Blue Triangle facts for kids
A modern BYD BD11 bus on route 101 at Beckton bus station in January 2025.
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| Parent | Go-Ahead London |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Barking |
| Service area | East London |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Routes | 31 (as of April 2024) |
| Hubs | Barking, Barking Riverside, Canning Town, Beckton |
| Depot(s) | 2 |
| Fuel type | Diesel, Hybrid and Electric |
| Chief executive | Gary Meek |
| Web site | www.goaheadlondon.com |
Blue Triangle is a bus company that runs many of the famous red buses you see in East London. It's part of a bigger company called Go-Ahead London.
Blue Triangle operates bus routes for Transport for London, the organization in charge of London's transport system. This means they help millions of people get around the city every day. They are also the main operator for the East London Transit service, a special bus network designed to be fast and reliable.
Company History
Blue Triangle started in 1999. The company grew over the years by taking on more bus routes.
A key moment for the company was in August 2002. Another bus company, London Easylink, suddenly stopped running. Blue Triangle stepped in quickly to take over route 185, making sure passengers weren't left without a bus service.
On 29 June 2007, the Go-Ahead Group, a major transport company, bought Blue Triangle. This purchase included several bus routes in London and Essex, along with about 60 buses. However, the special old-fashioned buses used for private hire were not part of the sale.
Bus Garages: Where the Buses Live
A bus garage is like a home for buses. It's where they are parked, cleaned, checked, and repaired overnight to get them ready for the next day's service. Blue Triangle has two main garages.
River Road Garage (RR)
The River Road garage, located in Barking, is a very important hub for Blue Triangle. It opened in May 2016 on land that used to be a sales and repair site for Ford vehicles.
When it first opened, it had only 22 buses for one route. But the garage was built to be big, with space for up to 155 buses. Just a few months later, in July 2016, all the routes and buses from the old Rainham garage were moved here.
As of early 2024, this garage operates many routes, including the busy East London Transit services EL1, EL2, and EL3, and the night bus route N15.
Henley Road Garage (DS)
The Henley Road garage is another key location for Blue Triangle. It runs several important routes, such as the famous route 15 and the Superloop route SL4.
This garage also helps out with early and late trips for some routes that are mainly based at the River Road garage. It's a great example of how the two garages work together. Additionally, it provides storage space for the bus fleet that serves the Here East technology campus.
Former Garage
Rainham Garage (BE)
Before the River Road garage opened, Blue Triangle had a garage in Rainham. In 2015, it was very busy, operating over 20 different routes.
However, in July 2016, the company decided to close the Rainham garage. All of its buses and routes were transferred to the new, larger facility at River Road. This helped the company run its services more efficiently from one main location.
Special Buses
In the past, Blue Triangle owned some very special historic buses. These included an old Green Line AEC Routemaster and classic AEC Regent III RT buses. These buses were not used for regular routes but were hired out for special occasions like weddings and tours.
When Go-Ahead Group bought Blue Triangle, these vintage buses were not included in the sale. They are still owned by the original founder's other business, The London Bus Company.
The Bus Fleet
To run all its services across East London, Blue Triangle needs a large number of buses. This is called a "fleet." As of 2015, the company needed 131 buses to operate its London routes during the busiest times of the day.
Today, the fleet is much larger and includes different types of buses. You can see modern double-deckers, hybrid buses that use both diesel and electricity, and fully electric buses. Using electric and hybrid buses helps reduce pollution and makes London's air cleaner.
