Last Call, 118?

A journey through South & South West London on various bus routes, including possibly my final ride on the 118, which is due to be replaced by an extension to the 45 in February. As you may have guessed, the title of this article is a reference to the 118 118 Directory Enquiries number, which was popularised in the early noughties through TV ads featuring two runners with moustaches!

Start Point of my journey:

Marble Arch in the centre of town. Arriva London LT740 of Brixton (BN) Garage before my trip on the 137. The route was cut back to this point from Oxford Circus in 2017.

The interesting effect in the upper deck windows is produced by reflections from the trees opposite in the weak winter sun and not a new form of advertising wrap!

Route 137: Marble Arch to Streatham Hill Telford Avenue

This trip began in the centre of London at Marble Arch, just after the morning peak. To reach my intended area of rides, I took trunk route 137 from the West End to its outer terminus and home garage at Brixton (BN), referred to on bus blinds as “Streatham Hill, Telford Avenue”. Several “New Routemasters” were on stand when I arrived, but LT740 was next on the schedule, so I duly boarded at the first stop.

Fortunately, traffic was free flowing at that time and we soon made our way down Park Lane and around the Hyde Park Corner roundabout, before striking off towards Knightsbridge and past the top-end stores in Sloane Street down to Sloane Square. Along Chelsea Bridge Road past the barracks and over the Thames via Chelsea Bridge, before passing Battersea Park and Queenstown Road Stations. The housing gave way to greenery as we circled Clapham Common, before the stretch along Acre Lane and Kings Avenue to Clapham Park. Then up to Brixton Hill before hanging a right to the terminus outside Brixton Garage. Just a 45 min run on this occasion, which wasn’t bad and not that busy throughout.

When I first knew the 137 in the mid 70s, it was a much longer route from Archway in North London to Crystal Palace in the south with crew RM operation, later converted to the longer RMLs. In 1987 came the cut back to Oxford Circus at the northern end, with the Archway leg replaced by a new 135, which didn’t stand the test of time and has since disappeared. One-manning was achieved by stealth, when the southern section from Clapham Common to Crystal Palace went to offshoot OPO route 137A in 1991, except eves & Suns when the new route swallowed up the 137 entirely to Oxford Circus, thereby making the whole service OPO at these times. Crew RML operation remained on the rump of the 137 on M-S daytimes until full OPO conversion to DW types in 2004, almost at the end of Routemaster operation in London. LT types replaced DWs in 2014, with a further cut back from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch coming in 2017.

Go Ahead London Enviro400 E143 of Stockwell (SW) Garage leads the pack on stand in Brixton on the 118, which is due to be withdrawn in Feb 2025 and replaced by an extended 45.

The mural above the bus is entitled “Children at Play” and is one of several in the area sponsored by the local council.

Route 118: (Streatham Hill to Brixton Station) then Brixton to Morden

Crossing the main road outside Brixton Garage, I switched to route 118, operated by Go Ahead London out of Stockwell (SW) Garage, mainly using Enviro400s, although the odd hybrid appears. E143 was the next to appear for the short 10 min ride down Brixton Hill to the end of the line at Brixton Station.

The reason for this choice of route was that it is due to disappear shortly, as part of a series of route changes in February 2025, so likely my last chance for a ride. The plan is for the 45 to be cut back at its northern end from Elephant & Castle to Camberwell Green, but extended at the southern end to swallow the whole of the 118 from Brixton to Morden. The 59 will be rerouted away from Brixton Garage to cover the former Clapham Park stub of the 45. In my view, it would have been better to keep the 118 number for the new Camberwell - Morden service, as it has more in common with that route than the 45 and would potentially be of less confusion to the travelling public!

After its layover, I reboarded E143 at Brixton Police Station for a trip along the whole route to Morden. A busy trip, with plenty of punters, as we sailed up Brixton Hill and on past the garage to Streatham Hill and Streatham High Street, where roadworks were taking place but didn’t delay us for once. Past St Leonard’s Church to Streatham Station and then turning off the main road to Streatham Common Station, where we paused briefly for timing purposes. We were then into the narrower suburban roads around the Pollards Hill area, before reaching the wider expanse of Mitcham Common followed by Mitcham Town Centre. After Lower Green and Mitcham Tram Stop, we were over the River Wandle and then turned parallel to it along Wandle Road to Morden Hall Park, where temporary lights were causing a queue in the opposite direction, but not for us. Arrival at Morden Station was after a total run of just under the hour from Brixton.

The 118 is a long standing route, dating from 1936 when it began as a new service from Clapham Common to Mitcham Common. Over the years, it was first extended to Raynes Park, before being cut back to Morden when Flat Fare Route M1 started in 1969. I missed RT operation on the route, it being in the hands of RMs when I first rode it in the mid 70s. OPO came with Ms in 1985, although these were replaced later with Ls. 1990 saw a cut back from Clapham Common to Brixton Hill in lieu of the 60, with a M-F Peaks extension to Brixton Station which in 1994 became a more useful all day terminus.

A period with Ts followed in the 90s, before London General (later part of Go Ahead) assumed the contract with PVLs in 2001, these later being replaced with the current Es, although WVL, DOE and WHV types have also performed in recent years. It will be sad to see this number disappear from London’s streets.

RATP Group Enviro200 MMC DXE20285 of Tolworth (TV) Garage, on arrival at Epsom General Hospital after my ride on the 293 from Morden.

These extra long versions of this type appear only on the 293 and H37.

Route 293: Morden to Epsom General Hospital (& back to Epsom Town Centre)

This was a route I had not travelled on for a while and is normally operated with extra long Enviro200 MMC (DXE) single deckers, which are scheduled only on the 293 out of Tolworth (TV) and H37 out of Hounslow (AV) by RATP Group. There is a scheduled double deck working on the 293 at school times, although occasionally one can be seen during the day, but not when I visited, as the allocation was solidly DXE.

Having just missed one at Morden Station, I had nearly 20 mins to wait for the next, which was DXE30285. Just a few boarded with me on departure, as we took the detour away from the main road route to North Cheam via the back doubles of Lower Morden. Back on the “traditional” route, we continued out of the London area into Surrey, passing the wide expanse of Nonsuch Park before arriving into quaint Ewell Village. The section from here into Epsom Town Centre was busy with shopping traffic, although we virtually emptied out at the Clock Tower and continued with just a couple of us up to the terminus at Epsom General Hospital. Just 40 mins overall for the trip.

After a 15 min break, we continued on around the one-way terminal loop past the back of the hospital grounds and back to the town centre, where I alighted.

For a short route, the 293 has had an unusually complex history. Coming in 1970 between Morden & Epsom to convert the southern end of the 93 to one-man buses using MB types, it was double decked in 1974 with DMS. 1983 saw an extension at the Morden end to Hackbridge in place of the M1. Tendering saw the route pass to London Country in 1986 with AN and later LR types. In 1989, the northern terminus switched again, to Merton Abbey Savacentre, the operating company morphing into LCSW, then London & Country and finally LondonLinks. The 90s saw a series of extraordinary forays south of Epsom for the route, reaching at different times West Park Hospital, Bookham, Effingham, Walton-on-the-Hill and even Merstham! There was a short-lived Summer Sundays extension to Chessington World of Adventures too.

The new century saw the route settle down to its current Morden - Epsom Hospital axis, aside from the rerouteing via Lower Morden in 2003. The year 2000 had seen a short term reallocation to London General from Sutton (A) Garage using Ms. Operator changes followed, with Epsom Coaches and Metrobus taking a turn with various single deck types, until the current operator RATP / London United took over in 2018. After the temporary use of Optare OT types, the present Enviro200 MMCs assumed control, although operation passed from Epsom (EB) to Tolworth (TV) in 2021.

RATP Group ADE40492 of Tolworth (TV) Garage stands outside the refurbished Cromwell Road Bus Station in Kingston on the 418. The bus was formerly with First and then Tower Transit as their DN33792.

This service, together with its companion route 406, were meant to receive VH class Volvo Hybrids at last contract renewal, but the process is incomplete and a few Enviros still appear.

Route 418: Epsom to Kingston

After a short pause to stock up on lunch supplies, I continued my rides with a journey on the 418. Also operated by RATP from Tolworth (TV) Garage, this route is unusual (for a TfL service!) in being jointly operated with the 406, which serves the same destinations, although via a different intermediate route at the Epsom end. It was clear from bustimes.org that certain buses switch from one route to the other during the day, presumably for efficiency of operation.

The timetables are also jointly scheduled (for once!) with a 20 min M-S daytime service on each route, 30 mins eves & Suns, coordinated to provide departures from Epsom every 10 mins M-S daytimes, 15 mins eves & Suns.

The last contract change saw the routes retained by RATP on the basis of using VH type hybrids, but around one-third of the service remains with Enviro400 diesels. ADE40492 was on the next 418, immediately recognisable as a former First London vehicle due its purple / grey interior, although retrimmed with London United blue moquette. This bus later passed to Tower Transit as their DN33792 before ending up with RATP. A reasonably busy trip, filled with returning shoppers from the sales, as we made our way around the nether regions of Epsom via the Longmead Road area and the Chessington Road, before turning off along Ruxley Lane.

At Kingston Road, we rejoined forces with the 406 (which proceeds from Epsom via Ewell) for the rest of the run. A fast trip on the dual carriageway up to Tolworth Roundabout, before continuing to Kingston. At Surbiton, the 406/418 take the direct route via Surbiton Hill Road, avoiding the dog leg through the town centre that other services follow, a useful time saving for through travellers. We terminated at the revamped Cromwell Road Bus Station in Kingston just 45 mins from the start, although the long closure for rebuilding didn’t seem to have made a huge difference to the facilities provided, other than a new canopy and updated seating!

The 418, like its companion 406, was once a London Country route with green buses. After a period with Arriva, the Epsom - Kingston portion of the 418 became a TfL service in 2002, operated by London United with Ms, later going single deck with DPS Darts. Quality Line (as Epsom Buses had become by that time), took the contract in 2007 with double deck Enviro400s. After selling out to RATP / London United in 2017, the Enviros were reclassified into the ADE sequence, although other examples from elsewhere since joined them. VH types have been the majority allocation since latest contract change in 2021 which is where we started this story.

RATP Group BCE47059 of Fulwell (FW) Garage proclaims “I am an electric bus” at Tolworth Station.

This is a new terminus for the 281, which moved here from its old stand behind Tolworth Shopping Centre in July 2024.

Part Route 281: Kingston to Tolworth Station (& back to Surbiton)

To finish, one last order of business, a trip to the new Tolworth Station terminus of the 281, which moved there in July 2024 from the previous stand behind the shopping centre on the opposite side of the roundabout. A short but useful extension to connect transport modes.

I took RATP Group BCE47040 of Fulwell (FW) Garage from Kingston to Tolworth, this time serving Surbiton Town Centre, ending with the short one way loop on which the new stand is situated beside the entrance to Tolworth Station. Just over 20 mins this way.

For the return, I managed to jump a couple of workings as there were already two buses on stand when I arrived. BCE47059 was first to leave and I took on the short 10 min journey back as far as Surbiton Station, where I switched to rail for the journey home.

I had ridden the whole of the 281 from Hounslow to Tolworth in its old format some months previously, so only felt the need to cover the southern bit with the new extension this time.

The 281 famously replaced the 601 Trolleybus in 1962 between Tolworth & Twickenham with RM operation initially, being extended to Hounslow in 1965. Largely unchanged since then, except for changes in vehicle type, it is worth mentioning that there was a M-F Peaks extension south of Tolworth, to Chessington Industrial Estate, from 1970 to 1987, so this is not the first occasion that the 281 has ventured across the Tolworth Roundabout!

Watton