East Thames Buses
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 | |
|---|---|
 An East Thames Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini. | |
| Founded | Various |
| Service area | Greater London |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 11 |
| Fleet | Volvo B7TL DAF SB120 Scania OmniTown |
East Thames Buses was the only government owned bus operator (via Transport for London) of London Buses. It was sold to London General in 2009.
Contents |
History
East Thames Buses was formed in 1999 to take over the services operated by the failed Harris Bus Company.[1]
In 2008, East Thames awarded their exclusive contract for bus-side advertising to Titan outdoor for five years. [1]
On 29 July 2009, Transport for London announced that East Thames Buses would be sold to London General, part of Go-Ahead London. The sale of East Thames Buses was for around £5m, which includes all assets. London General begin a new five year contract for all East Thames Buses routes. The sale was completed on 3 October 2009.
Garages
East Thames Buses has two bus garages: Mandela Way and Belvedere.
Mandela Way (MA)
Mandela Way opened in late 2005 following the relocation from the existing base at Ash Grove due to the impending move of Arriva into Ash Grove with artics for route 38. It has a Peak Vehicle Requirement of 53 buses and operates London bus routes 1, 42 and 185. It currently runs the following models:
- Volvo B7TL 10m/Plaxton President (VP - Route 185, may stray onto route 1)
- Volvo B7TL 10.6m/Wright Eclipse Gemini (VWL - Normally route 1)
- Scania OmniTown 10.7m/East Lancs Myllennium (ELS - Route 42)
- Dennis Dart / Pointers (On Loan from Go-Ahead London General)
Belvedere (BV)
Belvedere was purchased by Harris Bus in 1998 to house its operations that moved from Crayford. Harris Bus went into receivership in 2000, and its routes and garage were taken over by London Buses under the guise of East Thames Buses. Since then, East Thames Buses has become a unit taking over routes from defunct operators such as London Easylink's 42 & 185. Following the move to Mandela Way the engineering is now done there, however limited engineering facilities exist at Belvedere.
This garage has a peak vehicle requirement of 39 buses and operates London bus routes 108, 132, 180, 185 (joint with MA), 661, 669, and N1.
It currently runs the following models:
- Volvo B7TL 10m/Plaxton President (VP - Typically 185, 661 and 669 however may stray onto the 132 and 180).
- Volvo B7TL 10.6m/Wright Eclipse Gemini (VWL - Routes 180, N1).
- DAF SB120 10.8m/Wright Merit (DWL - Routes 108, 132)
See also
References
- ^ "TfL announces sale of East Thames Buses". Transport for London. 2009-07-29. Archived from the original on 2009-11-05. http://www.webcitation.org/5l47JSlBe.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: East Thames Buses |
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