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73
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| Overview | |
| Operator | Arriva London |
| Garage | Stamford Hill (SF) |
| Vehicle | Volvo B5L Hybrid 10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 VDL DB300 10.4m / Wright Gemini 2 |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 51 |
| Nighttime | Night Bus N73 |
| Route | |
| Start | Victoria |
| Via | Oxford Circus King's Cross Islington |
| End | Stoke Newington |
| Length | 9 miles (15 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | every 3-4 minutes |
| Journey time | 44-78 minutes |
| Operates | 4:45am until 1.00am |
| Transport for London • Performance |
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London Buses route 73 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.[1] The route is one of the busiest in London,[2] and is a high-frequency route.[3]
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Route 73 began operation on 30th November 1914, and originally ran from Kings Cross, London to Barnes, London, via Euston Road, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, Knightsbridge, Kensington, and Hammersmith. [4]
In August 1994 the route, at the time operated by Leaside Buses, was used to test satellite monitoring of buses in an effort to reduce bunching.[5] In 1995 and 1996 it won the award for best crew route in London.
From its inception until September 2004 it was operated by two person crews (driver and conductor), most famously using the London Routemaster. Subsequently it was one person operated using articulated single-deck Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaros[6] This change was intended to improve peak capacity and decrease boarding times; however, a Transport for London advertising campaign to this effect was prohibited by the Advertising Standards Agency as the claims were misleading.[7] Fare evasion on the route increased after the introduction of articulated vehicles, leading some passengers to nickname the route 'seventy-free'.[8] The route was used to test the iBus system in 2007.[9]
On 3 September 2011, route 73 was retained by Arriva London, was transferred to Stamford Hill (SF) and was converted back to double deck using Volvo B5L Hybrid / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 and VDL DB300 10.4m/Wright Gemini 2. The route was discontinued between Seven Sisters and Stoke Newington. [10]
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