Hoppa (London Buses)

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Hoppa was a brand of London Buses routes operated by minibuses. Hoppa services were used as a low cost replacement for lower frequency routes previously operated by conventional buses. The smaller vehicles could also access residential streets that were previously unserved by buses.

Contents

History

The use of minibuses for urban bus routes was a consequence of the Transport Act 1985. The legislation introduced competitive tendering of bus routes in London and minibuses on low patronage routes were a low cost alternative to conventional buses. [1]

The brand was introduced by London Regional Transport (LRT). The routes used single door minibuses or midibuses. The smaller vehicles could serve residential streets which full sized buses could not reach. [2] This could bring more Londoners within 400 metres of a bus service. Hail and ride sections were employed on residential streets, avoiding the need to install new bus stops. Routes were sponsored by local councils with funding provided to get services started. The H24 and H25 routes were funded by Hounslow Council and opened by John Prescott, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, in January 1991. [3]

The use of minibuses was phased out following the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which required all single floor buses to be accessible by 1 January 2016. London Regional Transport was replaced by Transport for London in 2000.

List of Hoppa routes

The Hoppa routes were introduced as follows:

RouteBrandingTerminalsService startNotes
193 Hornchurch Hoppa Romford to County Park Estate2 August 1986 [4] Replaced routes 193 and 256
268 Hampstead Hoppa Finchley Road to Golders Green tube station 31 May 1986 [5] [6]
346 Hornchurch Hoppa Upminster to Corbets Tey24 September 1988Replaced route 246A
379 Enfield Hoppa Chingford railway station to Yardley Lane Estate5 March 1989 [7] [8]
C2 Camden Hoppa Regent Street to Parliament Hill Fields 4 April 1987 [9]
H12 Harrow Hoppa Harrow Weald to South Harrow tube station 14 November 1987 [10] Replaced route 209
H24Hounslow Hoppa Hatton Cross tube station to Feltham January 1991 [3] Initially funded by Hounslow Council
H25 Hounslow HoppaFeltham to Hanworth January 1991 [3] Initially funded by Hounslow Council
K1 Kingston Hoppa New Malden to Surbiton 28 June 1987 [11]
K2 Kingston Hoppa Hook to Kingston Hospital 28 June 1987 [11]
K3 Kingston Hoppa Kingston to Esher 28 June 1987 [11] Replaced route 215
K4 Kingston HoppaKingston to Hook 2 December 1989 [12] Initially run as six month experiment funded by Kingston Council
K5 Kingston HoppaKingston to New Malden 2 December 1989 [12] Initially run as six month experiment funded by Kingston Council
K6Kingston HoppaKingston to Kingston Vale 2 December 1989 [12] Initially run as six month experiment funded by Kingston Council
P11Peckham Hoppa Peckham to Waterloo 19 November 1988 [13] [14]
S2Hackney Hoppa Stratford to Clapton 24 February 1990 [15]
W13 Woodford Hoppa Leytonstone tube station to Woodford Wells 4 March 1989 [8] [16]
W14 Woodford HoppaLeytonstone tube station to Claybury Hospital 4 March 1989 [8] [16]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Batten, Malcolm (2022). Minibus Mania.
  2. ↑ Richards, Brian (2001). Future Transport in Cities.
  3. 1 2 3 Staines Informer 18 January 1991
  4. ↑ Batten, Malcolm (2018). East London Buses: 1970s-1980s. Amberley Publishing. ISBN   9781445680217.
  5. ↑ Route 268 timetable 31 May 1986 London Regional Transport
  6. ↑ Hoppa for Happy Hampstead LRT News issue 316 6 June 1986 page 3
  7. ↑ Hop on the new Enfield Hoppa London Regional Transport
  8. 1 2 3 Midibuses set to take over more routes LRT News issue 367 17 February 1989 page 5
  9. ↑ Marylebone Mercury 9 April 1987
  10. ↑ Harrow Observer 12 November 1987
  11. 1 2 3 Hop on a Hoppa! Kingston Informer 26 June 1987
  12. 1 2 3 More new Kingston Hoppa Midibuses, Routes K4, K5 and K6 London Regional Transport 1989
  13. ↑ New services for three operators Commercial Motor 11 August 1988
  14. ↑ Bartlett, Andrew (2022). London's Buses, 1979-1994. Pen & Sword. ISBN   9781526755469.
  15. ↑ Hackney Hoppa Route S2 London Regional Transport 1990
  16. 1 2 Discover more about your new Local (Hoppa) London Regional Transport March 1989
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