London Buses route 463

463

Overview
Operator Quality Line
Garage Epsom (EB)
Vehicle Optare Solo 8.5m
Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m
Peak vehicle requirement 8
Night-time No night service
Route
Start Coulsdon South station
Via Wallington
Beddington
Mitcham Common
End Pollards Hill
Length 11 miles (18 km)
Service
Level Daily
Frequency 20-30 minutes
Journey time 48-65 minutes
Operates 05:30 until 00:52

London Buses route 463 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Coulsdon South station and Pollards Hill, it is operated by Quality Line.

History

Route 463 has its history in a London Transport Saturday only shopping hours route 263 running from The Mount to Coulsdon, although London Transport ended this operation in 1964. Banstead Coaches then resumed the service, with an unnumbered route running Monday to Saturday, until 1980. Then another company, Tandridge Taxis (later renamed Tandridge Transport Services), kept the service running until 1983, and extended it across Coulsdon to Coulsdon Wood Estate. The service was then taken up by Guards of Caterham until 1987 when the operation passed to East Surrey Buses of Godstone (now part of Metrobus).[1]

East Surrey Buses numbered the route once again, this time as route 363 as the previous number had been taken in 1971 by today's route 263. East Surrey passed the route to London & Country in October 1996. However, London & Country only lasted a year, and London Transport took the route back and contracted its operation to Quality Line, this time numbering it 463, as 363 has since been used.[1]

On 2 March 2002, the route was extended from Wallington to Eastfields, replacing route S5 to Mitcham Common.[1] Upon being re-tendered, Quality Line retained the route with a new contract commencing on 3 April 2004, and again from 4 April 2009.

In July 2008 two extension of the route, to Coulsdon South station and Pollards Hill, were proposed by Transport for London.[2] The proposal received strong support in the area, and a borough council consultation was announced in January 2009.[3] The extensions were approved and implemented from December 2009.[4] A half-hourly Sunday service was also introduced to the route in May 2009.[5]

Double-deck operation was introduced to the route for the first time in April 2010, when two school journeys between Beddington and Coulsdon were expanded to increase capacity.[6]

Upon being re-tendered, Quality Line retained the route with a new contract commencing on 5 April 2014.

Current route

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Route 463 londonbusroutes.net
  2. ↑ Changes planned to 463 bus route Croydon Advertiser 4 July 2008
  3. ↑ Extension planned for Streatham bus service Streatham Guardian 7 January 2009
  4. ↑ Joy as 463 bus route extension confirmed Croydon Guardian 15 December 2009
  5. ↑ Green light for Sunday 463 bus service Sutton Guardian 1 June 2009
  6. ↑ Increased capacity to improve school journeys on route 463 Transport for London 13 April 2010

External links