London Buses route 27

London Buses route 27 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hammersmith and Chalk Farm, it is operated by Abellio London.

27
Abellio London New Routemaster on Euston Road in July 2023
Overview
OperatorAbellio London
GarageBattersea
VehicleNew Routemaster
Route
StartHammersmith
ViaKensington
Paddington
Marylebone
Mornington Crescent
Camden Town
EndChalk Farm

History
London Transport MCW Metrobus in Richmond in March 1988
Transdev London Scania OmniDekka on Kensington Church Street in April 2006

Route 27 was introduced between Hounslow and Muswell Hill via current route 281 and Twickenham, Richmond, Kew and Turnham Green. At Camden Town, the route operated to Archway and Muswell Hill. The route was extended from Turnham Green to Hounslow in 1911.[1] The route operated through World War II, when it was used by famous passengers including Peter Cushing to reach the Q Theatre near Kew Bridge.[2][3]

In the 1950s route 27 became the main route and route 27A was withdrawn from being the main route. In 1950, the route took part in trials to reassure the police that eight-foot buses presented no danger to other traffic. The route operated from Holloway garage at the time.[4]

Upon being re-tendered, the route was awarded to First CentreWest's Westbourne Park garage on 11 November 2000. When next re-tendered the route returned to London United's Stamford Brook garage from 12 November 2005.[5]

London United commenced a further contract on 10 November 2012 with the route extended from Turnham Green to Chiswick Business Park.[6] The extension is funded by the London Borough of Hounslow through developer contributions from Chiswick Business Park.[7] New Alexander Dennis Enviro 400H Hybrids were introduced.[8]

New Routemasters cascaded from route 10 were introduced on 24 November 2018.[9]

In March 2019 the section between Chiswick Business Park and Hammersmith was withdrawn. The 24 hour service was also removed with route N27 being introduced to cover the night service.

Abellio London was awarded the contract for route 27 when it was re-tendered effective 9 November 2019 from its Battersea garage.[10]

In 2021, the service frequency during peak times was reduced from 8 buses per hour to 6.[11]

Current route

Route 27 operates via these primary locations:[12]

Notable drivers

Singer Matt Monro was a driver on route 27 prior to beginning his musical career.[13] In January 2011, bus driver Kenny MacKay published a book titled The Road Ahead: Observations of a London Bus Driver about his experiences as a driver on route 27.[14]

References
  1. Klapper, Charles (1961). The golden age of tramways. Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 114.
  2. Barry Morse; Anthony Wynn; Robert E. Wood (1 January 2006). Remember with Advantages: Chasing The Fugitive and Other Stories from an Actor's Life. McFarland. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7864-2771-0.
  3. Barry Morse (1 June 2004). Pulling Faces, Making Noises: A Life on Stage, Screen & Radio. iUniverse. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-595-32169-8.
  4. Reed, John (2000). London Buses: A Brief History. Capital Transport Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 9781854142337.
  5. Bus tender results Route 27/N27 Transport for London 11 April 2005
  6. Tender News Bus Talk issue 15 April 2012
  7. "Route 27 Comes To Chiswick Business Park". Chiswick Herald. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  8. Maxey, David (2014). Red All Over 3 - The London Bus Review of 2013. Visions International. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-9570058-7-7.
  9. Route 10 to go as TfL engages all-engines reverse Buses issue 764 November 2018 page 24
  10. Abellio commence operation of TfL routes 24, 27 and 267 Abellio London 9 November 2019
  11. Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. Route 27 Transport for London
  13. "Matt Monro - the singer's singer - biography". Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  14. Carrier, Dan (3 March 2011). "Books: Review - The Road Ahead: Observations of a London Bus Driver. By Kenny Mackay". West End Extra. Retrieved 25 December 2013.

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