London Buses route 109

London Buses route 109 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Croydon and Brixton station, it is operated by Transport UK London Bus.

109
Overview
OperatorTransport UK London Bus
GarageBeddington
VehicleAlexander Dennis Enviro400H MMC
Peak vehicle requirement26
Night-timeN109
Route
StartCroydon
ViaThornton Heath Pond
Norbury
Streatham
EndBrixton station
Length7 miles (11 km)
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyAbout every 6-10 minutes
Journey time32-66 minutes
Operates05:30 until 01:00

History

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Daimler Fleetline in Croydon
 
Arriva London Wright Eclipse bodied DAF DB250 in September 2013
 
Arriva London Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250LF in Brixton in February 2014

Route 109 commenced operating on 8 April 1951 as a circular Purley - West Croydon station - Streatham - Elephant & Castle - Victoria Embankment - Westminster - Kennington - Norbury - Croydon - Purley route operating in both directions. It replaced tram routes 16 and 18, operating from Brixton and Thornton Heath garages with AEC Regent III RTs.[1][2]

From 16 October 1957 it ran between Purley High Street and Victoria Embankment. On 23 January 1966, the Sunday service was withdrawn with the exception of a few early morning journeys operated by Thornton Heath garage. On 31 October 1970, these journeys were converted to one-man operation (OMO) using single-deck AEC Swifts, with subsequent conversion to double-deck Daimler Fleetline operation from 23 March 1974.[3]

On 3 February 2001, it was converted to low floor operation with Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250s. Upon being re-tendered, Arriva London successfully retained with new contracts commencing on 1 February 2003 and 30 January 2010.[4][5] On 31 March 2012, route 109 was transferred from Thornton Heath to Brixton garage.[3]

Upon being re-tendered, route 109 was awarded to Abellio London's Beddington garage from 31 January 2015.[6][7][8][9]

Current route

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Route 109 operates via these primary locations:[10]

References

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  1. ^ Kevin McCormack (2015). The Colours of London Buses 1970s. Pen and Sword Books. p. 98. ISBN 978-1473837775.
  2. ^ "Further South London Tram Conversion" Railway Gazette 16 Match 1951 page 311
  3. ^ a b Ian Armstrong (10 April 2015). "Route History".
  4. ^ "Route 109 - award announced 14 September 2009". Transport for London. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  5. ^ Latest tender news is a boost for Arriva Arriva London 14 September 2009
  6. ^ Bus tender results Transport for London 17 April 2014
  7. ^ "Abellio continues its winning streak" Buses Magazine issue 711 June 2014 page 19
  8. ^ Tender News Bus Talk issue 28 June 2014
  9. ^ Services in London Abellio
  10. ^ Route 109 Map Transport for London

Further reading

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  Media related to London Buses route 109 at Wikimedia Commons