London Buses route 253 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Euston bus station and Hackney Central station, it is operated by Arriva London.
History
Route 253 commenced operating on 1 February 1961 between Aldgate bus station and Tottenham Court Road via Bethnal Green, Hackney Central, Clapton Pond, Stamford Hill, Manor House, Finsbury Park and Camden Town as a replacement for trolleybus route 653 with AEC Routemasters.Modern Transport, Volume 91 (1964) - Google Books Result
By 1994 the route, now operated by Leaside Buses, was one of the busiest in London, with a peak vehicle requirement of 50 buses operating at a frequency of one bus every two minutes.
The route now runs between Hackney Central and Euston (via Clapton Pond, Stamford Hill, Manor House, Finsbury Park and Camden Town). The original route is still served in its entirety by night bus N253,N253 Bus route TfL 1 January 2017 while the section of the original route between Hackney Central and Aldgate bus station is now served by the 254.
In November 2009, route 253 was retained by incumbent operator Arriva London.No change in latest London bus tender results Transport Xtra 29 October 2009 Upon being re-tendered, the route was retained by Arriva London with a new contract commencing on 6 June 2015.Tender News Bus Talk issue 31 December 2014 (Go-Ahead London)
From October 2016, Arriva London began introducing a fleet of 32 New Routemasters to be on the route. The rollout of new vehicles was completed in December 2016.Arriva London's Route 253 converts to New Routemasters Arriva London 20 October 2016
Current route Route 253 operates via these primary locations:Route 253 Map Transport for London Euston bus station Mornington Crescent station Camden Town station Camden Road station HM Prison Holloway Caledonian Road Holloway Nag's Head Finsbury Park station Manor House station Stamford Hill station Cazenove Road Clapton station Clapton Pond Lea Bridge Roundabout Hackney Central station
In popular culture
The 2001 Chris T-T album "The 253" is named after the route.Chris T-T - Interview
The 2009 Just Jack song "253", from the album All Night Cinema, is named after the route.Album review: Just Jack The Scotsman
References
External links
Timetable