London Buses route 26

26
Stagecoach London Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City at the Strand
Overview
OperatorStagecoach London
GarageAsh Grove
VehicleAlexander Dennis Enviro400H City
Peak vehicle requirement20
PredecessorsRoute 6
Night-timeNight Bus N26
Route
StartHackney Wick
ViaCambridge Heath
Shoreditch
Liverpool Street
Aldwych
Trafalgar Square
Whitehall
EndVictoria station
Length7 miles (11 km)
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyAbout every 10-12 minutes
Journey time30-58 minutes
Operates05:00 until 00:50

London Buses route 26 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hackney Wick and Victoria station, it is operated by Stagecoach London.

History

Stagecoach East London Leyland Titan on the Strand in August 1997
East London Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 in April 2007
Tower Transit Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in April 2014

On 18 July 1992, route 26 was introduced to replace the withdrawn section of route 6 between Hackney Wick and Aldwych, running between Hackney Wick and Waterloo station from Bow garage using Leyland Titans.[1] The Titans were replaced by a new fleet of 38 Alexander RL-bodied Volvo Olympians in late 1997.[2]

Upon being re-tendered, on 25 June 2011 the route passed to First London's Lea Interchange garage with Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs.[3]

On 22 June 2013, route 26 was included in the sale of First London's Lea Interchange garage to Tower Transit.[4][5] When next tendered, it was awarded to CT Plus with the new contract commencing on 27 February 2016.[6][7][8][9] It is operated out of Ash Grove garage.[10]

On 27 August 2022, route 26 was included in the sale of HCT Group's ‘red bus’ operations to Stagecoach London.[11]

On 23 November 2022, it was announced that a proposed rerouting of route 26 at Aldwych to serve Victoria instead of Waterloo would be going ahead following a consultation; it was implemented on 29 April 2023.[12][13]

Bomb incident

Main article: 21 July 2005 London bombings

On 21 July 2005, would-be bomber Muktar Said Ibrahim attempted to explode a device contained in his rucksack on a number 26 bus on Hackney Road in Haggerston. A small explosion on the top deck caused the vehicle's windows to explode, but the device did not detonate as intended and there was no significant damage. The vehicle, operated by Stagecoach London, was stopped and a 200-yard safety cordon established while the bomb was defused.[14]

Ibrahim left the bus following the failed attack, but was later caught. He and five other men were taken to court in January 2007, and his DNA was found on a battery used in the bomb.[15] He was convicted in July 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[16]

Current route

Route 26 operates via these primary locations:[17][18]

References

  1. ^ Blacker, Ken (2007). Routemaster: 1970–2005. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-85414-303-7.
  2. ^ "Olympians for East London". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 434. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 7 November 1997. p. 26. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ Bus tender results Route 26/N26 Transport for London 22 May 2010
  4. ^ First quits London bus business Archived 7 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 9 April 2013
  5. ^ Date set for Aussie takeover of London bus routes Australasian Bus & Coach 14 June 2013
  6. ^ Bus tender results Route 26/N26 Transport for London 7 October 2015
  7. ^ Tender News Bus Talk issue 37 December 2015 page 11
  8. ^ HCT orders 38 ADL buses RouteOne 24 May 2016
  9. ^ HCT Group starts latest London bus route[usurped] HCT Group 2 March 2016
  10. ^ Our routes CT Group
  11. ^ [1] CT Group
  12. ^ "Central London Bus Review 2022: Decision summary and next steps" (PDF). TfL Have Your Say. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Central London bus changes". TfL. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  14. ^ Windows Blown Out Of Number 26 Bus Sky News 21 July 2005
  15. ^ Bus bomb bid' CCTV shown to jury BBC News 29 January 2007
  16. ^ Four 21/7 bomb plotters get life BBC News 11 July 2007
  17. ^ Route 26 Map Transport for London
  18. ^ Marius, Callum (29 April 2023). "New bus route Londoners will want to avoid as it could be rammed with tourists". MyLondon. Retrieved 14 May 2023.