Route History

Following the implementation of the Bus Reshaping Plan on 7 September 1968, a number of flat fare, single-deck routes were introduced in the Wood Green area of London.

Although the majority were brand new routes, one, the existing 233 was renumbered to W3 and converted to flat fare operation using AEC Merlin single deck vehicles. The route operated from Monday to Friday then Sunday, with Saturday operation split into two sections numbered W5 and W6 which met at Wood Green Station and headed south along Wood Green High Road to Turnpike Lane Station.

Increased congestion along Wood Green High Road, saw the W5 and W6 routes withdrawn on 22 March 1969, with the W3 commencing a Saturday service in their place, omitting the High Road section to Turnpike Lane.

Due to increased patronage of the route, it was converted to double decker operation on 22 September 1974.

On 1st April 1989, London Buses was divided into 12 business units in preparation for privatisation. Wood Green Bus Garage and its routes were allocated to the Leaside business. In September 1994, Leaside was purchased by Cowie Group, who in turn rebranded to Arriva on 1st September 1997.

Conversion of the W3 to low floor operation utilising Alexander Dennis Limited ALX400 bodied DAF DB250LF vehicles occurred in July 2000. The route was transferred to Lea Valley garage on 15th October 2011, receiving new Alexander Dennis Limited Enviro400 buses in February 2012.

Following the closure of Lea Valley on 1st March 2014, the W3 returned to Wood Green. The 50th anniversary of the route commencing was reached in September 2018 and it is fairly unique in the fact that the route has not changed in half a century, operating today exactly the same as when it commenced.

Route Visual Video – Filmed in February 2018

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Route History

Route 279 commenced on 26th April 1961 running between Smithfield and Waltham Cross (Mon-Fri/Sun) or Flamstead End (Sat), as a direct replacement for trolleybus route 679. The route was allocated AEC Routemasters running from Edmonton Bus Garage.

The 279 extended on Saturdays from Waltham Cross to Hammond Street Rising Sun on 27th February 1963, before receiving a further extension to Hammond Street, Smiths Lane in July 1964.
Sunday morning journeys between Waltham Cross and Lower Edmonton Station were withdrawn in January 1966. Withdrawal of Monday to Friday off-peak journeys between Enfield Bus Garage and Waltham Cross also took effect in December of that year.

With the route being fairly stable for the past four years, 24th January 1970 saw the introduction of Monday to Friday services to Hammond Street, with a further Sunday extension on 18th September 1971. This change saw the route terminate at West Smithfield, although this changed again to Liverpool Street Station on 9th September 1972. Six months later, on 10th March 1973, A reduction in the Sunday service was implemented with the withdrawal of the route between Finsbury Park and Liverpool Street, except for early morning journeys to Holloway, Nags Head.

The Sunday service was amended again in April 1976 to serve Hammond Street, matching the rest of the week. Yet, this extension only lasted over two years until the route was cut back to Waltham Cross on all days.
The continued trend of changing the Northern terminus of the route continued for the next nine years, with Hammond Street re-instated on 27 September 1980 before removal again on 3rd August 1985.

The AEC Routemasters that had operated the route since it began were replaced by MCW Metrobus one person operated buses on 26th September 1987 after serving continuously for over 26 years.

The 1990s saw the withdrawal of services between Holloway, Nags Head and Smithfield, except for weekday journeys before 7am. This service continued until April 1996, when the 279 was cut back to Holloway 7 days a week. After only 12 years in service (compared to the 26 years of the AEC Routemaster), the MCW Metrobuses were replaced during the conversion of the route to low floor Plaxton President bodied DAF DB250LF buses, themselves being replaced by Alexander Dennis Limited ALX400 bodied DAF DB250LF buses on 17th October 2009. The final (so far) change to the vehicle allocation came on 15th October 2011, when brand new Alexander Dennis Limited Enviro400 buses were introduced.

On the 16th October 2004, Arriva London Route 279 finally settled down to the existing route, when it was cut back from Holloway, Nags Head to Manor House Station.

Route Visual Video – Filmed on October 11, 2020

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Route History

Route 191 commenced operation between Chingford Hatch and Lower Edmonton (Goodwin Road) on 6th October 1954. The route was operated seven days a week by Enfield Garage, with extra vehicles on Saturdays provided by Tottenham Garage. This schedule continued until the 16th October 1957, when the Sunday allocation for the route was transferred to Tottenham, until 5th October 1958 when Sunday operation was replaced by new Sunday only Route 102a, operated jointly from Enfield and Palmers Green garages.

Five years passed before, on 27th February 1963, the Saturday allocation from Enfield was transferred to Tottenham, converting the route to AEC RTW class vehicles. Further conversion from the RTW class to AEC Routemasters occurred on 1st February 1964, although the Monday to Friday allocation remained AEC Regent III types throughout.

The 191 gained an extension of its Southern end on 23rd January 1966 from Goodwin Road, via Nightingale Road and Ponders End to terminate in Enfield Town. However, at the end of December that year, the route was withdrawn between Lower Edmonton and Enfield Town outside of shopping hours on Saturdays.

Further extension of the route was achieved on 7th September 1968, when Route 35B was withdrawn and the 191 was extended from Chingford Hatch to Chingford Station via Friday Hill.

To simplify the operation of the route, on 16th January 1971 the Tottenham based allocation was withdrawn, with the whole route being operated from Enfield Garage utilising AEC Regent III vehicles. One Person Operation was introduced on 23rd March 1974 using Daimler Fleetlines with the route being cut back to Enfield Bus Garage on Saturdays outside of shopping hours. Saturday operation along the full route to Enfield Town was restored on the 1st March 1975

Following a review of local routes, the main 191 vehicle allocation was moved to Edmonton Garage in Tramway Avenue, although Enfield continued to operate the extra vehicles allocated on Saturdays.

The route entered the 1980s in this form until, in January 1981, the route was cut back from Chingford Hatch to Chingford Station, being replaced along this section by new route 212. Meanwhile, the Saturday route allocation based at Edmonton Garage was withdrawn with the balance being provided by Enfield. This was followed in March 1982 by the conversion of the route to MCW Metrobus operation, before the route was cut back from Chingford to Lower Edmonton and extended from Enfield Town to Carterhatch via withdrawn Route 135. Further extension of this end of the route occurred in November 1985 when the 191 replaced the withdrawn section of Route 231 to Brimsdown.

Sunday operation was introduced using Midibuses in November 1994 and this was followed in 1996 by the operation of the route being transferred via route tendering to First Thamesway, who operated the route from a new depot in Ponders End. During this period of operation, the southern end of the route was revised, with the route terminus becoming Edmonton Green bus station in March 1998. FirstGroup purchased Capital Citybus in September 1998 and renamed it to First Capital, which absorbed the London routes operated by First Thamesway and relocated the route to Northumberland Park.

Low Floor Operation arrived on the route in August 2001 with the allocation of brand new Plaxton President double-deckers. These were replaced in July 2008 by brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 vehicles.

FirstGroup’s decision to withdraw from London operations saw its Northumberland Park depot sold to Go Ahead London, with its route contracts novating to the new operator on 31 March 2012. The route has continued unchanged ever since, with a change of operator on June 6 2020, when Arriva London took over the route following a tender change. Route 191 is now operated from Enfield garage with Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 2 vehicles.

Route Visual Video – Filmed on January 30th 2018

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