Essex bus routes 255 and 555 are commercial bus routes in the county of Essex, United Kingdom. The routes were begun by TWH Bus & Coach, but were taken over by Lea Valley Buses of Loughton (Lea Valley Buses have recently gone into administration, meaning Olympian Coaches have taken over the 255, and TWH Bus & Coach are operating the 555 again - the situation is currently temporary. The routes serve the towns of Loughton, Debden, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Harlow. The routes operate in competition with a few Arriva bus routes, including the 250, 251, and 505. The 555 replaced TWH's previous route 55, which also operated between Loughton and Harlow, but via Epping and North Weald.
The 255 operates every 30 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays between Loughton and Waltham Cross via Waltham Abbey.
The 555 operates every hour on Mondays to Saturdays between Upshire and Harlow via Waltham Abbey.
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The 555 started operations on April 3, 2010, replacing TWH's route 55. The 55 (Loughton to Harlow via Epping and North Weald) began in September 2008, operating in competition with Imperial Bus Company's route H1. This competition only lasted about 5 months, when TWH withdrew the 55 in February 2009.[1][2]
Following a drop in passenger numbers, Imperial's H1 was withdrawn, and TWH started the 55 again on Mondays to Fridays from 21 December 2009.[3] The first few weeks of the re-introduced 55 was funded by Essex County Council; from January 4, 2010 it was operated commercially. The re-introduced 55 was again withdrawn on April 2, 2010. This was due to a drop in passenger numbers in the Epping area, following increased services from SM Coaches route 19 and Arriva Shires & Essex route 500.
The 555 originally replaced the 55, starting the day after its withdrawal. Posters advertising the service were put up at bus stops on the 555 route.[4] The first day of the route saw service from traditional AEC Routemasters, which TWH use on special occasions. The new route gave previously non-existent links between Debden Estate and the Waltham Abbey/Waltham Cross area.[4] The 555 also served Farthingale Lane in Waltham Abbey which had never previously never had a bus service. However, this section was withdrawn within days of the first week of operation, after residents blocked the road in protest against the buses running down the road.[5]
On 1 September 2010, route 555 gained a new timetable which included a higher frequency between Loughton and Waltham Cross, as well as later journeys. It also stopped serving Debden Estate after this date, but still continued to serve Debden Broadway, as well as Rectory Lane which parallels the estate.
On 24 January 2010, there was a major change on the 555. The double-run to Waltham Cross was withdrawn, the Upshire area of Waltham Abbey was served instead of the Shernbroke Road estate, and the route also began serving Nazeing. To add to the 555 service, two new routes were created. The 255 was created to operate between Debden and Waltham Cross via Loughton and Waltham Abbey, and the 355 was created to operate between Waltham Cross and Harlow via Nazeing.[6]
On 12th February 2011, the 355 was withdrawn after less than a month in operation. This was due to low passenger numbers, not helped by TfL not allowing the 355 to serve Waltham Cross bus station.
From 16th May 2011, route 255 was extended from Waltham Cross to Cheshunt Brookfield Centre, with the Loughton to Debden section withdrawn. Also from this date, route 555 completely stopped serving Waltham Cross and Lower Nazeing, and began serving Ninefields and Debden throughout Monday to Saturdays.
In July 2011, Lea Valley Buses went into administration, meaning the 255 passed to Roadrunner Coaches of Harlow, along with the Volvo vehicles from both the 255 and 555 routes. The 555 route passed over to TWH Bus & Coach, the original operator of the route, but they shortened the service to operate just between Waltham Abbey and Harlow, leaving the Loughton and Debden areas without a direct bus link to Harlow.
Roadrunner Coaches uses a wide variety of buses on the 255 route. Some of these bus types include;[7]
On the 555, TWH also uses a variety of vehicles;
Route departing Cheshunt
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Route departing Loughton
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Route departing Harlow
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Route departing Waltham Abbey
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