96 | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Operator | Stagecoach London |
Garage | Plumstead |
Vehicle | Alexander Dennis Enviro400H |
Peak vehicle requirement | 24 |
Began service | 4 March 1959 |
Predecessors | Trolleybus Route 696 |
Former operator(s) | Kentish Bus Bexleybus London Regional Transport London Transport Executive |
Night-time | No night service |
Route | |
Start | Woolwich |
Via | Plumstead East Wickham Welling Bexleyheath Crayford Dartford |
End | Bluewater Shopping Centre |
Length | 13 miles (21 km) |
Service | |
Level | Daily |
Frequency | About every 8-15 minutes |
Journey time | 40-77 minutes |
Operates | 04:30 until 01:08 |
London Buses route 96 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London and Kent, England. Running between Woolwich and Bluewater Shopping Centre, it is operated by Stagecoach London.
Route 96 was a tram line running between Woolwich and Dartford. On 10 November 1935, it was replaced, along with several other tram routes, by trolleybus route 696 operating out of Bexleyheath garage. [1] Route 696 was replaced by motor bus route 96 on 4 March 1959. [2] [3] It was extended from Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre on 16 March 1999. Because this stretch is outside Greater London, it runs express between these points, only stopping at Darent Valley Hospital in between. [4]
On 31 July 2006, a vehicle operating route 96 bound for Bluewater caught fire in Dartford. [5] In 2013, a report from the London Assembly found the route to be among the ten most crowded in London. [6]
There were proposals as early as 2011 to alter the route to run via Darent Valley Hospital. [7] However, this change was delayed as it was deemed necessary to use the Fastrack Bus Lanes, and Kent County Council had refused to allow route 96 to use it. [8] [9] The route alteration was finally implemented on 16 December 2017. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Having been operated by Bexleybus and Kentish Bus, it has been operated by Selkent out of Plumstead garage since January 1999. [14] [15]
Route 96 operates via these primary locations: [16]
Between Dartford and Bluewater, route 96 operates as an express service, only stopping at Darent Valley Hospital in between. [17]
The 96 route number has also been used for a non-related route in Chelsea. This route was withdrawn in the late 1950s. [18] [19]
Welling is a town in South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bexleyheath, 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Woolwich and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of Charing Cross. It was part of Kent prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965.
Woolwich Arsenal station is an interchange station in the heart of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and National Rail services.
The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry across the River Thames in East London, connecting Woolwich on the south bank with North Woolwich on the north. It is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London (TfL). Around two million passengers use the ferry each year.
Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. It is 17 miles 12 chains (27.6 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. Train services from the station are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink. Southeastern also manages the station. Dartford is a major interchange station in the North Kent region of the Southeastern network. Ticket barriers control access to the platforms.
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located 18 mi (29 km) south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in Essex, which can be reached via the Dartford Crossing. To its east lies the Borough of Gravesham and to the south the district of Sevenoaks. It had a population of 51,240.
Barnehurst railway station serves Barnehurst, Northumberland Heath and northern parts of Bexleyheath in the London Borough of Bexley; it is 13 miles 71 chains (22.3 km) from Charing Cross on the Bexleyheath line. The station stands in a cutting: the small brick-built ticket office is above the up platform.
The North Kent Line is a railway line which branches off the South East Main Line at St Johns junction west of Lewisham station in Greater London and runs to Rochester Bridge Junction near Strood, Medway where it links to the Chatham Main Line.
Bexleyheath railway station is in the London Borough of Bexley in southeast London, and is in Travelcard Zone 5. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern. There are ticket barriers at both entrances.
Greenhithe railway station serves the village of Greenhithe in north Kent and Bluewater Shopping Centre. It is 19 miles 69 chains (32 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.
Arriva Southern Counties Limited, trading as Arriva Southern Counties, is a bus operator in Kent, Essex, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
London General Transport Services Limited, trading as Go-Ahead London, is a bus company operating in South London. The London Central brand is a subsidiary of Go-Ahead London and operates services under contract to Transport for London.
Abbey Wood is an area in southeast London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located 10.6 miles (17 km) east of Charing Cross. According to the 2021 census, Abbey Wood has a population of 17,700.
Arriva Kent Thameside Limited, trading as Arriva Kent Thameside, is a bus operator based in north-west Kent, England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus. The company operates services in Northfleet, Gravesend & Dartford as part of the Arriva Southern Counties division from their Northfleet depot.
London Buses route 53 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Plumstead station and Lower Marsh, it is operated by Stagecoach London.
East Wickham is a district in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is situated north of Welling, east of Shooter's Hill, south of Plumstead, south-west of Abbey Wood and west of West Heath, and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, East Wickham was in the administrative county of Kent.
Fastrack is a bus rapid transit scheme in the Thames Gateway area of Kent. It consists of three routes, operated by Arriva Southern Counties on behalf of Kent County Council with Prologis and Amazon respectively. Measures used to allow buses to avoid traffic include signal priority, reserved lanes, and dedicated busways.
Go-Ahead London is a major bus operator in Greater London. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently the largest bus operator in Greater London, operating a total of 153 bus routes mainly in South and Central London as well as some services into North and East London with a fleet size of over 3,200 vehicles under contract to Transport for London.
Trolleybuses served the London Passenger Transport Area from 1931 until 1962. For much of its existence, the London system was the largest in the world. It peaked at 68 routes, with a maximum fleet of 1,811 trolleybuses.
Go-Coachhire Limited, trading as Go-Coach, is a bus operator running a total of 40 bus services across Kent and Sussex. The majority of these services are operated on behalf of Kent County Council from their depot in Swanley.
Media related to London Buses route 96 at Wikimedia Commons