension to Wimbledon. On 2 November 1924 the 93 was extended to Sudbury Town Station, replacing the 92 which was withdrawn. The Sunday extension from Putney to Wimbledon was also withdrawn at the same time.

On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London Buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. This made the Metropolitan Police responsible for bus operation and route numbering in London. The new system was designed to make route numbering easier to understand for the travelling public.

93 group routes:- 93 remained plain 93, Sudbury Town station to Putney (High Street). As from 18 February 1925, a short working daily 93A was introduced between Stonebridge Park (Coach & Horses) and Putney and the main 93 route Sudbury Town station to Putney stopped operation, also being partly replaced by new route 120. One month later, on 14 March 1925, the 93A was extended for one day only to Wembley Stadium for a football match.

The 1925 summer service was introduced as from 8 April 1925 and this brought many changes to the 93. The 93A continued as a daily Stonebridge Park to Putney service. The 93C Sudbury Town station to Putney service, what was previously the 93, was re-introduced as a Monday to Saturday route. The 93F was a new extended Sunday service from Harrow Weald (Red Lion) to Putney (High Street). Two new short working routes were also introduced, the 93B Wembley (Exhibition S.W. Entrance) to Putney (High Street) and 93E Wembley (Exhibition S.W. Entrance) to Hammersmith Broadway. The plain 93 which was registered to run from Harrow Weald (Red Lion) to Wimbledon Hill via Wealdstone, as well as a 93D Wembley (Exhibition S.W. Entrance) to Wimbledon short working, were registered but were not operating. Also in April 1925, the 93B was extended on the 25th for one day only, to Wembley (Exhibition S.W. Entrance) for the 1925 F.A. Cup Final. Soon afterwards, on 8 May 1925 the 93B and 93C swopped operations with the 93B becoming a Monday to Saturday operation and the 93C a short working. The service to Sudbury Town being covered by new route 192. With the coming of the 1925 winter service, the 93B and 93E were both withdrawn, with the 93A and 93F both being introduced as daily routes.

This complicated 93 service continued into 1926, when the plain 93 which had been non-operating, was introduced on Sundays to run to Clapham Common station instead of (theoretically) to Wimbledon. At the same time the 93A was withdrawn on Sundays and the 93D completely withdrawn. Again in April 1926, the 93B was introduced on the 24th for one day only, to run Wembley (Exhibition S.W. Entrance) to Putney for the 1926 F.A. Cup Final. With the introduction of the winter services in October 1926, the 93 was again withdrawn, and with it the service to Clapham Common station, with the 93C and 93F introduced again on Sundays.

1927 saw the beginning of the move of route 93 from a North West London to a South West London route. As from 9 March 1927 it became a daily Harrow Weald to Putney route with an extension to Wimbledon Station on Mondays to Fridays Peak Hours, Saturdays and Sundays, becoming a daily Harrow Weald to Wimbledon Station route as from 3 August 1927. Another extension on 23 November 1927, took the route further south, when it was extended on Mondays to Fridays Peak Hours, Saturdays and Sundays to South Wimbledon station which had only opened a year earlier. As from 15 May 1929, the 93 was withdrawn between Harrow Weald and Craven Park, being replaced by the 18 over this section. At the same time being diverted to terminate at Willesden Garage.

On 28 May 1930, there was a large programme of route changes in South West London, in which parallel services between motor bus and tram services were reduced. The 93 was extended in this scheme as a daily service to Morden station. As from 3 September 1930, it was further extended from Morden station to Cheam (The Plough) via Epsom Road and Stonecot Hill. On 11 May 1932, the 93 was cut back from Willesden Garage to Shepherd Bush (Wood Lane) as there was an adequate Trolleybus service over this section. At the same time it was extended from Shepherds Bush to Greenford (Red Lion) via Western Avenue, and East Acton to become a daily Greenford to Cheam route. In November 1932, the 93 reached its zenith when it was extended from Greenford to Southall (White Swan) via Somerset Road. But, the service to Cheam had been a little over optimistic and the 93 was subsequently reduced as from 7 June 1934 to run daily Southall to Morden with a Monday to Friday Peak Hour and Evening, Saturday and Sunday service to Cheam. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted London Passenger Transport Board instituted its own numbering system, which generally re-instated the situation previous to December 1924, The 93, 93A, 93B, 93C and 93E all becoming plain 93.

As from 4 March 1936, the 93 was considerably shortened when it was withdrawn between East Acton (Ducane Road) and Southall, being replaced by new route 105 over this section. Two and half years later on 12 October 1938, the 93 was cut back again, this time from East Acton to Hammersmith (Brook Green), the section to East Acton now covered by an extended route 72. As if to compensate, at the same time the 93 was extended daily southwards from North Cheam to Epsom (Clock Tower) via Ewell replacing the withdrawn route 70 over this section. Apparently, the route was too long and had become unreliable, as from 7 December 1938 it began to work in two sections on Mondays to Fridays: (i) Hammersmith to North Cheam (ii) Putney Bridge to Epsom, at the same time being diverted to terminate at Epsom Station.

With the start of the 1939 summer schedules, the 93 was extended on Sundays as from 9 April 1939 to Dorking via Ashtead, Leatherhead and Boxhill with sectional working also introduced on that day: (i) Hammersmith to Epsom (ii) Morden Station to Dorking. The outbreak of War on 3 September 1939 meant reductions on London's bus services, especially when paralleling electric transport. Therefore on 25 October 1939, the 93 was withdrawn between Hammersmith and Putney Bridge Station, at the same time withdrawn between Epsom and Dorking. The service was further reduced between North Cheam and Putney Bridge, only working here on Mondays to Fridays peak hours only, as well as only p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. 1940 saw the Dorking extension re-introduced as from 24 March, with the Monday to Friday evening service to Putney being re-introduced as from 15 May. The Dorking service being withdrawn for the winter after service on 10 November. In the following summers the Dorking extension ran in 1941 and 1942 from 6 April to 26 October 1941 and from 29 March to 25 October 1942. Other wartime reductions were the withdrawal of the Sunday service between North Cheam and Putney Bridge at certain times in 1942 to 1945.

The war over, the 93 was increased as from 12 September 1945 to become a daily Putney Bridge to Epsom service once again. The post war 93 was a very stable operation, changes only occurring rarely. What had originally been its southern terminus when it began in 1924 had become its northern terminus by 1945. The summer Sunday service to Dorking was re-introduced in 1946 and ran every year until 1960. A supplementary Express service was introduced between Morden Station and Epsom from 12 October 1955, but this was not a success and was withdrawn on 1 February 1956.

London Transport's reshaping plan commenced in 1966, bringing with it rationalisation of services and the introduction of one-person operation. As from 18 April 1970 part of the 93 was converted, when a new one-person operated 293 was introduced between Epsom and Morden Station replacing the 93 which was cut back to run daily between Putney Bridge Station and North Cheam. As from the 28 October 1978, the last RT type vehicles allocated to the route were withdrawn, ending a continual 39 year service on the route.

In the 1980s, the 93 was supplemented by an extension of route 80 between Morden Station and Putney Bridge from 23 April 1983 until 25 November 1988. A year later as from 11 November 1989 certain journeys on the 93 were extended from North Cheam to Sutton Garage, since when the service has remained unchanged.

Route departing North Cheam

 * North Cheam Priory Road
 * Priory Road
 * Malden Road
 * London Road
 * Stonecot Hill
 * Epsom Road
 * London Road
 * Morden South Station
 * London Road
 * Crown Road
 * Crown Lane
 * Morden Station Forecourt
 * London Road
 * Morden Road
 * Morden Road Tramlink
 * Morden Road
 * South Wimbledon Station
 * Merton Road
 * Broadway
 * Gladstone Road
 * Sir Cyril Black Way
 * Hartfield Road
 * Wimbledon Bridge
 * Wimbledon Station and Tramlink 
 * Wimbledon Hill Road
 * Wimbledon Village High Street
 * Parkside
 * Wimbledon Common
 * Wimbledon Park Side
 * Tibbets Corner
 * Putney Heath
 * Putney Hill
 * Putney Station
 * Putney High Street
 * Putney Bridge
 * Putney Bridge Approach
 * Station Approach
 * Putney Bridge Station Bus Station

Route departing Putney Bridge Station

 * Putney Bridge Station Bus Station
 * Ranelagh Gardens
 * Fulham High Street
 * Station Approach
 * Putney Bridge Approach
 * Putney Bridge
 * Putney High Street
 * Putney Station
 * Putney Hill
 * Putney Heath
 * Tibbets Corner
 * Wimbledon Park Side
 * Wimbledon Common
 * Parkside
 * Wimbledon Village High Street
 * Wimbledon Hill Road
 * Wimbledon Bridge
 * Wimbledon Station and Tramlink 
 * The Broadway
 * Merton Road
 * South Wimbledon Station
 * Morden Road
 * Morden Road Tramlink
 * Morden Road
 * London Road
 * Morden Station Forecourt
 * London Road
 * Morden South Station
 * London Road
 * Epsom Road
 * Stonecot Hill
 * London Road
 * Malden Road
 * Priory Road
 * North Cheam Priory Road

Previous route 93s in London
The route number 93 had been used five times prior to its current use.
 * In 1912–1914 for a Mile End,* Bow Road station,* Stratford,*  Romford,* Gidea Park,* route. *Termini varied
 * In 1915–1916 for a Victoria  Victoria circular route in one direction only via Westminster Bridge, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Bridge, Bank, Moorgate, Liverpool Street, Threadneedle Street, Bank, St Paul's, Ludgate Hill, Fleet Street, Strand, Charing Cross, Whitehall and Parliament Square.
 * Between March and October 1917 for a Woolwich  Sidcup route via Eltham and Footscray.
 * Between January and November 1918 for a Woolwich  Sidcup route via Eltham and Footscray.
 * In 1921–1922 for a Hounslow  Uxbridge route via West Drayton, Yiewsley and Cowley.

There was also in London :-
 * Between 1934–1938 a Chadwell Heath  Barking Broadway via Ilford Tram route 93.