Bus garages in London

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Every garage operating services that form part of the London Bus network is given an official London Bus garage code. Such codes are given not only to garages running London Bus contracts, but also to those running commercial bus services under London Bus agreements. There is also a code for the Croydon Tramlink! The codes are used internally by London Buses, for administrative purposes.

Many operators also give their garages codes, sometimes for similar administrative reasons, or sometimes — particularly where they only have one garage — for "enthusiast reasons". These are not always the same as the London Bus codes, although they often are.

Contents

[edit] History

Many of the codes are long-established, going back to London Buses Limited (LBL) (and in many cases earlier) days, and are well-known among staff and enthusiasts. There is usually some sort of logic to the code allocated. In the early part of the 20th Century, the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) allocated its garages codes by going through the alphabet — initially A, B, C, etc; and then AA, AB, AC, etc. Codes allocated since often reflect the geographical name of the garage (e.g. Fulwell, Alperton, New Cross (NX)), although some have since been renamed (HT, Holloway, was called Highgate).

Since the start of tendering in 1985, some codes have also reflected the name of the owning company, examples being AH (Armchair, Brentford), EL (Eastern National, Chelmsford), WI (Wings, Uxbridge), BE (Blue Triangle, Rainham). Such company names may not still be in use today: DX (Arriva London North East, Barking) originates from Dix Travel, which was absorbed into Grey-Green, becoming their Dagenham operation, and subsequently relocated to Barking, and now absorbed by Arriva. Similarly BT (Sovereign, Edgware) comes from BTS, which was subsequently bought out by Sovereign, and Hounslow Heath code WK originates from Westlink. The official code FR for Metrobus's Crayford base is especially obscure, referring to the original owner, one Chris Freeman of Freeman’s Coaches, which was absorbed into Crystals, which subsequently sold out to Tellings-Golden Miller in 2003, who then sold it on to Metrobus in 2005!

In several cases (TB/TC/TL and QB) the code reflects both the location (Bromley/Croydon/Lewisham (Catford), Battersea) and the original owning company (Tilling, Q-Drive). (For example: TB would be Tilling Bromley, QB would be Q-Drive Battersea)

Some garage codes have been used for more than one garage over the years, sometimes when an entire garage has moved such as at Peckham (PM), and sometimes when a code has been "dormant" for some years and then been reused. Some premises have had different codes at different times in their life, and indeed three (Edgware, Fulwell and Ash Grove) currently have two codes simultaneously, one for each operator.

[edit] Current codes

[edit] A

Code Garage Operated By
A Sutton London General
AC Willesden Metroline
AD Palmers Green Arriva London
AE Ash Grove Arriva London
AF Putney London General
AG Ash Grove Arriva London
AH Brentford Metroline
AK Streatham none
AL Merton London General
AN Acton First London
AR Tottenham Arriva London
AT Acton First London
AV Hounslow Transdev London

[edit] B

Code Garage Operated By
BA Battersea Arriva
BB Battersea Arriva
BC Beddington Cross Travel London
BD Brentford Metroline
BE Rainham Blue Triangle
BF Beddington Arriva London
BK Barking East London
BN Brixton Arriva
BT Edgware Transdev London

The code BT is not a contraction of BTS. It signifies Borehamwood Town. The original garage was in Station Road, Borehamwood at the top of the town. This code was derived from the system used by Country Buses & Coaches who used codes for all termini, ie: BH = Borehamwood, Cowley Hill or BD = Borehamwood, Drayton Road.195.137.26.106 (talk) 11:21, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
BV Belvedere East Thames Buses
BW Bow East London
BX Bexleyheath London Central

[edit] C

Code Garage Operated By
C Croydon Metrobus
CA Clapham none
CF Chalk Farm none
CN Beddington Farm Arriva London
CT Clapton Arriva London
CY Crawley Metrobus

[edit] D

Code Garage Operated By
DC Poplar Docklands Buses
DM Dagenham First London
DN Dalston CT Plus
DT Dartford Arriva Southern Counties
DX Barking Arriva London

[edit] E

Code Garage Operated By
E Enfield Arriva London
EB Epsom Quality Line
EC Edmonton Arriva London
EM Edmonton Arriva London
EW Edgware Metroline
EY Greenford Ealing Community Transport

[edit] F

Code Garage Operated By
FE Perivale Metroline
FL Rainham Blue Triangle
FW Fulwell Transdev London

[edit] G

Code Garage Operated By
G Greenford First London
GR Watford Arriva Shires & Essex
GY Grays Arriva Southern Counties

[edit] H

Code Garage Operated By
H Hackney First London
HA Harlow Arriva Shires & Essex
HD Harrow Weald Metroline
HF Hatfield Uno
HH Hounslow Heath Transdev London
HI High Wycombe Arriva Shires & Essex
HK Ash Grove CT Plus
HM Horsham Arriva Southern Counties
HO Lea Interchange First London
HS Hayes First London
HT Holloway Metroline
HY Dalston CT Plus
HZ Hayes First London

[edit] K

Code Garage Operated By
KX King's Cross Metroline

[edit] L

Code Garage Operated By
LV Lee Valley Arriva London

[edit] M

Code Garage Operated By
MA Mandela Way East Thames Buses
MB Green Street Green/Orpington Metrobus
MC Beddington None. Last used by Centra
MW Mandela Way London General
MY Crawley Metrobus

[edit] N

Code Garage Operated By
N Norwood Arriva London
NC Twickenham NCP-Challenger
NF Northfleet Arriva Southern Counties
NP Northumberland Park First London
NS Romford East London
NW North Wembley Metroline
NX New Cross London Central

[edit] O

Code Garage Operated By
ON Alperton First London

[edit] P

Code Garage Operated By
PA West Perivale Metroline
PB Potters Bar Metroline
PD Plumstead Selkent
PHs Polhill Sullivan Buses
PK Park Royal NCP-Challenger
PL Waterside Way London General
PM Peckham London Central
PV East Perivale Metroline

[edit] Q

Code Garage Operated By
Q Camberwell London Central
QB Queenstown (Battersea) Travel London

[edit] R

Code Garage Operated By
R Hammersmith Riverside None. Garage closed 1983
RA Waterloo London General
RD Romford First London
RM Rainham East London
RN Dagenham First London

[edit] S

Code Garage Operated By
S Shepherd's Bush Transdev London
SF Stamford Hill Arriva London
SI Poplar Docklands Buses
SM South Mimms Sullivan Buses
SO Harrow Transdev London
SR Streatham Road None. Last used by Centra
SW Stockwell London General

[edit] T

Code Garage Operated By
T Leyton East London
TB Bromley Selkent
TC South Croydon Arriva London
TF Fulwell Travel London
TG Byfleet Travel London
TH Thornton Heath Arriva London
TK Croydon Tramlink TfL, First London, and Tramtrack Croydon
TL Catford Selkent
TM Middlesex Travel London
TS Tunbridge Wells Arriva Southern Counties
TW Tunbridge Wells Arriva Southern Counties
TV Tolworth Transdev London

[edit] U

Code Garage Operated By
U Upton Park East London
UB Hatfield Uno
UX Uxbridge First London

[edit] V

Code Garage Operated By
V Stamford Brook Transdev London

[edit] W

Code Garage Operated By
W Cricklewood Metroline
WA Waterden Road East London
WB High Wycombe Arriva Shires & Essex
WD Wandsworth Arriva London
WE Ware Arriva Shires & Essex
WH West Ham Selkent
WJ Willesden Junction First London
WK Hounslow Heath Transdev London
WL Walworth Road Travel London
WN Wood Green Arriva London
WS Middlesex Travel London

[edit] X

Code Garage Operated By
X Westbourne Park First London

[edit] Y

Code Garage Operated By
Y Orpington First London

[edit] External links