London Buses route 298 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Potters Bar and Arnos Grove, it is operated by Sullivan Buses.
Introduction[]
The route commenced operation on the 7th September 1968, replacing route 29B. It ran between Turnpike Lane Station and Borehamwood via Southgate, Potters Bar and South Mimms. The route used Routemasters from Potters Bar Garage.
1970s[]
In the early 1970s allocation transferred to Wood Green depot. Between 1970 and 1977 the route was extended to Finsbury Park Station and withdrawn between Cockfosters and Borehamwood, with route 299 providing the service to Potters Bar.
1980s[]
On the 27th September 1980, operation was shared between Potters Bar and Wood Green, with new Daimler Fleetline buses introduced to the route. The 299 was withdrawn to South Mimms, and the 298 was extended from Cockfosters to Clare Hall Hospital, serving Cranbourne Road Industrial Estate at peak times Mon-Fri. The contract was reassigned in 1986 to London Country from St Albans garage, although this did not last for long, with Grey-Green taking control of the route in early 1988 from Stamford Hill Garage.
1990s[]
In 1992, operation transferred to First Capital from Northumberland Park depot, using Mercedes Midibuses. The route was withdrawn between Southgate and Turnpike Lane following a frequency increase on route 121. Arriva London North took control of the route in 1997, using Dennis Darts from Palmers Green garage. The route finally served Potters Bar station from this date. The allocation transferred to Wood Green shortly after in 1998.
2000s[]
In February 2002, the route was withdrawn between Clare Hall Hospital and Cranbourne Road, with the new route 398 covering this part of the route. An extension was also made south of Southgate to Arnos Grove station. Wright Cadets were introduced in 2007, with Arriva London North still holding the route from Wood Green.
2010s[]
Sullivan Buses was contracted the route in 2012 using Enviro200s from their depot in South Mimms. Notably, in 2017, some Routemasters were used to add extra services on the week of a London Underground strike. In November 2017 the section between Potters Bar Station and Cranbourne Road Industrial Estate was withdrawn, with other local routes now serving this section of the route.
The route has a PVR of 4, with 5 buses in the peak time, and is 12.5km long.
Start: Potters Bar station
Via: Cockfosters Station, Southgate Station
End: Arnos Grove station