London Buses route 167

London Buses route 167 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London and Essex, England. Running between Ilford and Loughton station, it is operated by Stagecoach London.

167
Stagecoach London Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC in Ilford in October 2017
Overview
OperatorStagecoach London
GarageBarking
VehicleAlexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC
Peak vehicle requirement7
Began service5 May 1948
Former operator(s)Blue Triangle
Docklands Buses
Grey-Green
Eastern National Omnibus Company
Night-timeNo night service
Route
StartIlford
ViaGants Hill
Barkingside
Chigwell
Buckhurst Hill
EndLoughton station
Length12 miles (19 km)
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyAbout every 20-30 minutes
Journey time39-76 minutes
Operates05:57 until 00:38

History

A long standing London Transport route, the 167 was introduced in 1948 between Loughton and Barkingside, extended two years later to Ilford.

In 1986, ahead of deregulation outside London, all routes from Loughton Garage were put out to tender, some by Essex County Council and others, like the 167, by London Regional Transport. This resulted in the closure of Loughton Garage and routes 20 and 167 transferring from London Buses Limited to the Eastern National Omnibus Company.[1] Upon being re-tendered, on 7 March 1992 the route passed to Grey-Green.[2][3]

Upon being re-tendered, on 9 March 2002 route 167 passed to Docklands Buses. It was included in the September 2006 sale of Docklands Buses to Go-Ahead Group.[4] Docklands Buses retained when re-tendered with a new contract commencing in March 2007.[5] Blue Triangle successfully tendered to retain the route with a new contract commencing on 10 March 2012.[6]

In November 2015, Essex County Council announced that it would withdraw its subsidy for the route. Concerns were immediately raised from local residents and the headteacher of Davenant Foundation School, who said the routes were used by many schoolchildren.[7][8]

On 11 March 2017 the route was withdrawn between Loughton station and Debden station.[9][10] Stagecoach London took over operation of the route on the same date from its Barking garage.[11][12] Following a question from Caroline Russell, the Mayor of London stated that it would cost more than £500,000 per year to keep operating the 167 route to Debden, and the predicted fare income would only cover 40% of that cost.[13] Later that year, colour-coded branding was introduced on the majority of vehicles running the route.[14]

During the summers of 2018 and 2019, the route was to be diverted, because of the reconstruction of Alderton Bridge, via new roads, Brook Road and Brooklyn Avenue, to rejoin the A121.

Current route

Route 167 operates via these primary locations:[15]

References
  1. "London Buses loses four more routes". Commercial Motor. 1 March 1986. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. Grey Green Buses issue 443 February 1992 page 16
  3. McLachlan, Tom (1995). London Buses 1985-1995: Managing The Change. Venture Publications. pp. 71–72. ISBN 1-898432-74-0.
  4. Go-Ahead annual report 30 June 2007 Archived 23 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead Group plc
  5. Bus tender results Route 167 Transport for London 6 July 2006
  6. New route gained following tender successes Bus Talk issue 11 August 2011
  7. "Threat to 20 and 167 bus routes". Buckhurst Hill Residents' Society. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. Flaig, Joseph (27 November 2015). "Essex County Council cuts funding for 167 and 20 bus routes, linking Epping Forest to London". East London and West Essex Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. Bus service proposal: Route 167 Transport for London
  10. "The number 20 bus service from Walthamstow Central to Debden could be reduced". East London and West Essex Guardian. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  11. Bus Service Changes 11 March to 16 April 2017 Transport for London 24 March 2017
  12. Barking Garage Stagecoach London
  13. "167 bus route truncation (4)". Mayor of London. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  14. Lyons, Mark (18 May 2017). "Route branding returns". Buses Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  15. Route 167 Map Transport for London

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