London Buses route 281

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281
London United route 281 to Tolworth (cropped).jpg
London United Scania OmniCity in June 2014
Overview
OperatorLondon United
GarageFulwell
Peak vehicle requirement25
Began service9 May 1962
Night-time24-hour service
Route
StartHounslow
ViaWhitton
Twickenham
Teddington
Kingston
Surbiton
EndTolworth
Service
LevelDaily

London Buses route 281 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hounslow and Tolworth, it is operated by London United using 25 buses.[1]

History[]

London United Alexander RH bodied Volvo Olympian in Hounslow in September 1998
Transdev London TransBus ALX400 bodied TransBus Trident in Kingston in December 2008

Route 281 was introduced between Twickenham and Tolworth on 9 May 1962 to replace trolleybus route 601, operating from Fulwell garage.[2][3][4] On 15 August 1981 it was converted from AEC Routemaster to MCW Metrobus operation.

In 2000, the route was identified as one of the most popular in London, with approximately 5.5 million passengers using the service that year.[5]

On 3 June 2006, route 281 became the 100th night bus service in London, when a 24-hour service introduced.[6] It replaced a portion of route N22, which was shortened to end at Fulwell.[7]

Since the privatisation of London bus services, it has always been operated by London United out of Fulwell garage.[8][9][10]

Current route[]

Route 281 operates via these main locations:[11]

Incidents[]

In July 2005, shortly after the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the route was the subject of a hoax bomb threat.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ Tender News Bus Talk issue 26 February 2014
  2. ^ Taylor, Hugh (1994). London TrolleybuBus Routes. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 9781854141552.
  3. ^ Fulwell The London Bus volume 4 2017 pages 68/69
  4. ^ Blake, Jim (30 June 2019). London Buses in the 1970s: 1975–1979: From Crisis to Recovery. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-8718-3.
  5. ^ "Route 281 Bus Priority Measures" (PDF). 13 February 2003. p. 2.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Mayor announces 100th night bus service in London". Transport for London. 30 May 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Direct night bus service: Central London to Teddington". Mayor's Question Time. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Contract Routes Retained London United
  9. ^ TfL contract tender changes Coach & Bus Week issue 1115 27 November 2013 page 5
  10. ^ Latest tendered service awards Buses issue 789 December 2020 page 21
  11. ^ Route 281 Map Transport for London
  12. ^ "Bomb hoaxer called police after 7/7 attacks". This is Local London. 23 July 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2011.

External links[]

Media related to London Buses route 281 at Wikimedia Commons

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