Arriva London is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services for London Buses under contract to Transport for London. Operations are split between two registered companies, Arriva London North LimitedCompanies House extract company no 02328559 Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited.Companies House extract company no 02328467 Arriva London South Limited
History
The origins of Arriva London can be traced back to 1980 when the Cowie Group purchased the Grey-Green coach business in London.
In February 1987, Grey-Green commenced operating bus routes in north and east London under contract to London Regional Transport (LRT).
On 1 April 1989, London Buses was divided into 11 separate business units, two of which were Leaside Buses and South London Transport. As part of the privatisation of London bus services, the Cowie Group purchased these business units in September 1994 and January 1995 for £25.5 million () and £17 million () respectively. As a result of London Transport stipulating in 1995 that buses operating in London must feature a livery painted 80% red, Leaside Buses and South London Transport were both rebranded by design consultants Sigmund Shalit & Associates as Cowie Leaside and Cowie South London in January 1996, with buses receiving a livery of red with yellow striping and blue and white Cowie fleetnames.
On 1 August 1996, the Cowie Group purchased British Bus, which owned the Kentish Bus and London & Country businesses that also operated London-area bus services. In November 1997, the Cowie Group was rebranded as Arriva. The combined group of London operations - Grey Green, Kentish Bus, Leaside Buses, London & Country and South London Transport - initially maintained their liveries with added Arriva logos and fleetnames until a new London red variant of the national livery scheme was eventually introduced.
On 1 January 2016, as part of a decision to consolidate all of Arriva's Transport for London operations with Arriva London, Arriva Herts & Essex, Arriva Kent Thameside and Tellings-Golden Miller's Transport for London operations were each transferred to Arriva London.
Garages Arriva London North Limited Arriva London North Limited operates ten garages.
Barking (DX) Barking garage operates routes 150 and 175.
Barking garage was opened in 1992 by Grey-Green to meet the demands of their expanding North East London operations. Dix Coaches was a subsidiary of Grey-Green operating from a base in the Dagenham area, which moved to the new garage on opening, hence the DX code.
Clapton (CT)
Clapton garage operates routes 38, 73, 253, N38, N73 and N253.
Clapton garage has its origins back as far as 1882, when it was known as Hackney Tram Depot and housed horse trams. In the early 1900s, it was taken over by the London County Council to house electric trams, which lasted at the depot until 1939, when trolleybuses took over. In the early 1940s, some of the surrounding buildings in Bohemia Place were knocked down to provide more space and better access to the garage.
By 1950, the depot had changed its name to Clapton to avoid confusion with the nearby Well Street garage (H) prior to being converted for motorbus operation. Following the conversion, the parking area allowed for 90 buses and in 1959, 67 RTLs were allocated as part of the trolleybus replacement programme. In 1974, shortly after the introduction of London Transport's first female bus drivers, Clapton bus conductor Rose Alexander became LT's first female bus inspector. In August 1987, the garage was closed as part of an LRT cost-cutting scheme, with the remaining work transferred to the newer Ash Grove bus garage.
In 1989, the garage was reopened to take some pressure off of Walthamstow by housing MRLs for route 236. With the closure of Ash Grove in 1991, work started to build up steadily, and then in 1995, route 253 was allocated from the closed Stamford Hill garage. In 1998, Clapton received the first low-floor double deckers in London in the form of Alexander ALX400-bodied DAF DB250LFs purchased by Arriva, and also tried out LPG buses, most notably a DAF with a Plaxton Prestige body.
Dartford (DT) Dartford garage operates routes 96, 229, 335, 428 and 492.
As part of a decision to consolidate all of Arriva's Transport for London routes with Arriva London, Dartford garage was transferred from Arriva Kent Thameside on .
Edmonton (EC)
Edmonton garage operates route 158.
Edmonton garage was first opened in 1993 by London Suburban Bus to operate routes 4 and 271, and later 41. The company was taken over in 1995 by MTL London Northern, with routes 4 and 271 transferred to Holloway, and route 41 transferred to Cowie Leaside. As a result, the garage was closed in 1996.
The garage was reopened by County Bus & Coach in 1997, and in 1998, this operation was merged with the Leaside Travel unit. In 2005, the garage was adapted for Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses on route 149. Having closed in September 2012, on 1 March 2014, Edmonton reopened to replace Lee Valley.
Enfield (E)
Enfield garage operates routes 121, 191, 192, 217, 279, 307, 313, 377 and N279.
Enfield garage was built in 1927 by the London General Omnibus Company. Further land was soon acquired in the front of the garage for use as a bus stand, which later also got used as a terminus for trolleybuses. The garage was modernised at a cost of over £6million in the early 1980s, and when it reopened in 1984, it had space for 106 buses. More recently, Enfield garage has become a central part of Arriva London operations with the accident repair centre and undertaking of major refurbishments.
Grays (GY)
Grays garage operates routes 66, 103, 248, 370 and 375.
As part of a decision to consolidate all of Arriva's Transport for London operations with Arriva London, Grays garage was transferred from Arriva Kent Thameside on 1 January 2016.
Palmers Green (AD)
Palmers Green garage operates routes 34, 102, 141, 675 and SL1.
Palmers Green garage was opened in July 1912 by the London General Omnibus Company to house their bus fleet operating in competition in North London with Metropolitan Electric Tramways (MET) trams. Following World War II, the allocation at Palmers Green was made up of AEC Regent III RTs, Leyland Titan RTLs and RTWs and SRT class AEC Regent I rebuilds, making Palmers Green the only London Transport garage to be allocated all four standard buses of the London Passenger Transport Board's double deck types, although none could fit in the garage until the roof could be raised by 10 inches, which was completed in 1952 after a process taking 20 weeks. The garage was further modernised in 1974, by which time 60 buses were allocated. AEC Routemasters arrived in 1969 replacing the RTs, but the RTs lasted there until 1978.
One-person operated buses, in the form of AEC Regal VIs, began arriving at Palmers Green and were followed in time by AEC Swifts, Daimler Fleetlines, and MCW Metrobuses. The Routemasters lasted on route 29 until the late 1980s, and in 1994, the allocation was 51, entirely MCW Metrobuses. In latter years, the allocation has increased slightly and other than Metrobuses, Volvo B10Ms and Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250LFs have been allocated.
London's first modern hybrid electric bus, a Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV, was based from Palmers Green, first entered service in March 2007 on route 141.
Stamford Hill (SF) Stamford Hill garage operates routes 19, 67, 76, 254 and N19.
Stamford Hill opened in February 1907 as a London County Council tram depot. In February 1939, it was converted into trolleybus depot and in July 1961 for bus use. It was closed in 1995, before reopening in 2006. It closed again in November 2020. The garage was re-opened on 24 February 2024 to operate route 254.
Tottenham (AR)
Tottenham garage operates routes 41, 149, 243, 259, 341, 349, N41 and SL2.
Tottenham garage was built in 1913 by the MET to run buses to support their tram network. The buses were requisitioned during World War I, and then between 1917 and 1919 the garage was loaned to AEC. Before World War II in 1939 the allocation consisted of ST, STL and LTs, but during the war it was the first garage to receive utility Guy Arabs, and later in 1949 London's first 8 ft wide buses. When route 236 moved with its RFs to Dalston in 1971 it signalled an absence of single deckers at the garage that would last until 2001 when route W4 was won.
MCW Metrobuses and AEC Routemasters were the staple diet of the garage for many years until the new Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250LFs arrived. The final Routemasters left Tottenham in September 2004 when route 73 was converted to Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated bus operation and moved to Lee Valley.
Wood Green (WN) Wood Green garage operates routes 29, 221, 329, 616, W3, W4, W6 and N29.
Transformed in the early 1900s from a horse tram depot to a modern tram depot with a capacity of 67. It was completely remodelled in the late 1930s to allow for trolleybus operations and a capacity of 108. The garage was further adapted again in 1960 for buses. AEC Routemasters arrived to replace trolleybuses in April 1961, and with the closure of West Green in 1962 more work arrived.
Arriva London South Limited Arriva London South Limited operates four garages.
Brixton (BN)
Brixton garage operates routes 50, 59, 137, 319, 417 and N137.
Originally built as a depot for cable trams which ran up Brixton Hill in 1892, it was re-built between 1904 and 1906 for use by electric trams. In 1939, the garage was extended onto a site formerly owned by the water board and containing a large water main, and then in 1949, reconstruction started to bury the main and convert the depot into one large building instead of two smaller ones. The last trams ran from the depot in 1951, by which time AEC Regent III RTs had started to arrive, with the last RT remaining until 1976.
In 1971, Brixton became one of the first to receive Daimler Fleetlines, followed by MCW Metrobuses in 1984. The garage also received the first production Wright Cadet bodied DAF single deckers in 2001. Brixton was also the last depot to operate AEC Routemasters in regular service in London on route 159, with the last Routemasters being withdrawn at Brixton on 9 December 2005. The garage exclusively operates double-decker buses, with all single-decker buses having been transferred to other garages.
Brixton became the first Arriva London bus garage to begin moving towards electrification of its fleet during 2021, being connected to the National Grid ahead of the delivery of 22 BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery electric buses for use on route 319.
Croydon (TC)
Croydon garage operates routes 60, 166, 194, 312, 405, 412, 466, 645, 685 and SL5.
Built by the London General Omnibus Company in 1915, the garage was handed over to Thomas Tilling on opening as part of an agreement between the two operators. The garage had to have roof reconstruction in the early 1930s to allow roofed double deckers to use the garage and was totally destroyed in 1941 after an air raid which also killed four staff and destroyed 56 buses. The reconstruction was finally completed in the mid-1950s. AEC Regent III RTs mainly monopolised the garage until the arrival of AEC Routemasters in 1964.
In 1969, experimental XAs and later FRM1 were tested on route 233. When the XAs departed in 1973 they were replaced by Daimler Fleetlines which lasted until January 1993. LSs started to arrive in the late 1970s and MCW Metrobus in 1985 until they were replaced by Leyland Titans. When Elmers End closed a reshuffle took place with the Routemasters departing and the garage became fully one man operated, and later in 1994, the garage became fully double deck with the departure of the last Leyland Nationals.
Norwood (N)