London Buses route 43

43
Metroline Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV at Archway station
Overview
OperatorMetroline
GarageHolloway[1]
VehicleAlexander Dennis Enviro400EV[1]
Peak vehicle requirementDay: 26
Night: 5[1]
Night-time24-hour service[1]
Route
StartFriern Barnet
ViaArchway
Holloway
Angel
Moorgate
EndLondon Bridge bus station

London Buses route 43 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Friern Barnet and London Bridge bus station, it is operated by Metroline.

History

Metroline Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in Muswell Hill in March 2008
Metroline Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TL in September 2013

Route 43 commenced operating in August 1912 as a daily route between Archway station and London Bridge station via Holloway Road, Upper Street, Angel, City Road, Moorgate, Bank station and London Bridge, and was quickly extended to Muswell Hill Broadway via East Finchley and Fortis Green Road.[2]

The route along which the 43 operates was designated as London's first Red Route bus priority scheme in 1992.[3] Later, in late 1999, the route became one of the first in London to be operated by low-floor double-deck buses, when new Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident 2s were introduced.[4]

In July 2019, Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery electric buses[5][6] were introduced into service on the route, making it the first route served solely by zero emission double-decker buses.[7][8]

In 2021, the frequency of the service was reduced from 9 buses per hour to 7.5 during Monday-Friday peak times, and from 8 buses per hour to 7.5 during Monday-Saturday daytimes.[9]

Variants

In 1992 a peak hour route X43 was introduced to supplement route 43 in connection with the Red Route bus priority scheme introduced at the time. It used specially liveried Scania N113 double-deckers branded as Red Express. London Northern, the subsidiary of London Buses which had taken over operation of the route in 1989, stated that passenger numbers along the route increased by 8,700 in the year following its introduction.[3][10]

An Alexander Dennis Enviro400 operating on route 43 was used in the 2007 film The Bourne Ultimatum.[11]

Route 43 is mentioned in the song Bros by North London alternative rock band Wolf Alice. A route 43 bus is shown at the very end of the music video for the song.[12]

Current route

Route 43 operates via these primary locations:[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Carr, Ken. The London Bus Guide. Visions International Entertainment. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.
  2. ^ Young, John (1977). Great Northern Suburban. David & Charles. p. 66. ISBN 071537477X.
  3. ^ a b McLachlan, Tom (1995). London Buses 1985-1995: Managing The Change. Venture Publications. pp. 54, 60. ISBN 1-898432-74-0.
  4. ^ Delahoy, Richard (January 2000). "Low-floors in London". Buses (538). Ian Allan Publishing: 18–21.
  5. ^ "BYD ADL partnership continues the electric revolution in London with biggest part of London's first order for pure electric double deckers". 20 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  6. ^ All Electric Double Decker Buses Delivered to London BYD 2 July 2019
  7. ^ London: First electric BYD double deckers arrive electrive.com 3 July 2019
  8. ^ "Route 43 set to be London's first all-electric bus route". Metroline. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  9. ^ Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ Brown, Stewart J (November 1995). Buses in Britain 2: The Mid Nineties. Capital Transport. p. 156. ISBN 1-85414-181-3.
  11. ^ Brown, Peter (August 2007). "When buses must pass the screen test". Buses (629). Ian Allan Publishing: 30–32.
  12. ^ Bros Song Facts
  13. ^ Route 43 Map Transport for London