London Buses route 81: Difference between revisions
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The route has no dedicated night service, although [[London Buses route N9|night bus route N9]] covers the section between Heathrow and Hounslow. |
The route has no dedicated night service, although [[London Buses route N9|night bus route N9]] covers the section between Heathrow and Hounslow. |
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In late 2011 |
In late 2011, route 81's contract was retained by London United with 13 new double deckers. These changes are due to come in to effect from 28 July 2012. <ref>http://www.londonbusroutes.net/changes.htm#31</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:40, 6 February 2012
| 81 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | London United |
| Garage | Hounslow (AV) |
| Vehicle | B7TL / ALX400 B7TL/President |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 14 |
| Night-time | No night service |
| Route | |
| Start | Hounslow |
| Via | Hounslow West Cranford Harlington Corner Heathrow North |
| End | Slough |
| Length | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | About every 12-20 minutes |
| Journey time | 39-73 minutes |
| Operates | 4:48am until 0:35am |
London Buses route 81 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.
History
Route 81 is a long standing route, reaching the furthest west out of London to Slough. The 81 once stretched even further west, terminating at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, until 8 May 1963 when it was withdrawn between Windsor and Slough at all times. In 1963 it was extended on Sundays further into London, to Shepherds Bush Green, via Isleworth, although this only lasted until August 1969.
On 18 April 1970, the route was converted from Routemaster crew operation, to single decker one person operation (using SM class AEC Swifts). From 1976 Leyland Nationals took over.[1]
There were three variations of route 81. These were the 81A which operated Mon-Fri peak hours from Hounslow to Langley; the 81B, a daily service from Hounslow to Heathrow Central; and the 81C, a short lived service between Slough and Heathrow Central.[citation needed]
The 1980s saw the introduction by London Regional Transport of route tenders. The 81 was the first route to be put out to tender. The contract for the route was awarded to Len Wright Travel, which later became London Buslines, and passed to them from London Buses on 13 July 1985.[2][3]
Tendering saw the route move from Hounslow Garage to Lampton (later Isleworth, then Southall) and revert back to double deck, using yellow DMS class buses. These were replaced in 1987 by new Leyland Lynx single-deckers.[4] On 29 July 1995 the route was lost to Westlink and moved to Hounslow Heath Garage using DA class single deckers.[5]
Westlink was bought out by London United in 1999, and by 2000 the full allocation had moved back to Hounslow Garage, subsequently being converted to low floor operation. Contract renewal in July 2005 saw the route being retained by Transdev with Dennis Darts single deckers.
In April 2008 a Muslim bus driver on route 81 was reported to have stopped a bus at Langley to pray. London United stated that he was in fact on a 10-minute break having been told to terminate the bus in Langley owing to late running.[6]
From October 2009 the route was converted to double deck operation.[7]
The route has no dedicated night service, although night bus route N9 covers the section between Heathrow and Hounslow.
In late 2011, route 81's contract was retained by London United with 13 new double deckers. These changes are due to come in to effect from 28 July 2012. [8]
Current route
- Hounslow High Street, School Road
- Hounslow West Station
- Cranford
- Harlington Corner
- Heathrow Airport North
- Longford
- Colnbrook High Street
- Langley London Road
- Slough Brunel Bus Station for Slough Station
See also
References
- ^ Route 81 londonbusroutes.net
- ^ McLachlan, Tom (1995). London Buses 1985-1995: Managing The Change. Venture Publications. p. 27. ISBN 1898432740.
- ^ Wolmar, Christian (14 September 1992). "Hold tight on the Clapham omnibus: Next stop, privatisation". The Independent.
- ^ McLachlan p.84
- ^ McLachlan p.109
- ^ "Bosses defend Muslim driver who stopped bus to pray". Slough & Windsor Observer. April 6, 2008. Also available online at islamist-watch.org
- ^ TLB On-line (Greater London Route Developments) lots.org.uk
- ^ http://www.londonbusroutes.net/changes.htm#31
External links
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