London Buses route 149
Encyclopedia
London Buses route 149 is a Transport for London
contracted bus route in London
, United Kingdom
. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London
.
and Liverpool Street Station. In 1968 it was extended on Mondays to Fridays to Victoria
some peak hour journeys were extended from Waltham Cross to Flamstead End via Cheshunt
. The route was withdrawn north of Ponders End
in 1970. It was cut back to Edmonton
in 1971, although a few peak hour journeys continued to serve Ponders End. Seven years later route 149 was re-extended to Ponders End at all times.
In 1985 it was withdrawn between Waterloo
and Victoria, and further cut back to Liverpool Street in 1991 apart from a few early Monday to Friday journeys to Mansion House Station
. In the same year it was extended back to Waterloo during Monday to Friday peak hours. In 1998 the route was extended south from Liverpool St Station to London Bridge Station. The service was converted to a "bendy bus
" operation in 2004 and withdrawn north of Edmonton, with new route 349 taking over.
In 2005 the 149 was subject to intensive bus priority
measures along the length of its route. A year later the route was used to test the use of recorded stop announcements to aid visually impaired passengers.
In November 2009 it was announced that articulated buses would be withdrawn from the route in October 2010 as part of a new contract. The contract was retained by the route's current operator, Arriva London
.
On 16 October 2010, route 149 was converted back to double deck, the allocation was transferred to Tottenham garage and the PVR was increased to 36.
In 2007 the route was highlighted as having extremely high levels of pickpocketing by London Assembly
member Jeanette Arnold. Ken Livingstone
, then Mayor of London
, was called upon to increase policing on the route, but stated that pickpocket activity had in fact decreased between 2005 and 2007.
A vehicle on the route was involved in an accident in Tottenham
on September 15, 2009 when a double-decker bus on route 243
crashed into it. The driver and four passengers were injured in the accident, as was the driver of the double-decker, but there were no serious injuries.
On February 27, 2010, a bus driver on a late night working of the route was assaulted by a passenger who had failed to alight at the correct stop. Two weeks earlier a driver on the route had been suspended for assaulting a pedestrian near Monument Station.
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
contracted bus route in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London
Arriva London
Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green...
.
History
Route 149 was introduced in 1961 to replace trolleybus route 649 between Waltham CrossWaltham Cross
Waltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.-Geography:It is...
and Liverpool Street Station. In 1968 it was extended on Mondays to Fridays to Victoria
Victoria, London
Victoria is a commercial and residential area of inner city London, lying wholly within the City of Westminster, and named after Queen Victoria....
some peak hour journeys were extended from Waltham Cross to Flamstead End via Cheshunt
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
. The route was withdrawn north of Ponders End
Ponders End
Ponders End is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London located in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. It is roughly located in the area either side of Hertford Road between The Ride and the Boundary Public House and Wharf Road and the Southbury railway station/Kingsway...
in 1970. It was cut back to Edmonton
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
in 1971, although a few peak hour journeys continued to serve Ponders End. Seven years later route 149 was re-extended to Ponders End at all times.
In 1985 it was withdrawn between Waterloo
Waterloo, London
Waterloo is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated east of Charing Cross. The area is part of a business improvement district known as Waterloo Quarter, which includes The Cut and the Old Vic and Young Vic theatres, including some sections in the...
and Victoria, and further cut back to Liverpool Street in 1991 apart from a few early Monday to Friday journeys to Mansion House Station
Mansion House tube station
Mansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London, near Mansion House . It is a sub-surface station served by trains on the Circle and District Lines. It is between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations. The station is located at the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Cannon...
. In the same year it was extended back to Waterloo during Monday to Friday peak hours. In 1998 the route was extended south from Liverpool St Station to London Bridge Station. The service was converted to a "bendy bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
" operation in 2004 and withdrawn north of Edmonton, with new route 349 taking over.
In 2005 the 149 was subject to intensive bus priority
Bus priority
Bus priority or transit signal priority is a name for various techniques to speed up bus public transport services at intersections with traffic signals amongst other methods. Trams and light rail vehicles can also be given priority...
measures along the length of its route. A year later the route was used to test the use of recorded stop announcements to aid visually impaired passengers.
In November 2009 it was announced that articulated buses would be withdrawn from the route in October 2010 as part of a new contract. The contract was retained by the route's current operator, Arriva London
Arriva London
Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green...
.
On 16 October 2010, route 149 was converted back to double deck, the allocation was transferred to Tottenham garage and the PVR was increased to 36.
Controversy
Route 149 suffers from higher levels of crime than most routes in London. In the 2006-07 financial year the route had the sixth highest levels of reported incidents on the network. This was lower than in the previous year, when it was fifth.In 2007 the route was highlighted as having extremely high levels of pickpocketing by London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member Jeanette Arnold. Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, then Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, was called upon to increase policing on the route, but stated that pickpocket activity had in fact decreased between 2005 and 2007.
A vehicle on the route was involved in an accident in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
on September 15, 2009 when a double-decker bus on route 243
London Buses route 243
London Buses route 243 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...
crashed into it. The driver and four passengers were injured in the accident, as was the driver of the double-decker, but there were no serious injuries.
On February 27, 2010, a bus driver on a late night working of the route was assaulted by a passenger who had failed to alight at the correct stop. Two weeks earlier a driver on the route had been suspended for assaulting a pedestrian near Monument Station.
Current route
- London Bridge StationLondon Bridge stationLondon Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
- Monument Station
- Liverpool Street StationLiverpool Street stationLiverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
- ShoreditchShoreditchShoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
High Street - Dalston JunctionDalston Junction railway stationDalston Junction railway station is in the Dalston area of the London Borough of Hackney at the crossroad of Dalston Lane, Kingsland Road and Balls Pond Road...
- Stoke NewingtonStoke NewingtonStoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
High Street - Stoke Newington StationStoke Newington railway stationStoke Newington railway station links Stoke Newington to Liverpool Street in central London, and to Cheshunt and Enfield Town further north. Trains generally run every fifteen minutes....
- Stamford HillStamford HillStamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
- South Tottenham StationSouth Tottenham railway stationSouth Tottenham is a railway station on the east-west Gospel Oak to Barking Line. It is located on the eastern side of the north-south A10 High Road in Tottenham, North London, between and...
- TottenhamTottenhamTottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
High Road - Bruce Grove StationBruce Grove railway stationBruce Grove railway station in the centre of Tottenham was originally a station on the Stoke Newington & Edmonton Railway which opened on 22 July 1872. It is part of the Seven Sisters branch of the Lea Valley Lines. The station is not far from Bruce Castle, and takes its name from Bruce Grove, a...
- Upper EdmontonUpper EdmontonUpper Edmonton is a part of Edmonton, which is located in the eastern part of the London Borough of Enfield, England. The main shopping area of Upper Edmonton is often referred to as "The Angel" by locals and is...
- Edmonton Green StationEdmonton Green railway stationEdmonton Green railway station is a station in the London Borough of Enfield in north east London on the White Hart Lane branch of the Lea Valley Lines. The station and all trains serving it are operated by National Express East Anglia...