London Buses route 344

Infobox London Bus
number=344


operator=Travel London
garage=Battersea
vehicle=Dennis Trident 2 9.9m / Alexander ALX400
Alexander Dennis Enviro400
pvr=21
start=Liverpool Street
via=Monument
Cannon Street
Elephant & Castle
Battersea Park
end=Clapham Junction
length=7 miles (11 km)
level=24-hour service
frequency=About every 7-30 minutes
time= 34-59 minutes
night=24-hour service
day=24-hour service

London Buses route 344 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Travel London.

History

The route began on 25 May 1991 as a replacement for the withdrawn section of route 44 as part of the "Wandsworth area scheme". The route initially ran between Clapham Junction and London Bridge Station from Victoria Bus Garage (Monday to Saturday) and Merton Garage (Sundays) using Metrobuses.

The Sunday allocation was transferred to Victoria Garage (Basement), and converted to minibus using Optare StarRiders, on 29 November 1992, and to Battersea in June 1993 using Optare MetroRiders. The Monday to Saturday allocation was transferred to Stockwell Garage during July 1993, on the closure of Victoria Bus Garage. The Sunday allocation once again moved, this time back to Merton Garage in June 1996, until September 1997 when the whole allocation was transferred to Stockwell.

Tendering saw the operator change to Limebourne on 29 May 1999, from Battersea Garage resulting in new low floor Dennis Dart SLF / Caetano Compass (UVG) single deckers. Later that year, on 28 August, the route was diverted at Southwark Bridge to Liverpool Street Station, as a partial replacement for a withdrawn peak hours extension on route 149. The 344 is the only London Bus route to cross Southwark Bridge. The Liverpool Street termini was altered on 3 February 2001 to Bishopsgate.

Limbourne was bought out by Connex in 2000, and by Travel London (part of the National Express Group) in 2004. The route was converted back to double deck during June 2002, as Limebourne had issues with operating double deck buses, using Dennis Trident 2 / Alexander ALX400s (TAs).

The opening of Vauxhall Bus Station in 2004 saw the route being diverted to serve it.

Current route

Route departing Liverpool Street Station

*Liverpool Street Station "Bishopgate"
*Norton Folgate
*Bishopgate
*Gracechurch Street
*Monument Station
*Arthur Street
*Upper Thames Street
*Canon Street Station
*Southwark Bridge
*Southwark Bridge Road
*Newington Causeway
*Elephant & Castle
*St George's Street
*Lambeth Road
*Albert Embankment
*Vauxhall Station "Bus Station"
*Nine Elms Lane
*Battersea Park Station
*Battersea Park Road
*Falcon Road
*Clapham Junction Station

Route departing Clapham Junction

*Clapham Junction Station
*Falcon Road
*York Road
*Battersea Park Road
*Battersea Park Station
*Nine Elms Lane
*Vauxhall Station "Bus Station"
*Albert Embankment
*Lambeth Road
*London Road
*Elephant & Castle
*Newington Causeway
*Southwark Bridge Road
*Southwark Bridge
*Cannon Street Station
*Monument Station
*Gracechurch Street
*Bishopgate
*Liverpool Street Station "Bishopgate"

ee also

* List of bus routes in London
* Travel London

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk Transport for London]
* [http://www.busesatwork.co.uk London Bus Routes]
* [http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/344full.pdf Full timetable (PDF)]