My favorite routes in London (Part 1/2-Buses)

Hello and welcome to the third blog that I have written.

Today, I will giving an opinion on my favorite routes starting off with the buses. Lets get started...

1.  London Buses 222 (Hounslow-Uxbridge)

The first route that I like is 222. 222 was operated by London United Ratp Group (French company) with Alexander Dennis Enviro 400s and a few Scania Omnicitys. It goes from Hounslow Bus Station-Uxbridge via Hounslow West, Cranford, Harlington Corner, Sipson Road, West Drayton and Cowley. From Hounslow West onwards to about Harlington Corner where bus routes 90, 111, 140 and 285 join, you can see airplanes land every minute at Heathrow which is quite nice. The driver was quite fast too since it was on an Enviro 400 and reached speeds of 47mph on Sipson Road.

 After passing through the suburbs of Sipson, West Drayton is seen served by GWR and TFL Rail (soon to be Crossrail) and the only terminating bus route, U1. Before reaching Uxbridge, Yiewsley and Cowley suburb areas were seen before approaching Belmont Road. Overall, I really enjoyed the route and did the return on the same day. Ever since September 2017, the route has been run by Metroline with Volvo B5LH Gemini 3s. However on some occasions, TEs and Gemini 1s had appeared but unfortunately this very rarely happens now. I have not ridden the 222 under Metroline since the takeover although, I could give it a try and see how it is. I recommend riding the route. 

2. London Buses 81 (Hounslow-Slough)

The second route that I like is 81. 81 is operated (at the time of post) by London United Ratp Group (French company) with Alexander Dennis 400s and some Scania Omnicitys. The route goes from Hounslow Bus Station-Slough via Hounslow West, Cranford, Harlington Corner, Bath Road, Harmondsworth, Longford, Colnbrook High Street, and Langley. There were some tight sections of the route near Longford which is intresting to see considering that a double decker bus could go through it. Once again, this was another amazing route and if you havent tried it do so.

3. London Buses 173 (King George Hospital-Beckton)

The third route is 173. 173 is operated by Arriva London (German company) with Alexander Dennis 200s (sometimes), 400s Wright Gemini 2 DLs (to be on the safe side, DW is easier) and Volvo B7TLs (VLAs). The route goes from King George Hospital-Beckton via Little Heath, Chadwell Heath Lane, Chadwell Heath, Becontree Heath, Dagenham Heathway, Ripple Road, and Newham Way. The Enviro 400s are not too bad but the DWs and VLAs are quite good. I am quite surprised how Barking managed to save VLA56 and VLA57 ( both Voith VLAS) from Norwood bus garage as I thought they would be gone. However, I believe VLA56 has been withdrawn. The frequency is alright too. So if you are searching for a thrashy route try the 173 and see what you might get out of it.

4. London Buses 205 (Bow Church-Paddington)

Next is 205. 205 is operated by Stagecoach London (British company) with Alexander Dennis E400Hs and some Enviro 400H MMCs. The route goes from Bow Church-Paddington via Bow Road, Mile End, Mile End Gate, Whitechapel, Aldgate East, Aldgate, Liverpool Street, Old Street, City Road, Angel, Islington, King's Cross St Pancras, Euston, Euston Square, Warren Street, Great Portland Street, Regents Park, Baker Street, Marylebone (rerouted away from the station as of 15th June 2019 onwards) and Edgware Road. Well my goodness what a route and allocation. The Enviro 400H are so good and acclerate perfectly. Once you past through Whitechapel and Aldgate you are properly inside the City of London. The buildings are district/business like and everywhere you see people going in and out to their destinations. Honestly, this route is awesome and these Enviro 400Hs are my favorite from Stagecoach. Again, another route to consider noting down.


Now that this is out of the way, here are some of routes that I haven't tried yet which could be intresting - and if you are interested then its worth taking note.

Routes that I haven't tried yet but considering

1. London Buses 265 (Putney Bridge-Tolworth)

265 is operated by London United Ratp Group (French company) with Enviro 200 MMCS. The route goes from Putney Bridge to Tolworth via Putney Church, Putney Common, Barnes, Barnes Common, Roehampton Lane, Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, Alton East Estate, Roehampton Vale, Kingston Vale and New Malden. I have watched a full journey before on Youtube and it was quite quick. If you wish to watch this video click here. There is some good thrash sections of the route and when I clicked to view the full journey it was amazing. I feel as if the MMCS suit the route and definitely will be going on it soon.

2. London Buses 135 (Crossharbour-Old Street)

135 is operated by Go Ahead London (British company) with Volvo B5LHs formed of an Enviro 400 MMC body. It goes from Crossharbour Asda, to Old Street Station via Mudchute, Eastferry Road, Westferry Road (DLR station), Heron Quay, Canary Wharf, Westferry Road, Westferry, Limehouse, Aldgate East, Aldgate, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street. I have heard good things about this route especially being very scenic around the Canary Wharf areas and the vehicle allocation. Now I have actually seen this route before in Aldgate and the vehicles do suit it I must say. This route will be quite cool to try...

3. London Buses N86 (Stratford-Harold Hill)

 The final route iam looking to try is N86. N86 is operated by Stagecoach London (British company) with Alexander Dennis Enviro 400s. Compared to the daytime 86 which runs from Stratford to Romford, N86 goes via the same routing but is extended to Harold Hill, Dagnam Park Square. The route passes the following areas: Forest Gate, Woodgrange Park, Manor Park, Ilford, Seven Kings, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Gallows Corner and Hilldene Avenue. This route only runs at night and is one of the many night bus routes not to be allocated with hybrid buses which most are due to the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) in Central London. Also, this would be my first time trying a night bus route since I haven't ridden on one before so I will see how it goes!

I understand it has been a while since I have written blogs but I will be writing alot more since it is the summer break so expect more soon!

Thank you for reading this blog, have a good day and happy riding! :)