Knowledge (XXG)

Red Arrow (London Buses)

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thought to be associated with articulated buses. This drew criticism, as there was nothing to distinguish the buses from normal services. Another criticism of bendy buses was the low number of seats, with only 49 per vehicle. A standard rigid Citaro has 44 seats, however the new ones for route 507 and 521 had just 21, with room for up to 76 standees, leading to criticism the new buses were "cattle trucks" and even more crowded than the buses they replaced.
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The articulated Citaros were replaced by new 12 metre rigid versions. On 25 July 2009 a weekend service was introduced on route 507, the first weekend service for a Red Arrow route. Route 521 converted to rigid operation on 1 September 2009. The new Citaros did not carry the Red Arrow name, as it was
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in 1966 to examine bus service operation, and settled on replacing some double-decker buses with long single-decker buses, which would have extra capacity by implementing a 'standee bus' model as used on the continent, whereby the fixed seating in the bus would be minimised to that required off-peak,
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O530Gs entered service from that date. Being commuter routes, and so little used outside peak times, these routes were suitable to test the articulated on, and resembled the original standee bus concept, now with off bus fare collection. Additionally, route 521 ran through the
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IIs. Further expansions, contractions and renumbering of the route network occurred, but the core Red Arrow network remained into the 1980s, and into London Buses operation with the
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making double decker operation impossible. The artics still carried the Red Arrow name, although it was much smaller and less pronounced than all the previous versions.
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After a public consultation in June 2022, it was announced that on 29 April 2023, both routes 507 and 521 would be withdrawn and replaced with portions of routes
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From February 1981, London Transport started replacing its AEC Merlin buses on the Red Arrow services with 69 new
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with hand holds fitted to allow maximum standee capacity at peak times. These buses would also have dual doors.
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As of 2008, the peak operating requirement was nine buses on the 507 and 19 on the 521. As part of the move to
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A Report on London's bus services and London Transport's plans for reshaping them
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limited stop routes used as high frequency commuter services in
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Buses Magazine, August 2008 issue, page 5, Ian Allan Publishing
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513 Waterloo station - Aldwych - Fleet Street - St Paul's –
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On 2 June 2002, the remaining two Red Arrow routes 507 and
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buses on a new express service, route 500, running between
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The concept was introduced with on 18 April 1966 with six
555:"Passengers call for the return of the bendy bus" 302:business unit, as part of the first stage of the 468:. London: London Transport. pp. 153–155. 139:. The last Red Arrow services to operate were 763: 650: 8: 533:"The beginning of the end for the bendy bus" 535:. Greater London Authority. 5 December 2008 495:. Pen and Sword Transport. pp. 25–27. 256:505 Waterloo station - Aldwych - Holborn – 770: 756: 748: 657: 643: 635: 434: 432: 430: 131:was a brand name given to several former 16:Limited-stop London bus routes, 1966–2009 423:. London: London Transport Board. 1966. 382: 182:The Red Arrow Network as of 1972 was: 7: 439:Arnold, Barry; Harris, Mike (1982). 304:privatisation of London bus services 175:, extended during shopping hours to 443:. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. 79:O530G Articulated Red Arrow bus on 489:Wharmby, Matthew (30 March 2018). 327:replace London's articulated buses 155:London Transport had instigated a 98:'s Red Arrow articulated fleet at 14: 666:Articulated bus routes in London 626:Leyland National Greenway page 561:. 31 July 2009. Archived from 202:- Park Lane - Victoria station 1: 331:2008 London Mayoral election 371:Articulated buses in London 329:, a commitment made in the 848: 18: 786: 672: 64:Leyland National Greenway 620:Leyland National II page 441:Reshaping London's Buses 245:Liverpool Street station 19:Not to be confused with 827:Bus transport in London 290:- London Bridge station 266:506 Victoria station – 249:503 Waterloo station – 231:502 Waterloo station – 51:with Red Arrow branding 464:Curtis, Colin (1977). 125: 103: 88: 66: 52: 40: 227:London Bridge station 109: 94: 72: 58: 46: 31: 315:Mercedes-Benz Citaro 114:Mercedes-Benz Citaro 77:Mercedes-Benz Citaro 21:Red Arrow Motorcoach 832:London Buses brands 791:East London Transit 565:on 3 September 2009 279:Waterloo station – 624:www.countrybus.org 618:www.countrybus.org 612:www.countrybus.org 594:. 23 November 2022 283:- Victoria station 253:- Victoria station 251:Westminster Bridge 157:Bus Reshaping Plan 126: 104: 89: 67: 53: 41: 814: 813: 745: 744: 592:TfL Have Your Say 502:978-1-47386-227-2 272:Piccadilly Circus 262:Shoreditch Church 839: 772: 765: 758: 749: 659: 652: 645: 636: 604: 603: 601: 599: 589: 581: 575: 574: 572: 570: 559:The London Paper 551: 545: 544: 542: 540: 529: 523: 520: 514: 513: 511: 509: 486: 480: 479: 461: 455: 454: 436: 425: 424: 417: 411: 410: 408: 406: 401:on 14 April 2017 397:. Archived from 387: 320:Strand underpass 296:Leyland National 207:Waterloo station 188:Victoria station 122:Waterloo station 49:Leyland National 35:on route 500 in 847: 846: 842: 841: 840: 838: 837: 836: 817: 816: 815: 810: 782: 776: 746: 741: 668: 663: 633: 614:AEC Merlin page 608: 607: 597: 595: 587: 583: 582: 578: 568: 566: 553: 552: 548: 538: 536: 531: 530: 526: 521: 517: 507: 505: 503: 488: 487: 483: 476: 466:Buses of London 463: 462: 458: 451: 438: 437: 428: 419: 418: 414: 404: 402: 395:Go-Ahead London 389: 388: 384: 379: 366:Buses in London 362: 153: 111:Go-Ahead London 100:Waterloo garage 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 845: 843: 835: 834: 829: 819: 818: 812: 811: 809: 808: 803: 798: 793: 787: 784: 783: 777: 775: 774: 767: 760: 752: 743: 742: 740: 739: 734: 729: 724: 719: 714: 709: 704: 699: 694: 689: 684: 679: 673: 670: 669: 664: 662: 661: 654: 647: 639: 632: 631:External links 629: 628: 627: 621: 615: 606: 605: 576: 546: 524: 515: 501: 481: 474: 456: 449: 426: 412: 381: 380: 378: 375: 374: 373: 368: 361: 358: 300:London General 292: 291: 284: 281:Lambeth Bridge 274: 264: 254: 247: 239:- St Paul's – 229: 203: 152: 149: 137:central London 96:London General 74:London General 61:London General 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 844: 833: 830: 828: 825: 824: 822: 807: 804: 802: 799: 797: 794: 792: 789: 788: 785: 780: 773: 768: 766: 761: 759: 754: 753: 750: 738: 735: 733: 730: 728: 725: 723: 720: 718: 715: 713: 710: 708: 705: 703: 700: 698: 695: 693: 690: 688: 685: 683: 680: 678: 675: 674: 671: 667: 660: 655: 653: 648: 646: 641: 640: 637: 630: 625: 622: 619: 616: 613: 610: 609: 593: 586: 580: 577: 564: 560: 556: 550: 547: 534: 528: 525: 519: 516: 504: 498: 494: 493: 492:The London LS 485: 482: 477: 475:0-85329-084-9 471: 467: 460: 457: 452: 450:0-904711-34-X 446: 442: 435: 433: 431: 427: 422: 416: 413: 400: 396: 392: 386: 383: 376: 372: 369: 367: 364: 363: 359: 357: 355: 351: 347: 343: 338: 334: 332: 328: 323: 321: 316: 312: 307: 305: 301: 297: 289: 288:Cannon Street 285: 282: 278: 275: 273: 269: 265: 263: 259: 255: 252: 248: 246: 242: 238: 234: 230: 228: 224: 220: 216: 212: 208: 204: 201: 197: 196:Oxford Street 193: 189: 185: 184: 183: 180: 178: 177:Oxford Circus 174: 170: 166: 161: 158: 150: 148: 146: 142: 138: 134: 130: 123: 119: 115: 112: 108: 101: 97: 93: 86: 82: 78: 75: 71: 65: 62: 57: 50: 45: 38: 37:Oxford Street 34: 30: 26: 22: 800: 779:London Buses 736: 596:. Retrieved 591: 579: 567:. Retrieved 563:the original 549: 537:. Retrieved 527: 518: 506:. Retrieved 491: 484: 465: 459: 440: 420: 415: 403:. Retrieved 399:the original 394: 385: 339: 335: 324: 308: 293: 237:Fleet Street 181: 162: 154: 128: 127: 124:in July 2009 102:in June 2006 87:in June 2004 25: 598:23 November 569:5 September 539:5 September 241:London Wall 200:Marble Arch 173:Marble Arch 821:Categories 377:References 268:Green Park 258:Old Street 165:AEC Merlin 141:routes 507 133:London bus 59:Preserved 47:Preserved 33:AEC Merlin 806:Superloop 801:Red Arrow 737:Red Arrow 508:1 October 219:St Paul's 192:Park Lane 129:Red Arrow 118:route 507 116:rigid on 81:route 521 405:13 April 360:See also 169:Victoria 233:Aldwych 215:Holborn 211:Aldwych 151:History 85:Aldwych 39:in 1976 781:brands 499:  472:  447:  796:Hoppa 588:(PDF) 600:2022 571:2009 541:2009 510:2022 497:ISBN 470:ISBN 445:ISBN 407:2017 352:and 223:Bank 205:501 186:500 171:and 143:and 732:521 727:507 722:453 717:436 712:207 707:149 354:133 311:521 277:507 145:521 120:at 83:at 823:: 702:73 697:38 692:29 687:25 682:18 677:12 590:. 557:. 429:^ 393:. 350:59 348:, 346:11 344:, 306:. 270:– 260:– 243:- 235:– 225:- 221:- 217:- 213:- 209:- 198:- 194:- 190:- 771:e 764:t 757:v 658:e 651:t 644:v 602:. 573:. 543:. 512:. 478:. 453:. 409:. 342:3 23:.

Index

Red Arrow Motorcoach

AEC Merlin
Oxford Street

Leyland National

London General
Leyland National Greenway

London General
Mercedes-Benz Citaro
route 521
Aldwych

London General
Waterloo garage

Go-Ahead London
Mercedes-Benz Citaro
route 507
Waterloo station
London bus
central London
routes 507
521
Bus Reshaping Plan
AEC Merlin
Victoria
Marble Arch

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