London Buses route 27

Infobox London Bus
number=27


ibus=yes
operator=Transdev London
garage=Hounslow and Stamford Brook
vehicle=Scania OmniDekka
Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Myllennium Vyking
Volvo B7TL/Alexander ALX400
start=Turnham Green
end=Chalk Farm
via=Hammersmith
Kensington
Paddington
Camden Town
length= 9 miles (15 km)
level=24-hour service
frequency=About every 7-8 minutes
time= 47-90 minutes
night=24-hour service
pvr=27
day=24-hour service

London Buses route 27 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London. The service is currently contracted to Transdev London.

History

Although reduced in length from its heyday, the 27 remains a major trunk route across inner west London, and is relatively long by modern standards with an end to end timing approaching 1½ hours. Following a 5 year term with First London, the route reverted to London United operation from 12 November 2005.

The 27 has been a notoriously unreliable service in recent years, not helped by the way it skirts along the edge of the congestion charging zone. The Marylebone Road is notorious for jamming solid at the slightest problem, while Hammersmith, Paddington and Camden Town are also all prone to gridlock, although much of the route now has bus lanes. But efforts to improve matters by running a lower frequency with the same number of buses seem not to have been too successful, but a fresh effort by the new operator seems to have done the trick; the route is now operated from Stamford Brook garage, which is on the line of route.

The route will feature prominently in bus service enhancements for phase 2 of the congestion charge zone, with an increase from 6 to 8 buses per hour during the Monday to Saturday daytime. Most of the routes involved will get only very small increases or short extensions, but the 27 is the main exception. There are also proposals to extend the route a short distance to the new Chiswick Park development.

The traditional route of the 27 was from Hounslow to Muswell Hill, via current route 281 as far as Twickenham, then via Richmond and Kew to the current route at Turnham Green. At Camden Town buses ran to Archway and Muswell Hill. The end to end time was just over two hours.

There was also a route 27A running from Hampton Court (Vrow Walk) to Archway via Bushy Park, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham and the main 27. Indeed after the 33 was extended from Richmond to Hounslow in March 1937 the 27 became Sundays only with the service north of Archway thus lost. The numbers were swapped over in the 1950s, so that the 27 became the main route once again, and the 27A to Hounslow disappeared shortly afterwards. The route was cut back to Richmond on Mondays to Fridays in 1970, with a new localised 270 (which later became the R70) replacing the service to Teddington, although the weekend service continued to run through until 1982. The route was finally cut back to Turnham Green and Camden Town in 1992, with the new 391 indirectly taking over the Richmond service and no replacement for the Archway section. The short extension to Chalk Farm Safeway took place in 1995. The route mainly used a fleet of MCW Metrobuses and some ECW-bodied Olympians from Stamford Brook. In 1995 the latter was converted to the 140 as was the ones on the 237. Until 2000 the route was operated by London United solely using Metrobuses when it was converted to First using their own fleet of Metrobuses and occasional single deckers. In 2001 Plaxton bodied Tridents were introduced along with Alexander ALX's and Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs later on. After conversion back to London United (now Transdev London) the route gained Volvo B7TLs and Scania OmniDekkas.

Current route

Route departing Turnham Green

* Turnham Green "Town Hall Avenue"
* Chiswick High Road
* King Street (for Ravenscourt Park Station)
* Studland Street
* Glenthorne Road
* Beadon Road
* Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City Line) Station
* Hammersmith Broadway
* Hammersmith (District/Piccadilly Lines) Station Bus Station
* Hammersmith Broadway
* "Hammersmith Road"
* Kensington Olympia Station
* Kensington "High Street"
* High Street Kensington Station
* Kensington "High Street"
* Kensington Church Street
* Notting Hill Gate Station
* Pembridge Road
* Pembridge Villas
* Westbourne Grove
* Bishop's Bridge Road
* Eastbourne Terrace
* Paddington station
* Praed Street
* Chapel Street
* Edgware Road (District, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines) Station (near Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line) Station)
* Chapel Street
* Old Marylebone Road
* Marylebone Road (for Marylebone station)
* Baker Street Station
* Marylebone Road
* Regent's Park Station
* Marylebone Road
* Great Portland Street Station
* Euston Road
* Warren Street Station
* Hampstead Road
* Mornington Crescent Station
* Camden "High Street"
* Camden Town Station
* Chalk Farm Road
* Chalk Farm "Morrisons"

Route departing Chalk Farm

* Chalk Farm "Morrisons"
* Chalk Farm Road
* Castlehaven Road
* Hawley Road
* Camden Street
* Camden Road
* Camden Town Station
* Bayham Street
* Crowndale Road
* Mornington Crescent Station
* Hampstead Road
* Harrington Square
* Hampstead Road
* Warren Street Station
* Euston Road
* Great Portland Street Station
* Marylebone Road
* Regent's Park Station
* Marylebone Road
* Baker Street Station
* Marylebone Road (for Marylebone station)
* Old Marylebone Road (junction with Edgware Road for Edgware Road (Bakerloo and Circle/District/Hammersmith & City Lines) Stations)
* Sussex Gardens
* Norfolk Place
* Praed Street
* Paddington station
* Eastbourne Terrace
* Bishop's Bridge Road
* Westbourne Grove
* Pembridge Villas
* Pembridge Road
* Notting Hill Gate Station
* Palace Gardens Terrace
* Kensington Mall
* Kensington Church Street
* Kensington "High Street"
* High Street Kensington Station
* Kensington "High Street"
* Kensington Olympia Station
* Hammersmith Road
* Butterwick
* Talgarth Road
* Hammersmith (District/Piccadilly Lines) Station "Bus Station" (for "Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City Line) Station")
* Talgarth Road
* Queen Caroline Street
* King Street (for Ravenscourt Park Station)
* Chiswick High Road
* Turnham Green "Heathfield Terrace"

ee also

* List of bus routes in London
* Transdev London

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk Transport for London]
* [http://www.busesatwork.co.uk London Bus Routes]
* [http://www.londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net London Bus Routes Fotopic]
* [http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/027full.pdf Full timetable (PDF)]