Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
What does W stand for on the W3, W5 bus routes
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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This has puzzled me for years... I hope someone knows the answer! There are also a few "W" routes around Wanstead and Leytonstone (12, 13, 14 at least and I think a couple more too)
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Permalink Reply by matthew cuthbert on
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Was there a W bus on St Ann's that went to Mayes Rd or Wood Green ?
it was mentioned in conversation a few years back by a hairdresser on St Ann's.
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Permalink Reply by Glenn Wallis on
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It all started with London Transport Executive's (as it then was) "Reshaping our bus services" in 1968. The plan was to reduce trunk routes in length and increase "one man operation (OMO)" on new local routes. OMO was only allowed on single deckers then so LTE bought 650 large (for the time), mostly standee single deckers. They were first tried on new "Red Arrow" routes in central London in 1966 then spread to the suburbs in 1968, the first area being "Wood Green" with routes based on Turnpike Lane with a whole series of 'W' routes, some of which still survive in some form or another. The second area was Walthamstow with a circular W21. I think the next shake up was in the 1980s when the W21 vanished but new 'W' routes appeared in Walthamstow. Of course in the meantime One Person Operation (OPO) had become legal for double deckers. The late Richard Pout would have given an encyclopedic answer, but that's the best I can do!
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The W Code (e.g. W2 - W10) just refers to Wood Green; other higher Ws are Waltham Forest.
StephenBln is probably the man to ask for chapter and verse.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Are they all circular routes? I thought that is what's distinct about them.
W for Woundabout?
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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As they follow very circuitous routes I always thought it stood for "Where the hell am I?"
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What Where Why When...
the drivers make up for that.
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Cute :)
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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Yes, as Glenn mentions. The prefixed route numbers commenced with the introduction of the first stage of LTs 'Reshaping Plan', published 1966, which commenced a week after the opening of the first stage of the Victoria Line on 1st September 1968 between Walthamstow Central and Highbury & Islington.
Originally, prefixed route numbers denoted 'Flat Fare Services'. Based on a revamped (with roof) Turnpike Lane Bus Station, the Wood Green & from the newly opened Walthamstow Central Station the Walthamstow Routes commenced on 7th September 1968 were:
W1 Turnpke Lane > Edmonton (Cambridge) (DAILY)
W2 Turnpike Lane > Alexandra Park DAILY > Crouch End > Finsbury Park (MONDAY-SATURDAY)
W3 Northumberland Park >Wood Green > Ally Pally > Finsbury Park (MONDAY-FRIDAY & SUNDAY)
W4 Turnpike Lane > Winchmore Hill (Green Dragon Lane) (DAILY)
W5 Finsbury Park > Wood Green Station > Turnpike Lane (SATURDAYS ONLY)
W6 Northumberland Park >Wood Green > Turnpike Lane (SATURDAYS ONLY)
W21 Walthamstow Circular.
By the early 80s, the GLC flirted with the idea of flat fare services in the suburbs and when changes occured the now redundent prefixed route numbers were replaced. The W21 in January 1981 by the 212.
Unfortunately, after more changes in the 80s, new prefixed routes were introduced again in Walthamstow, W11-W16 and later W19 to Ilford. Also new services were introduced in Haringey W4-W6 A much larger Londonwide system of Flat Fare Routes had been planned in the 60s. An Appendix of the planned services, published by a good friend of mine, Mike Harris in his 1982 book: Reshaping London's Buses. I'm sure he won't mind me adding the Appendix here.
The W7 had replaced the 212 in May 1969 and the W8 the 128 in June 1969.
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I completely forgot about the flat fares. The flat fare buses had 2 'slot machines', which only accepted 3d & 6d coins, linked to a turnstile. The driver could give change. The coin machines weren't particularly reliable and were eventually removed along with the turnstiles in the early 1970s and replaced with a clear plastic 'fare box' on the driver's cab door. Once the driver was satisfied you had dropped in the correct fare, he/she would press a button and the coins would drop into the coin vault below. As this did away with two stream boarding with everyone having to go past the driver, perforated 'ticket strips' were introduced to try and speed boarding up. These could be bought off the driver and gave a small discount on each ticket which was torn off and put in the fare box. I think there were 5 or 6 tickets per strip.
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My 1st fare to Manor House was £1.40 or was it £1.70 in 1994, I've probably got it somewhere...
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The 233 was the Ally Pally tram replacement route (extended to Finsbury Park Station) and was replaced by the W3 in September 1968. Seen here in April 1968 at Finsbury Park Station.
The very high frequency 212 seen here in early 1969, just before replacement by the W7. Notice that schoolkids upstairs on buses were no different 45 years ago than they are today. (it had been intended to introduce an Underground line between Moorgate & Ally Pally via Crouch End - eletrification work was well advanced, when the project was scandalously dropped by the Government in 1948).
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