London Buses route SL6
London Buses route SL6, formerly London Buses route X68, is a Transport for London contracted Superloop express bus route in London, England. Running between West Croydon bus station and Russell Square during peak hours only, it is operated by London Central.
SL6 | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Operator | London Central |
Garage | Camberwell |
Vehicle | Alexander Dennis Enviro400H MMC |
Began service | 27 October 1986 |
Former operator(s) | Arriva London London Regional Transport |
Night-time | Route N68 |
Route | |
Start | West Croydon bus station |
Via | Selhurst Park West Norwood station Waterloo station Aldwych |
End | Russell Square |
Service | |
Level | Weekdays (peak hours only) |
The route has two stopping service equivalents, routes 68 and 468.
History
Route X68 commenced on 27 October 1986 as a peak-hour, express version of route 68 operating between West Croydon bus station and Russell Square with no stops made between West Norwood and Waterloo. It was operated by London Regional Transport's Norwood bus garage with Leyland Olympians fitted with high back seats.[1] As part of the privatisation of London bus services, in January 1995 it was taken over by Arriva London.
Upon being re-tendered it passed to London Central on 3 April 2006 being operated by Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs.[2][3] London Central successfully retained the route when re-tendered, commencing new contracts in 2011 and 2018, with Alexander Dennis Enviro400H MMCs introduced with the commencement of the latter.[4][5][6] In 2018, a three-axle BCI bus was trialled on the route.[7]
On 31 July 2023, route X68 was converted to a Superloop route and renumbered SL6.[8][9]
Current route
Route SL6 operates via these primary locations:[10]
References
- Wharmby, Mathew (2016). London Transport's Last Buses: Leyland Olympians L1-263. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 147382 386 0.
- Route Alteration Transport for London 3 April 2006
- Wharmby, Matthew (2021). The London Volvo B7TL. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 1 52678 695 1.
- Win, Win, Win Bus Talk issue 6 October 2010 page 1
- Latest tendered service awards Buses issue 750 September 2017 page 23
- Fleet News Buses issue 752 November 2017 page 71
- London to try a tri-axle decker Coach & Bus Week 10 April 2018
- First TfL Superloop bus route to start this weekend Route One 14 July 2023
- Superloop Transport for London
- Route SL6 Map Transport for London