Arriva London facts for kids
A New Routemaster bus in Battersea on route 19
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| Parent | Arriva UK Bus |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Wood Green |
| Service area | Greater London |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Routes | 89 |
| Depot(s) | 14 |
| Fleet | 1,528 (March 2024) |
| Fuel type | Diesel, electric and hybrid |
Arriva London is a major bus company that runs many of the famous red buses in Greater London. It also operates in nearby areas like Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey. It is part of a bigger company called Arriva UK Bus and works with Transport for London to provide bus services for millions of people.
The company is split into two main parts: Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited, which manage different bus garages and routes across the city.
Contents
History of Arriva London
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The story of Arriva London began in 1980 when a company called the Cowie Group bought a coach business named Grey-Green. In 1987, Grey-Green started running London bus routes for the first time.
In the mid-1990s, London's bus services were being sold to private companies. The Cowie Group bought two of these new companies: Leaside Buses and South London Transport. A new rule in 1995 said that all London buses had to be at least 80% red. So, the buses were painted red with a yellow stripe.
In 1997, the Cowie Group changed its name to Arriva. All the different bus companies it owned in London were brought together under the Arriva brand, creating the Arriva London we know today. Over the years, other bus operations were also merged into Arriva London, making it one of the city's biggest bus operators.
Bus Garages
Arriva London operates from 14 bus garages, which are like homes for the buses where they are stored and maintained. These are split between the North and South divisions.
Arriva London North
Arriva London North runs ten garages.
Barking (DX)
The Barking garage opened in 1992. It was built by Grey-Green to manage its growing number of bus routes in North East London.
- Routes: 150, 175, and SL2.
Clapton (CT)
This garage is very old! It started in 1882 as a depot for horse-drawn trams. It later housed electric trams and trolleybuses before becoming a bus garage. In 1998, Clapton was the first garage in London to get modern low-floor double-decker buses.
- Routes: 38, 73, 253, and the night routes N38, N73, and N253.
Dartford (DT)
The Dartford garage joined Arriva London on 1 January 2016. Before that, it was part of Arriva Kent Thameside.
- Routes: 229, 301, 335, 428, 492, and B15.
Edmonton (EC)
Edmonton garage first opened in 1993. It closed in 1996 but was reopened a year later. After closing again in 2012, it reopened in 2014 to replace the Lee Valley garage.
- Route: 158.
Enfield (E)
Built in 1927, the Enfield garage is a key location for Arriva London. It has a special center for repairing and refurbishing buses.
- Routes: 121, 191, 192, 279, 307, 313, 349, 377, and night route N279.
Grays (GY)
Like the Dartford garage, Grays garage was transferred to Arriva London from Arriva Kent Thameside on 1 January 2016.
- Routes: 66, 103, 248, 370, and 375.
Palmers Green (AD)
Palmers Green garage opened in 1912. In 2007, it became home to London's first modern hybrid electric bus, which ran on route 141.
- Routes: 34, 102, 141, 675, and SL1.
Stamford Hill (SF)
This garage started as a tram depot in 1907. It was later used for trolleybuses and then buses. It closed in 1995, reopened in 2006, closed again in 2020, and finally reopened in February 2024.
- Routes: 19, 67, 76, 254, and night route N19.
Tottenham (AR)
Tottenham garage was built in 1913. During World War II, it was the first garage to receive "utility" buses, which were built with simple parts because of wartime shortages.
- Routes: 41, 123, 149, 243, 259, 318, 341, and night route N41.
Wood Green (WN)
This garage began in the early 1900s as a depot for horse-drawn trams. It was later modernized for electric trams, trolleybuses, and finally for buses in 1960.
- Routes: 29, 221, 329, W3, W4, W6, and night route N29.
Arriva London South
Arriva London South runs four garages.
Brixton (BN)
This depot started in 1892 for cable trams. It was rebuilt for electric trams and later converted for buses. Brixton was the last garage to run the old AEC Routemaster buses on a regular London route in 2005. It was also the first Arriva garage to start using electric buses in 2021.
- Routes: 50, 59, 137, 319, 417, and night route N137.
Croydon (TC)
Built in 1915, this garage was completely destroyed during an air raid in World War II in 1941. It was rebuilt in the 1950s and continues to serve South London.
- Routes: 60, 166, 194, 312, 405, 412, 466, and school routes 645, 685, and SL5.
Norwood (N)
Norwood garage opened in 1909. It was completely rebuilt between 1981 and 1984. In July 2025, a major project was completed to install chargers for electric buses.
- Routes: 2, 196, 202, 249, 432, 468, school route 627, night route N2, and SL6.
Thornton Heath (TH)
This garage has a very long history, opening in 1879 for Croydon's first horse tramway. It was rebuilt for electric trams in 1901 and became a bus garage in 1951. In 2024, it began to be converted to run electric buses.
- Routes: 64, 198, 250, 255, 289, 410, school routes 612, 663, 689, and night route N250.
Former Garages
Arriva London has used other garages in the past that are now closed or used by other companies.
- Ash Grove (AE) was a large garage opened in 1981. Arriva shared it with Stagecoach London for a time, but moved out in February 2024.
- Battersea (BA) was an old garage that closed in 1985. A small part of it was used again from 1993 until 2009, when it closed for good and was redeveloped.
- Beddington Farm (CN) was a modern depot that opened in 1990. It was mainly an open-air garage and was closed by Arriva in 2012.
- Garston (GR) joined Arriva London in 2016 but closed in 2018 when its bus contracts ended.
- Heathrow (HE) was a small depot that became part of Arriva London in 2016. It closed in 2017 after its only route was transferred to another company.
- Lee Valley (LV) was a modern garage opened in 2005 to house the long "bendy buses." It closed in 2014, and its operations moved to the reopened Edmonton garage.
Fleet of Buses
As of March 2024, Arriva London had a fleet of 1,528 buses. These include double-deckers, single-deckers, and modern electric and hybrid buses that are better for the environment.
The Heritage Fleet
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For many years, Arriva operated a special collection of classic AEC Routemaster buses called The Heritage Fleet. These were the iconic London buses with an open platform at the back, allowing people to hop on and off.
After the Routemasters were retired from normal service in 2005, Arriva kept nine of the most special ones. This fleet was available to hire for weddings, parties, and special events.
Some of the famous buses in the fleet included:
- RM6: This bus was painted gold in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
- RMC1453: The first Routemaster coach built for the Green Line service.
- RM2217: The very last standard-length Routemaster ever built. This bus ran the final regular Routemaster service in London in December 2005.
In November 2022, Arriva announced that it was selling all the buses from the Heritage Fleet, bringing this special service to an end after 17 years.
Images for kids
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Ash Grove bus garage during an open day in April 2017
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Beddington Farm garage entrance from Beddington Farm Road, October 2011
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Garston bus garage from St Albans Road, June 2018
