This page is a list of Transport for London (TfL) contracted London Bus routes in London, as well as private services that enter the Greater London area (except coaches).
Kinds of route numbers
The different kind of routes today
*Except 603 and 607, which are normal day time routes
Historic numbering
Historically, bus routes run by London Transport were grouped by the type of service that they provided.
The 1924 London Traffic Act imposed a numbering scheme known as the Bassom Scheme, named after Chief Constable A.E. Bassom of the Metropolitan Police who made it. Changing and short lines used letter suffixes. The numbers were grouped also by the company that operated the route.
The numbering was revised in 1934 after London Transport was formed:
List of routes
All routes operate in both directions unless detailed.
1–99
100–199
200–299
300–399
400–499
500–599
600–699
The majority of buses numbered between 600 and 699 are school services, running once on each weekday peak period during school term time. The exception to this is route 607, a limited stop express route.
700–799
900–999
Route numbers from 900 to 999 represent Mobility Buses; these provide a once-a-week return journey to a local shopping centre from relatively low-density neighbourhoods where there is no alternative route in the main bus network. The number of Mobility Buses routes has declined because low-floor and wheelchair-accessible buses run on all London Buses routes.
Letter prefixes
Night only routes (N-prefixed)
Night bus routes are often related to the day numerical equivalent, normally running the same route but with an extension at either end of the service. This is normally to provide a night service to destinations served by tube or train during the day.
However, there are a few N-prefixed route numbers that have no relation to their daytime equivalents: the N5, N20, and N97 all operate in a different part of London to their respective day routes, and the N550 and N551 (which provide night service on parts of the DLR network) have no corresponding daytime routes.
There are also 24-hour routes, which run day and night but usually with a lower frequency during the night hours. The vast majority run the same route at all times. With the introduction of the Night Tube, some day routes have been extended to run during Friday and Saturday nights to serve the stations.
Temporary routes
There are four special express routes that run during the Notting Hill Carnival: 2X, 36X, 205X and 436X.
Former routes
This list shows some old routes that used to operate but do not exist anymore. Services withdrawn before 1994 are not listed.
Related pages
:Category:London bus operators
References
Bibliography
Atkin, Michael. "THIS SCEPTRED ISLE", The Guardian
Carr, Ken, The London Bus Guide. Boreham: Visions International Entertainment, 2011. ISBN 978-0-9570058-0-8.