London Buses route 11

London Buses route 11 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Fulham Town Hall and Waterloo station, it is operated by Go-Ahead London.

11
Go-Ahead London New Routemaster at Waterloo station
Overview
Operator	Go-Ahead London
Garage	Stockwell
Vehicle	New Routemaster
Peak vehicle requirement	14
Night-time	Night Bus N11
Route
Start	Fulham Town Hall
Via	Chelsea Sloane Square Victoria Parliament Square
End	Waterloo station
Length	5 miles (8.0 km)
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	About every 10 minutes
Operates	05:15 until 01:30

History

AEC Routemaster in June 1993

London General AEC Routemaster on Strand in January 2003

Go-Ahead London Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TL on Whitehall in June 2011

Route 11 was introduced by the London General Omnibus Company in August 1906, and is amongst the oldest routes to have operated continuously in London, although its route has changed on several occasions.^[1] It was the first route operated by London Road-Car Co Ltd, running from Victoria to Hammersmith via Chelsea.^[2] From 1916, LGOC B-type buses allocated to Old Kent Road garage were used until 1924, when it was allocated to Kingston garage.^[3]

On 5 August 1922, Leyland LB (London Bus) type buses were introduced on route 11 by Arthur George Partridge and Christopher Dodson Ltd with chocolate livery and the fleet name "Express".^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} The first AEC NS-Type buses entered service on route 11 in May 1923.^[10] On 5 September 1932, Q1 buses were used on this route which operated from Shoreditch to Shepherd's Bush.^[11][12][13]

In May 1949, Leyland Titan RTW buses were introduced on route 11.^[14] AEC Regent III RT buses were in service on route 11 in the 1950s.^[15] On 12 June 1959, the fourth AEC Routemaster in passenger service (RM14), entered service on route 11 from Riverside garage.^[16]

The route starts at Fulham Broadway and operates via the West End and some of London's most famous landmarks to Waterloo station. The journey from the top deck is a cheap means of sightseeing in London.^[17] It previously ran to Hammersmith until being replaced west of Fulham Broadway on 17 July 1993 by route 211.

In October 1996, London General buses operating on route 11 from its Waterloo garage switched to City Diesel.^[18]

On 4 June 2002, Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, the Metropolitan Police flagged down a Number 11 bus and used it as temporary transport for twenty-three peaceful anti-royalty demonstrators whom they had arrested after the demonstration, most of them in a nearby pub. The bus was used to take the protestors to various police stations for questioning. The protesters sued the police, and the Met settled out of court with an apology, an admission of unlawful detention, and a payment of £3,500 to each protester.^[19]

The route has a cameo appearance in the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code, where the protagonists take a number 11 bus from near Temple Church to get to "Chelsea Library", though they get off at Westminster Abbey; this is the same route the bus takes in real life.

Go-Ahead London has successfully retained route 11 with new contracts starting on 30 October 2010 and 31 October 2015.^[20][21]

New Routemasters were introduced on 21 September 2013. In September 2016, conductors were removed from buses on route 11 and buses now operate with drivers only and the rear platform closed.^[22]

In 2021, the frequency of the service was reduced from six buses per hour to five on Monday to Sunday daytimes.^[23]

On 23 November 2022, it was announced that route 11 would be rerouted to run to Waterloo station instead of Shoreditch following a consultation. This change was implemented on 29 April 2023.^[24][25]

Current route

Route 11 operates via these primary locations:^[26]

• Fulham Town Hall
• Fulham Broadway station Vanston Place
• Chelsea
• Sloane Square station
• Victoria Coach Station
• Victoria station
• Parliament Square
• Westminster station
• Waterloo station

The bus route passes many tourist attractions including:^[27]

• Westminster Cathedral
• Westminster Abbey
• Methodist Central Hall Westminster
• St Margaret's, Westminster
• Churchill War Rooms

It also went near the Royal Courts of Justice, St Clement Danes, Aldwych station, High Commission of Australia, Savoy Hotel, Nelson's Column, Admiralty Arch, Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and New Scotland Yard.^[28] The Daily Telegraph called the route one of the "best routes for sightseeing on a shoestring".^[29] There is an e-book tour guide indicating the points of interest along the number 11 bus route and detailing connecting buses to other London tourist attractions.^[30]

References

1. Aldridge, John (February 1998). "On the 11...". Buses (515). Ian Allan Publishing: 12.
2. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 3. ISBN 0853290830.
3. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 16. ISBN 0853290830.
4. Berguer, David (2013). Under the Wires at Tally Ho: Trams and Trolleybuses of North London 1905-1962. The History Press. ISBN 9780750953535.
5. Hibbs, John (1989). The History of British Bus Services. David & Charles. p. 88. On 5 August 1922, A. G. Partridge drove his chocolate and primrose bus on Route 11
6. Berguer, David (2013). Under the Wires at Tally Ho: Trams and Trolleybuses of North London 1905-1962. The History Press. ISBN 9780750953535.
7. Day, John (1973). The Story of the London Bus: London and its buses from the horse bus to the present day. London Transport. pp. 62. ISBN 9780853290377.
8. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 33. ISBN 0853290830.
9. "1924 Leyland LB5 – "Chocolate Express"". London Bus Museum. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
10. Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 9781854142337.
11. Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 9781854142337.
12. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 65. ISBN 0853290830.
13. Day, John (1973). The Story of the London Bus: London and its buses from the horse bus to the present day. London Transport. pp. 71. ISBN 9780853290377.
14. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 93. ISBN 0853290830.
15. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 89. ISBN 0853290830.
16. Day, John (1973). The Story of the London Bus: London and its buses from the horse bus to the present day. London Transport. pp. 104. ISBN 9780853290377.
17. Gibson, Helen (11 April 2006). "Got a ticket to ride". Time. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
18. "Untitled". Petroleum Review. 51 (600): 121. January 1997. The same results have been reported from London General which operates Route 11 from its Waterloo garage and also switched to City Diesel last October.
19. Dodd, Vikram (5 February 2004). "The day the Number 11 bus became a prison for 23 anti-royal protesters". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
20. 2010 Bus Tender Result Transport For London
21. 2015 Bus Tender Result Transport For London
22. "London's New Routemaster buses cut 300 conductors". BBC News. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
23. Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
24. "Central London Bus Review 2022: Decision summary and next steps" (PDF). TfL Have Your Say. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
25. "Central London bus changes". TfL. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
26. Route 11 Map Transport for London
27. Wittich, John (1997). London Bus-Top Tourist. Sigma Leisure. pp. 22–54. ISBN 9781850584308.
28. Porter, Laura. "Number 11 London Bus". About. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
29. Edwards, Rhiannon (29 April 2014). "Tube strike? See more of London by bus". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
30. Runcie The Number 11 bus tour of London

External links

• Media related to London Buses route 11 at Wikimedia Commons
• Timetable