38 | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Operator | Arriva London |
Garage | Clapton |
Vehicle | New Routemaster |
Peak vehicle requirement | 36 |
Night-time | Night Bus N38 |
Route | |
Start | Clapton Pond |
Via | Hackney Central Essex Road Angel Holborn Piccadilly |
End | Victoria bus station |
Length | 7 miles (11 km) |
Service | |
Level | Daily |
Frequency | About every 3-6 minutes |
Journey time | 45-68 minutes |
Operates | 05:30 until 01:30 |
London Buses route 38 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Clapton Pond and Victoria bus station, it is operated by Arriva London.
Route 38 was introduced on 16 June 1912 as a Monday to Saturday route between Victoria and Leyton Green via Angel, Dalston, Clapton and Lea Bridge Road and between Victoria and Epping Forest on Sundays. It was operated from Leyton garage, which opened on the same day. In 1913 a 38A was introduced, taking over the Sunday service and operating between Victoria and Epping Forest. [1]
World War I restrictions saw many changes to routes 38 and 38A including withdrawals over certain sections for short periods. The most important of these occurred on 15 May 1916 when the 38 and 38A exchanged their eastern branches permanently. Route 38 was withdrawn between the Bakers Arms and Woodford and re-routed to Walthamstow (Hoe street station). In 1919 a 38B was added, running through to Loughton, with the 38A only running as far as Woodford. The 38A disappeared in 1921. [1]
On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London Buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. Route 38 was unchanged; route 38B was renumbered to 138. Both routes had short working suffixed journeys numbered 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D, 138A, 138B as well as 38E, which was the main daily route Victoria Station to Chingford. This situation remained until 3 October 1934, when the newly constituted London Passenger Transport Board instituted its own numbering system. The 38, 38A and 38E became plain 38. The 138 became 38A. [1]
From 5 January 1938, on Mondays to Fridays only, route 38 was reduced between Leyton and Chingford and route 38A withdrawn completely. In replacement a route 38B was introduced between Loughton, Woodford, Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford. From 3 August 1938 route 38B was withdrawn, and routes 38 and 38A returned to normal. [1]
As a wartime economy routes 38 and 38A were re-routed between Clapton and Dalston on the direct route via Cricketfield Road (avoiding Hackney) on 5 May 1943. On 15 April 1959 route 38A was re-routed via Hackney Central station to replace withdrawn trolleybus route 581. From 1946 until 1965, route 38 also had a summer Sunday extension from Chingford station to Epping Forest via Rangers Road and Epping New Road. [1]
Following the opening of the first section of the Victoria line between Walthamstow Central and Highbury & Islington; on 7 September 1968 a large scale re-organisation of London Buses took place. Route 38A was withdrawn, being replaced by three new routes; Red Arrow route 505 between Victoria and Piccadilly Circus, route 48 between Dalston and Whipps Cross and route 20 between Leyton and Loughton. Between Dalston and Hackney route 38A was also replaced by a re-routed 38, which was cut back from Chingford to Walthamstow Garage, being replaced by route 69 over this section. [1]
On 25 October 1969 route 38 was further cut back to terminate at Leyton Green, being replaced on the Walthamstow section by the newly introduced route 55. [1] The Sunday service was converted to one-person operation on 6 June 1987. When London Buses was divided into 11 subsidiaries operation of route 38 was taken over by London Forest. London Forest was wound up in 1991; the route then became a joint operation between Leaside Buses and East London, before being transferred to Leaside Buses. [2]
On 29 Oct 2005, route 38 was converted to one man operation with the AEC Routemasters replaced by 46 Mercedes-Benz O530G articulated buses. [3] [4] Double deck buses were introduced on 14 November 2009 as part of the Mayor of London's policy to withdraw articulated buses from London. The frequency of the route was increased to every 2–3 minutes. [5]
Eight prototype New Routemasters were introduced in February 2012 [6] [7] [8] Full conversion to New Routemasters occurred on 10 May 2014. [9] On 12 November 2016, Arriva London commenced a further contract. [10] [11] [12]
In 2015/16 it was the seventh busiest TfL bus service, with 12.3 million passengers. [13]
In 2021, the maximum frequency of the route was reduced from 15 buses per hour to 12. [14]
Route 38 operates via these primary locations: [15]
Grime MC and Bow resident Wiley mentioned the route 38 in his lyrics. An example of which is "I'm like the 38 bus cos I never turn up!". [16]
Connan Mockasin expressed similar sentiments in his song "Forever Dolphin Love" with the lyrics "The 38 that took too long to Dalston".
An AEC Routemaster bus with route 38 blinds is displayed in the Falkland Islands capital of Port Stanley. [17]
The bus and its route is central to the children's book Gaspard's Foxtrot by Zeb Soanes and James Mayhew, listing many of its stops and landmarks along the way. [18] It has been adapted as a concert work by the composer Jonathan Dove.
Walthamstow is a town in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, around 7.5 miles (12 km) east of Central London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of approximately 109,424.
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is an outer London borough formed in 1965 from the merger of the municipal boroughs of Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford.
Woodford is a London Underground station in the town of Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, East London. The station is on the Central line, between South Woodford and Buckhurst Hill stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station also acts as a terminus for services via the Hainault loop.
Buckhurst Hill is a suburban town in Epping Forest, Essex, within the Greater London Urban Area and adjacent to the northern boundary of the London Borough of Redbridge. The area developed following the opening of a railway line in 1856, originally part of the Eastern Counties Railway and now on the Central line of the London Underground.
Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva subsidiaries Grey-Green, Leaside Buses, Kentish Bus, London & Country and South London Transport. Operations are split between two registered companies, Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited.
Woodford Bridge is part of the East London suburb of Woodford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone.
London Buses route 242 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Homerton University Hospital and Aldgate bus station, it is operated by Stagecoach London.
London Buses route 22 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Putney Common and Oxford Circus, it is operated by London General.
Lea Bridge Road is a major through route in east London, across the Lea Valley from Clapton to Whipps Cross in Leyton. It forms part of the A104 road.
The A104 is an A road which runs from Islington Green in London to Epping in Essex, England.
London Buses route 55 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Walthamstow bus station and Oxford Circus, it is operated by Stagecoach London.
The Chingford branch line is a railway line between Clapton Junction and Chingford station. Services operate between Liverpool Street station and Chingford. The branch is part of the London Overground.
London Buses route 97 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Chingford station and Stratford City bus station, it is operated by Stagecoach London.
London Buses route 253 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hackney Central and Mornington Crescent stations, it is operated by Arriva London.
Woodford is a town in East London, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north-east of Charing Cross. Woodford historically formed an ancient parish in the county of Essex. It contained a string of agrarian villages and was part of Epping Forest. From about 1700 onwards, it became a place of residence for affluent people who had business in London; this wealth, together with its elevated position, has led to it being called the Geographical and social high point of East London. Woodford was suburban to London and after being combined with Wanstead in 1934 it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1937. It has formed part of Greater London since 1965 and comprises the neighbourhoods of Woodford Green, Woodford Bridge, Woodford Wells and South Woodford. The area is served by two stations on the Central line of the London Underground: Woodford and South Woodford.
The London Night Bus network is a series of night bus routes that serve Greater London. Services broadly operate between the hours of 23:00 and 06:00.
Debden is a suburb in the civil parish of Loughton, in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It takes its name from the ancient manor of Debden, which lay at its northern end. The area is predominantly residential, but is also the location of Epping Forest College, East 15 Acting School and the De La Rue printing works. It is one of a limited number of places outside Greater London to be served by the London Underground.
Ash Grove bus garage is a bus garage in Hackney, East London owned by London Buses. It is located on Ash Grove, off Mare Street, north of the Regent's Canal and is occupied by Stagecoach London. The garage was opened in 1981 by London Transport and has been leased to a number of bus operators over the years.
The Hall Farm Curve is a disused 500 m (1,600 ft) length of railway line in Walthamstow, East London, that connected Chingford station with Stratford station until the closure of the section of line in September 1968. The track was lifted in 1970.
London Buses route 48 was a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. It ran between Walthamstow and London Bridge bus stations, and was last operated by Arriva London.