Abellio London is a bus company operating services in Greater London. A subsidiary of Abellio, it operates services under contract to Transport for London. Until September 2018, services were operated in Surrey under the Abellio Surrey brand.
History[]
The origins of Abellio can be traced back to June 1998 when National Express commenced operating routes C1 and 211 under the Travel London brand. In August 2000 National Express sold the business to Limebourne Buses, who in July 2001 sold out to Connex. In February 2004 National Express repurchased the business.[1] Further expansion in 2005 saw the purchases of the London bus operations of Tellings-Golden Miller with a depot in Byfleet and various Surrey County Council contracts.[2]
Travel London operated contracts on behalf of Transport for London, Surrey County Council, and Kingston University. Operations were split between three registered companies; Travel London Limited,[3] Travel London (Middlesex) Limited,[4] and Travel London (West) Limited.[5] The Surrey routes were rebranded as Travel Surrey in September 2007.
In May 2009 National Express sold Travel London to Abellio. The sale included 66 routes, 36 Transport for London tendered services and 30 Surrey County Council and Kingston University routes. All vehicles, depots and staff were included.[6][7]
On 30 October 2009 the businesses were rebranded as Abellio London and Abellio Surrey.[8]
Abellio Surrey went on to be sold off, with the remaining London operations split into two sub-divisions.
Operations[]
Abellio operates 6 bus garages in London. Beddington Cross, Battersea and Walworth are operated by Abellio London Limited[3] and Southall, Fulwell and Hayes by Abellio West London Limited.[5]
Abellio London Ltd. []
- Headquarters address: 301 Camberwell New Road, London, SE5 0TF
- Total number of vehicles: 440
- Percentage of TfL vehicles operated: 5.63%
Overview:[]
| Garage
Code |
Garage
Name |
Address | Routes
Operated |
No. of
Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Battersea | Silverthorne Road, Battersea, London, SW8 3HE | 24, 27, 49, 156, 159, 344, 345, 414, N27 | 184 |
| BC | Beddington Cross | Unit 10, Beddington Cross, Beddington Farm Road, Croydon, CR0 4XH | 109, 130, 201, 270, 367, 407, 433, 464, S4, N109 | 104 |
| WL | Walworth | 301 Camberwell New Road, London, SE5 0TF | 3, 45, 68, 196, 381, 415, C10, P5, P13, N3, N68, N381 | 152 |
Garage Details:[]
Battersea (QB)[]
This garage was established by predecessor Limebourne in the late 1990s. Travel London's original bus garage was situated further north towards Stewarts Lane railway depot which was the home of the Gatwick Express, a rail franchise then operated by its parent National Express. Connex moved into these premises after purchasing the Limebourne business in July 2001.[9]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Route Withdrawn by TfL
- 21st November 2009: route 414 operations commenced
- 19th March 2011: route C10 operations commenced
- 11th February 2012: operations for 3 and N3 transferred from Beddington Cross
- 28th April 2012: route C2 operations commenced
- 23rd June 2012: operations for routes 35 and N35 transferred to Walworth
- 6th September 2014: route 49 operations commenced
- 12th December 2015: route 159 operations commenced
- 13th February 2016: part of the route C10 allocation transferred to Walworth
- 7th May 2016: all of the route C10 allocation transferred to Walworth
- 2nd December 2017: routes 3 and N3 transferred to Walworth, and route 345 transferred from Walworth
- 1st December 2018: Abellio ceased operation of route 452, with it passing to Tower Transit
- 30th March 2019: Abellio ceased operation of route C2, with the service being withdrawn
- 29th June 2019: Abellio ceased operation of route 211, with it passing to London United
- 9th November 2019: route 24, 27 and N27 operations commenced
- 30th May 2020: route 270 operations commence
- 3rd October 2020: Abellio will cease operation of route C3, with it passing to Tower Transit
Bus Types Operated from Battersea (QB)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Trident 9.9m | Enviro 400 | 345, 414 |
| ADL E40D 10.2m | Enviro 400 | C3 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H | 49, 344, C3 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | 344, 270 (from 30th May) |
| New Routemaster 11.3m | New Bus for London | 24, 27, 159, N27 |
-
Beddington Cross (BC)[]
Opened in early 2000 by Connex Bus to stable buses for its then new route 3 contract, the garage consists of two industrial units. It is opposite the Metrobus Beddington Farm garage.
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Route Withdrawn by TfL
- 30th October 2009: route 407 operations commenced
- 1st May 2010: route 322 operations commenced
- 11th February 2012: operations for 3 and N3 transferred to Battersea
- 3rd March 2012: route 455 operations commenced
- 19th May 2012: route T33 operations commenced
- 31st August 2013: Abellio ceased operation of route 434, with it passing to Metrobus
- 4th October 2014: route 201 operations commenced
- 15th November 2014: route S4 operations commenced
- 31st January 2015: route 109 and N109 operations commenced
- 2nd May 2015: Abellio ceased operation of route 322, with it passing to London General
- 24th October 2015: route T33 was renumbered to route 433
- 19th March 2016: route 367 operations commenced
- 3rd December 2016: Abellio ceased operation of route 125, with it passing to London General, and route 157, with it passing to Arriva London
- 4th March 2017: Abellio ceased operation of route 455, with it passing to London General
- 11th March 2017: operations for K1 transferred from Fulwell
- 19th May 2017: route 464 operations commenced
- 12 August 2017: operations for K1 transferred to Fulwell
- 26 August 2017: route 130 operations commenced
- 2nd December 2017: operations for P13 transferred to walworth
Bus Types Operated from Beddington Cross (BC)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 | S4 |
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 MMC | 367, 464 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 | 201, 433 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 MMC | 130 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H | 406, 407 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | 109, 406, 407, N109 |
-
Walworth (WL)[]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Route Withdrawn by TfL
- 19th March 2011: route 172 and 484 operations commenced
- 23rd June 2012: operations for 35 and N35 transferred from Battersea
- 20th September 2014: Abellio ceased operation of route 100, with it passing to London General
- 7th March 2015: route 415 operations commenced
- 13th February 2015: part of the route C10 allocation transferred from Battersea
- 30th April 2016: route 345 operations commenced
- 30 April 2016: Abellio ceased operation of route 35 and 40, with it passing to London Central
- 7 May 2016: all of the route C10 allocation transferred from Battersea
- 11th November 2017: Abellio ceased operation of route 188, with it passing to London Central
- 11th November 2017: route 45 operations commenced
- 2nd December 2017: operations for 3, P13 and N3 transferred from Battersea and Beddington Cross
- 2nd December 2017: operations for 345 transferred to Battersea
- 3rd February 2018: Abellio ceased operation of route 343 and N343, with it passing to London Central
- 17th March 2018: Abellio ceased operation of route 172, with it passing to London Central
- 31st March 2018: route 68 and N68 operations commenced
- 5th May 2018: route 196 operations commenced
- 2nd May 2020: route P5 operations commenced
- ‘’’20th March 2021’’’} ‘’’:’’’ Abellio ceased operation of route 484, with it passing to London Central
Bus Types Operated from Walworth (WL)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| ADL E200Dart 9.3m | Enviro 200 | P13 |
| Caetano e.City 10.7m | Caetano e.City Gold | C10, P5 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H | 45, 381, N381 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | 196, N68 |
| New Routemaster 11.3m | New Bus for London | 3, 68, 415, N3 |
Abellio West London Ltd. []
- Headquarters address: 301 Camberwell New Road, London, SE5 0TF
- Total number of vehicles: 273
- Percentage of TfL vehicles operated: 3.49%
Overview:[]
| Garage
Code |
Garage
Name |
Address | Routes
Operated |
No. of
Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TF | Fulwell (Twickenham) | The Old Tram Depot, Stanley Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5NP | 267, 285, 290, 481, 490, H20, H25, H26, H28, R68, R70, 969 | 110 |
| WS | Hayes | West London Coach Centre, North Hyde Gardens, Hayes, Middlesex, UB3 4QT | 278, 350, 482, H28, U5, U7, U9 | 43 |
| GW | Southall | Great Western Industrial Park, Armstrong Way, Southall, London | 195, 207, 427, E1, E5, E7, E9, E10, E11, N207 | 120 |
Garage Details:[]
Fulwell (TF)[]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Route Withdrawn by TfL
- 3rd September 2011: route 117 operations commenced
- 1st October 2011: route 290 operations commenced
- 29th June 2013: route K1 and K3 operations commenced
- 7th May 2016: operations for H28 transferred from Hayes
- 3rd September 2016: Abellio ceased operation of route 117, with it passing to Metroline
- 7th January 2017: Abellio ceased operation of route 235, with it passing to Metroline
- 11th March 2017: operations for K1 transferred to Beddington Cross
- 25th March 2017: operations for 350 and E5 transferred from Hayes
- 15th April 2017: route 195 operations commenced
- 29th April 2017: route U5 operations commenced
- 29th July 2017: operations for E5 transferred to Southall, and E7 transferred from Southall
- 5th August 2017: operations for 195 and U5 transferred from Hayes
- 12th August 2017: operations for K1 transferred from Beddington Cross
- 29th July 2017: part of the route E7 allocation transferred to this garage
- 24th February 2018: part of the route H28 allocation transferred to Hayes
- 30th June 2018: Abellio ceased operation of route K3, with it passing to London United
- 30th March 2019: part of the route 195 and U5 allocation transferred from Hayes
- 1th June 2019: route E10 operations commenced
- 13th July 2019: route E10 and the Fulwell E7 allocation transferred to Armstrong Way
- 27th July 2019: route 350 and U5 transferred to Hayes
- 9th November 2019: route 267 operations commenced
- 27 June 2020: route 285 operations commenced
- 27 June 2020: Abellio will cease operation of route K1, where it will pass to London United
Bus Types Operated from Fulwell (TF)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m | Plaxton Pointed 2 | K1 |
| ADL E200Dart 10.2m | Enviro 200 | H28, 969 |
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 | 481, K1 |
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 MMC | H20, H26 |
| ADL E20D 10.5m | Enviro 200 | 290, H28 |
| ADL E20D 10.5m | Enviro 200 MMC | R70 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 | 490, H25 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 MMC | R68 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | 285 from 27th June 2020 |
| New Routemaster 11.3m | New Bus for London | 267 |
-
Hayes (WS)[]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Route Withdrawn by TfL
- 31st December 2011: route U9 operations commenced
- 31st May 2014: route E1 operations commenced
- 2nd August 2014: Abellio ceased operation of route 112, with it passing to Metroline
- 7th May 2016: operations for H28 transferred to Fulwell
- 28th May 2016: route E5, E7 and E9 operations commenced
- 25th March 2017: operations for E5 transferred to Fulwell
- 8th April 2017: route 427 operations commenced
- 29th July 2017: operations for E1, E7 and E9 transferred to Southall
- 5th August 2017: operations for 195 and U5 transferred from Fulwell
- 24th February 2018: part of the route H28 allocation transferred from Fulwell
- 30th March 2019: operations for 195 and U5 transferred to Fulwell
- 30th March 2019: operations for U7 and the Hayes route H28 allocation transferred to Southall
- 6th April 2019: route 207 and N207 operations commenced
- 11th May 2019: operations for U7 transferred from Southall
- 13th May 2019: the Southall allocation for route H28 allocation transferred from Southall
- 27th July 2019: operations for 350 and U5 transferred to this garage
- 27th July 2019: operations for 207 and N207 transferred to Southall
- 7th December 2019: route 278 operations commenced
- 21st March 2020: route 482 operations commenced
Bus Types Operated from Hayes (WS)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| ADL E200Dart 10.2m | Enviro 200 | H28, U7 |
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 MMC | U9 |
| ADL E20D 10.5m | Enviro 200 | 290, H28 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 MMC | 350 |
| ADL E40D 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC Hybrid | 278 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | U5, 278, 482 |
-
Southall/Armstrong Way (GW)[]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio
- 13th July 2019: Armstrong Way opened, with the operations for routes E1, E5, E9, E10 and E11 transferring from Southall (AB)
- 13th July 2019: operations for E7 transferred from Southall (AB) and Fulwell
- 27th July 2019: operations for 195, 207 and N207 transferred to this garage
Bus Types Operated from Southall/Armstrong Way (GW)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| ADL E20D 9.0m | Enviro 200 MMC | E5, E10, E11 |
| ADL E20D 10.9m | Enviro 200 MMC | 195, E7 |
| Trident 9.9m | Enviro 400 | E9 |
| ADL E40D 10.2m | Enviro 400 | 207 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H | E1 |
| ADL E40H 10.2m | Enviro 400H MMC | 207, 427, E1, N207 |
Former Garages[]
Southall (AB)[]
Abellio Commenced Operating Route Route Transferred Garage within Abellio Route Transferred Garage out of Abellio Garage Closure
- 29th July 2017: operations for E1, E7 and E9 transferred from Hayes and E5 was transferred from Fulwell
- 29th July 2017: part of the route E7 allocation transferred to Fulwell
- 30th March 2019: operations for U7 transferred from Hayes, along with their H28 allocation
- 11th May 2019: operations for U7 transferred to Hayes
- 13th May 2019: operations for H28 transferred to Hayes
- 25th May 2019: route E11 operations commenced
- 13th July 2019: Southall (AB) closed and operations for routes E1, E5, E7, E9 and E11 were transferred to Armstrong Way (GW)
Byfleet (BF) - Abellio Surrey[]
This garage held 50 buses and was the base for several Surrey County Council tendered routes as well as some commercial services.
This garage was originally operated by Tellings-Golden Miller and was sold to National Express in June 2005.[2] It was rebranded as Travel Surrey in September 2007 and ran buses in a livery of white with a red skirt. In October 2009 it was rebranded Abellio Surrey. In September 2017, all 17 of its Surrey County Council tendered routes passed to other operators.[10]
As at July 2017, the remaining routes were commercially operated services 441 and 461.[11] Route 441 was taken over by White Bus in March 2018 and route 461 by Falcon Coaches in September 2018.[12][13][14]
Bus Types Operated from Byfleet (BF)
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Optare Solo | 438, 564 | |
| Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m | Plaxton Pointer 2 MPD | most routes |
| Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m | Plaxton Pointer Plaxton Pointer 2 |
513, 601, 602, some school routes |
| Dennis Super Dart SLF 11.3m | East Lancs Myllennium | 458, 462, 566, 567 |
| Dennis Trident 2 9.9m | Alexander ALX400 | 84, 400 |
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ National Express buys 200 London buses The Telegraph 27 February 2004
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Express Group purchases the London Bus Division of Tellings Golden Miller National Express corporate news 1 June 2005
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Companies House extract company no 3786162 Abellio London Limited
- ↑ Companies House extract company no 3792590 Travel London (Middlesex) Limited
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Companies House extract company no 689260 Abellio West London Limited
- ↑ National Express Group plc agreement to sell Travel London National Express Group 21 May 2009
- ↑ NedRailways acquisition reinforces long term commitment to UK transport market NedRailways 9 June 2009
- ↑ NedRailways announces launch Abellio London and Abellio Surrey NedRailways 30 October 2009
- ↑ Optare Excels: Travel London, Limebourne, Connex Ian's Bus Stop
- ↑ https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/buses-and-trains/bus-timetable-changes/forthcoming-bus-timetable-changes
- ↑ "Abellio Surrey maintain a commercial toehold in Surrey" Busesissue 749 August 2017 page 7
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180829200039/http://www.abellio.co.uk/news/new-operator-for-route-441-from-17th-march-2018/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180829200405/http://www.abellio.co.uk/news/new-operator-for-route-461-from-15th-september/
- ↑ "Falcon Coaches to take over Abellio's remaining Surrey route" Coach & Bus Week issue 1357 28 August 2018 page 11
External links[]
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