London Buses route 2

London Buses route 2 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Norwood bus garage and Marylebone station, it is operated by Arriva London.

2
Arriva London Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5LH in March 2017
Overview
OperatorArriva London
GarageNorwood
VehicleVolvo B5LH Wright Gemini 3[1][2]
Peak vehicle requirement21[1]
PredecessorsRoute 2B
Night-timeNight Bus N2
Route
StartNorwood bus garage
ViaBrixton
Victoria
Marble Arch
EndMarylebone station
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyAbout every 7-12 minutes

History
AEC Routemaster in Crystal Palace in April 1971
Arriva London Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL in September 2007

Route 2 was the last West End bus route that was operated by step-entrance buses other than AEC Routemasters. Ironically, it was also the first London bus route to use the Routemaster.[3]

In the 1950s, the route was run using AEC Regent IIIs.[4] On 8 February 1956, the first prototype AEC Routemaster ran on route 2 between Golders Green and Crystal Palace and after undergoing modifications the following year, it passed to route 260.[5][6] On 29 January 1994, route 2 was converted to one man operation with the AEC Routemasters replaced by Leyland Olympians and MCW Metrobuses.[7]

In 2003, brand new Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TLs were introduced. Conversion to the type took place a few months before the contract was renewed.

In 2015, the route received a part allocation of Enviro 400's from route 341. Some of its longer 10.6 metre Volvo B7TL's were transferred to Edmonton bus garage for use on route 123.[8]

It is operated out of Norwood bus garage with a peak vehicle requirement of 21 buses.[9]

In 2021, the peak frequency of the service was reduced from eight buses per hour to seven.[10]

Current route

Route 2 operates via these primary locations:[11]

References
  1. Ken Carr (2015). The London Bus Guide. Visions International.
  2. David Maxey (2016). Red all Over- The London Bus Review of 2015. Visions International.
  3. Marshall, Prince (1972). Wheels of London. The Sunday Times Magazine. ISBN 0-7230-0068-9.
  4. Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781854142337.
  5. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 99. ISBN 0853290830.
  6. Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 9781854142337.
  7. Blacker, Ken (2007). Routemaster: 1970–2005. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-85414-303-7.
  8. Carr, Ken (May 2015). The London Bus Guide (5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.
  9. Maxey, David (2016). Red All Over- The London Bus Review of 2015. Visions International.
  10. Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. Route 2 Map Transport for London
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