London Buses route 36

London Buses route 36 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London Central.

The Beginning
The 36 is a very long standing service, dating back to 6 April 1911 when the daily service on the previously un-numbered "Great Eastern" route between West Kilburn (Falcon), the traditional name for this terminus in Queens Park and Victoria, was taken over by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC). At the same time, it was extended from Victoria to Liverpool Street Station via Vauxhall Bridge, Harleyford Road, Oval, Kennington Park Road, Borough, London Bridge and Bank and given the route number 36. The extension to Liverpool Street was short-lived being withdrawn after service on 14 March 1912, when the route was cut back to run West Kilburn to Victoria. Quite soon after on 20 June 1912, the 36 was extended to Catford (St. Laurence Church) via Vauxhall Bridge, Harleyford Road, Oval, Camberwell New Road, Camberwell Green, Peckham Road, New Cross, Lewisham  and Rushey Green.

As from 22 June 1914, the 36 was further extended from Catford to Hither Green Station, after which the route became very stable. On 4 December 1916, it was supplemented by two new routes, mainly to serve war-workers; the 36A West Kilburn to Grove Park via Burnt Ash Hill and Baring Road; the 36B West Kilburn to Woolwich (Earl of Chatham) via Lee High Road, Academy Road and Woolwich Common, with some journeys being extended to Plumstead. The 36B was withdrawn in March 1917, but the 36A lasted through the war and was withdrawn on 7 April 1919 being replaced by a new route 39. The withdrawal of the 36A was not popular and the route was re-instated on 3 September 1919. Also at this time the 36 was extended from West Kilburn to Willesden (Pound Lane) on Sundays only. This extension being withdrawn after service on 22 February 1920. A year later on 23 March 1921, the 36A was re-routed at Oxford Street to run via Baker Street and Park Road to Camden Town.

From 1924
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. In fact, the reverse was the result, as can seen by the following list of the routes that replaced the 36 and 36A, which by this time was again working from West Kilburn.

36 group routes:- 36 remained 36, 36A renumbered 136. This was further complicated in that these routes had short working suffixed routes. The plain route number being only used for journeys for the whole length of the route. As from 1 December 1924. 36 West Kilburn to Hither Green; 36A Victoria - Hither Green; 136 West Kilburn - Grove Park. This was changed as from 8 April 1925, when short-working routes were added:- 36B Victoria - Catford; 36C Harrow Road - Lewisham; 36D Camberwell Green - Hither Green; 36E West Kilburn - Catford and 36F West Kilburn -Peckham. The 136 was also revised as follows:- 136 West Kilburn - Grove Park renumbered 136A; New short-workings 136B West Kilburn - Lewisham; 136D Lewisham - Bromley Common; the 136 Wembley Exhibition - Bromley Common and 136C Wembley Exhibition - Grove Park were both registered but were not operating.

From 1925 the 36/136 group of routes also was covered by the "Independent operator" "City" 536 group of routes:- 536 Highgate (Underground Station) - West Wickham ; 536A Highgate - Southend Village; 536C Highgate - Elmers End. These services were later taken over by London Transport.

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, apart for routes 136 and 536, which by then had developed into self-contained routes, thereby keeping their identities. The 36 West Kilburn - Hither Green Station daily and 136 West Kilburn - Southborough daily. The 536 was also re-numbered, becoming what is today's route 137.

Up to the Second World War everything stayed the same, apart from 17 April 1936, when the 136 was withdrawn between Grove Park and Southborough, being replaced by a new route 94. On 21 November 1939, the 136 was withdrawn between Victoria and Grove Park, being re-routed to terminate at Victoria Coach Station, the evening service on this route also being withdrawn at this time. As from 20 March 1940, the 136 was withdrawn completely. Due to wartime restrictions on the railways, a supplementary "express service" on the 36 between Hither Green and Victoria, running non-stop between Lewisham and Victoria, was introduced on 24 October 1940. This supplementary service was withdrawn on 18 March 1941. During the last three winters of the war, the 36 was withdrawn evenings, between Lewisham and West Kilburn; from 28 October 1942 until 20 April 1943; 28 October 1943 until 20 April 1944; 27 October 1944 until 2 May 1945.

After World War II
London Transport's post-war Tram replacement programme caught up with the 36 in 1951. At Stage five of the programme, from 7 October 1951, a new 36A was introduced between West Kilburn and Brockley Rise. This replaced the withdrawn tram route 66 Victoria - Forest Hill. The new route also re-instated the link between Brockley and Marble Arch, which was lost in 1937 when the 137 (a derivative of the 36) was withdrawn between Hyde Park Corner and Bromley.

Stage six of the Tram replacement programme occurred on 5 January 1952, tram route 54 Victoria - Grove Park, which complemented the 36 for much of its route, was replaced by a new bus route 69 which also ran Victoria - Grove Park. Six years later, in the aftermath of the busman's strike of 1958, London Transport was looking for economies in its operations. As from 26 November 1958, the 69 was re-numbered 36B and extended on Sundays to run West Kilburn - Grove Park. This allowed more flexibility in the 36 schedules.

Of note, is the fact that the 36 used London's first bus lane, southbound on Vauxhall Bridge, which came into use as from 26 February 1968. Originally using the centre lane of the bridge, this first bus lane was removed to the kerbside as from 1974 but was re-established in the centre of the road southbound in 2004 with the redevelopment of Vauxhall Cross.

Although the 36A and 36B lost their northern ends, the 36 survived unaltered until April 1991, when the section between Hither Green and Lewisham was transferred to route 180. The 36B was cut back to Peckham and renumbered 136 in the March 1994 scheme. Then from 8 March 2003 the 36 was further shortened to start from New Cross; the outer section from Lewisham to Paddington being converted to cashless articulated buses under the 436 number.

Today
Despite the route reductions of the last decade, the 36 is still a comparatively long route through some very congested areas of London, with an end to end running time of over one and a half hours. It is also one of very few routes still to cross central London, carrying people in to the centre from both ends of the route.

Some people believe that the reason it has survived in this form is that it has generally been worked from garages at the south end – Camberwell, Bromley, Rye Lane, New Cross, Catford, Peckham etc. - although Middle Row did have input at one time. There was no obvious LT garage to operate a route such as Victoria to Queens Park - so the curiosity of garages from south London operating well into north London remains.

Nowadays the lack of garages is considered less of an obstacle, with routes such as the 159 having been split despite similar circumstances.

Late on 9 June 2008, as 63 year old man was killed after being hit by a route 36 bus in Edgware Road near the junction with Seymour Street. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was taken off shirt for routine enquiry, but not arrested. Edgware Road was closed for about eight hours from 2140 to 0600 the following day (Tuesday).

Route departing New Cross

 * New Cross Bus Garage
 * New Cross Road
 * Queen's Road
 * Queens Road Peckham Station
 * Queen's Road
 * Clayton Road
 * Hanover Park
 * Rye Lane
 * Peckham High Street
 * Peckham Road
 * Camberwell Church Street
 * Camberwell Green
 * Camberwell New Road
 * Kennington (Oval Station)
 * Harleyford Street
 * Kennington Oval (for the Oval Cricket Ground)
 * Harleyford Road
 * South Lambeth Road
 * Parry Street
 * Vauxhall Station Bus Station
 * Bridge Foot
 * Vauxhall Bridge
 * Bessborough Gardens (for Pimlico Station)
 * Vauxhall Bridge Road
 * Neathouse Place
 * Wilton Road
 * Victoria station
 * Victoria Street
 * Grosvenor Gardens
 * Hyde Park Corner Station
 * Park Lane
 * Marble Arch Station
 * Cumberland Gate
 * Marble Arch
 * Edgware Road (junction with Sussex Gardens for Edgware Road (Bakerloo and Circle/District/Hammersmith & City) Stations)
 * Sussex Gardens
 * Norfolk Place
 * Praed Street
 * Paddington station
 * Eastbourne Terrace
 * Bishop's Bridge Road
 * Porchester Road
 * Lord Hills Bridge
 * Royal Oak Station
 * Harrow Road
 * Elgin Avenue
 * Chippenham Road
 * Maida Hill
 * Shirland Road
 * Fernhead Road
 * Kilburn Lane
 * Claremont Road (west arm)
 * Queen's Park station

Route departing Queens Park

 * Queen's Park station Claremont Road
 * Kilburn Lane
 * Premier Corner
 * Salusbury Road
 * Fernhead Road
 * Shirland Road
 * Maida Hill
 * Chippenham Road
 * Elgin Avenue
 * Harrow Road
 * Royal Oak Station
 * Lord Hills Bridge
 * Porchester Road
 * Bishop's Bridge Road
 * Eastbourne Terrace
 * Paddington station
 * Praed Street
 * Edgware Road
 * Edgware Road (Circle/District/Hammersmith & City Lines) Station (for Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line) Station)
 * Edgware Road
 * Marble Arch Station
 * Park Lane
 * Duke of Wellington Place
 * Hyde Park Corner Station
 * Grosvenor Place
 * Lower Grosvenor Place
 * Buckingham Palace Road
 * Terminus Place
 * Victoria station
 * Terminus Place
 * Vauxhall Bridge Road
 * Bessborough Gardens (for Pimlico Station)
 * Vauxhall Bridge
 * Bridge Foot
 * Vauxhall Station Bus Station
 * Kennington Lane
 * Durham Street
 * Harleyford Road
 * Kennington Oval (for the Oval Cricket Ground)
 * Harleyford Road
 * Kennington (Oval Station)
 * Camberwell New Road
 * Camberwell Green
 * Camberwell Church Street
 * Peckham Road
 * Peckham High Street
 * Queen's Road
 * Queens Road Peckham Station
 * Queen's Road
 * Kender Street
 * Besson Street
 * New Cross Road
 * New Cross Bus Garage

Previous route 36s in London
This has been the only route to carry the number 36 on a motor-bus route in London.

There were also in London :-
 * Until 1911 a Chelsea (Stanley Arms)  Finchley Road (North Star) Horse Bus service 36
 * Between 1913 - 1914 a Highgate (Archway Tavern)  North Finchley (Tally Ho Corner) Tram route 36.
 * Between 1913 - 1952 an Abbey Wood*, Blackwall Tunnel*, Woolwich*  Victoria Embankment Tram route 36.  * Termini varied