London Buses route 281

281
RATP Dev Transit London Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV at Cromwell Road bus station
Overview
Operator	First Bus London
Garage	Fulwell
Vehicle	Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV Volvo B5LH Wright Gemini 3
Peak vehicle requirement	Day: 19 Night: 4 [1]
Began service	9 May 1962
Predecessors	Trolleybus Route 601
Night-time	24-hour service
Route
Start	Hounslow bus station
Via	Whitton Twickenham Teddington Kingston Surbiton
End	Tolworth station
Length	11 miles (18 km)
Service
Level	24-hour service
Frequency	About every 8 minutes
Journey time	45-81 minutes
Operates	24-hour service

London Buses route 281 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hounslow bus station and Tolworth station, it is operated by First Bus London.

History

London United Alexander RH bodied Volvo Olympian in Hounslow in September 1998

Transdev London TransBus ALX400 bodied TransBus Trident in Kingston upon Thames in December 2008

Route 281 was introduced between Twickenham and Tolworth on 9 May 1962 to replace trolleybus route 601, operating from Fulwell garage. ^{[2] [3] [4]} On 15 August 1981 it was converted from AEC Routemaster to MCW Metrobus operation.

In 2000, the route was identified as one of the most popular in London, with approximately 5.5 million passengers using the service that year. ^[5]

On 3 June 2006, route 281 became the 100th night bus service in London, when a 24-hour service introduced. ^[6] It replaced a portion of route N22, which was shortened to end at Fulwell. ^[7]

Since the privatisation of London bus services, it has always been operated by London United (now RATP Dev Transit London) out of Fulwell garage. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

On 28 February 2025, the route passed from London United to First Bus London following the acquisition of RATP Dev Transit London by FirstGroup. ^[11]

Current route

Route 281 operates via these main locations: ^[12]

• Hounslow bus station
• Hounslow station
• Whitton Admiral Nelson
• Twickenham Stadium
• Twickenham station
• Twickenham King Street
• Twickenham Prince Albert
• Fulwell station
• Teddington High Street
• Hampton Wick station
• Kingston upon Thames Wood Street
• Cromwell Road bus station for Kingston station
• Kingston station
• Kingston University
• Surbiton station
• Tolworth station

Incidents

In July 2005, shortly after the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the route was the subject of a hoax bomb threat. ^[13]

References

1. Tender News Bus Talk issue 26 February 2014
2. Taylor, Hugh (1994). London TrolleybuBus Routes. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN   9781854141552.
3. Fulwell The London Bus volume 4 2017 pages 68/69
4. Blake, Jim (30 June 2019). London Buses in the 1970s: 1975–1979: From Crisis to Recovery. Pen and Sword. ISBN   978-1-4738-8718-3.
5. "Route 281 Bus Priority Measures" (PDF). 13 February 2003. p. 2.
6. "Mayor announces 100th night bus service in London". Transport for London. 30 May 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
7. "Direct night bus service: Central London to Teddington". Mayor's Question Time. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
8. Contract Routes Retained London United
9. TfL contract tender changes Coach & Bus Week issue 1115 27 November 2013 page 5
10. Latest tendered service awards Buses issue 789 December 2020 page 21
11. "First Bus London born as RATP Dev Transit purchase completes". RouteOne. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
12. Route 281 Map Transport for London
13. "Bomb hoaxer called police after 7/7 attacks". This is Local London. 23 July 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2011.

External links

Media related to London Buses route 281 at Wikimedia Commons