Travel London facts for kids
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Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TL in February 2006
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| Parent | National Express |
| Founded | February 2004 |
| Defunct | May 2009 |
| Headquarters | Battersea |
| Service area | Greater London |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Routes | 36 |
| Fleet | 411 |
| Web site | www.travellondonbus.co.uk |
Travel London was a bus company that ran bus services in and around Greater London. It was part of a bigger company called National Express. In May 2009, it was sold to another company called NedRailways. A few months later, in October 2009, Travel London changed its name to Abellio London.
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The Story of Travel London
In June 1998, National Express started running some bus routes in London under the name Travel London. They even used a similar logo to their other bus company, Travel West Midlands.
In August 2000, National Express sold Travel London to a company called Limebourne. Then, in July 2001, Limebourne sold it to Connex. But in February 2004, National Express bought the company back!
Travel London grew even more in 2005. They bought the London bus parts of Tellings-Golden Miller. This included a bus depot in Byfleet and contracts to run buses for Surrey County Council.
Travel London ran bus services for different groups. These included Transport for London (who manage most buses in London), Surrey County Council, and Kingston University. The company was actually split into three smaller parts: Travel London Limited, Travel London (West) Limited, and Travel London (Middlesex) Limited. The bus routes in Surrey were given a new name, Travel Surrey, in September 2007.
In November 2007, National Express planned to change the names of all their bus companies to "National Express." So, Travel London was going to become "National Express London." However, this plan was stopped, and the bus companies kept their original names.
In May 2009, National Express decided to sell Travel London again. This time, it was bought by NedRailways. The sale included 66 bus routes. Thirty-six of these were for Transport for London, and 30 were for Surrey County Council and Kingston University. All the buses, depots (where buses are kept), and staff were part of the sale.
On October 30, 2009, Travel London and Travel Surrey officially changed their names to Abellio London and Abellio Surrey.
Where the Buses Were Kept
Travel London had several bus garages (depots) where their buses were stored, maintained, and started their routes.
Travel London Limited Garages
This part of the company had garages in Beddington Cross, Queenstown (Battersea), and Walworth Road. When the company changed its name, these garages held a total of 246 buses.
- Beddington Cross: This garage started in 2000. It ran routes like 3, 152, 157, 434, G1, P13, and the night route N3.
- Queenstown: This garage ran routes such as 35, 156, 211, 452, C3, the 24-hour route 344, and the night route N35.
- Walworth Road: This garage operated routes 40, 100, 129, 188, 343, 381, C1, and night routes N343 and N381. This garage has a long history, going back to the days of electric trams. It was closed and reopened a few times over the years. Travel London refurbished it in late 2003 because they needed more space for their growing number of bus contracts.
Travel London won a new contract for route 407. This new route started on October 31, 2009, and was used as the first route to launch under the new Abellio name.
Travel London (West) Limited Garages
This part of the company ran garages in Fulwell and Byfleet. The Byfleet depot later became part of Travel Surrey in September 2007. Together, these depots had about 146 buses.
- Fulwell: This garage operated London bus routes like 235, 481, 490, H20, H25, H26, R68, and R70. It also ran routes KU1, KU2, and KU3 for Kingston University until 2009.
- Byfleet: This garage ran many routes for Surrey County Council.
Travel London (Middlesex) Limited Garage
This part of the company had one garage in Hayes. It operated 19 buses on London bus routes 112, 350, H28, and U7.
Images for kids
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Plaxton Pointer MPD bodied Dennis Dart on route C1 at Victoria station in April 2008
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Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 on route 3 at Trafalgar Square in April 2008
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Alexander Dennis Enviro400 on route 452 in June 2007
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Optare Solo on Kingston University route KU2 in Surbiton in July 2008
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Caetano Nimbus bodied Dennis Dart SLF on route 112 at Brent Cross bus station in October 2008
