London Buses route 463

Infobox London Bus
number=463


operator=Quality Line
garage=Epsom
vehicle=Optare Solo 8.5m
pvr=8
start=Coulsdon
via=Wallington
Beddington
Mitcham Common
end=Eastfields
level=Monday to Saturday
length=11 miles (18 km)
frequency=About every 20 minutes
time=45-59 minutes
night=No night service
day=6:00am until midnight

London Buses route 463 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Quality Line for London Buses.

History

The 463 suburban London Buses route runs to and from Mitcham Eastfields and The Coulsdon "Red Lion" Monday to Saturday. Its most notable stops are Beddington "Asda" and Wallington County Grammar School.

The route has its history in a London Transport Saturday only shopping hours route 263 running from The Mount to Coulsdon, although London Transport ended this operation ended in 1964. Banstead Coaches then resumed the service, with an unnumbered route running Monday to Saturday, until 1980. Then another company, Tandridge Taxis (later renamed Tandridge Transport Services), kept the service running until 1983, and extended it across Coulsdon to Coulsdon Wood Estate. The service was then taken up by Guards of Caterham until 1987 when the operation passed to East Surrey Buses of Godstone (now part of Metrobus).

East Surrey Buses, being a professional bus operator, numbered the route once again, this time as route 363 as the previous number had been used up in 1971 by today's route 263. East Surrey passed the route to London & Country in October 1996. However, London & Country only lasted a year, and London Transport took the route back on a contract to Epsom Coaches (Quality Line), this time numbering it 463, as the 363 has since been used.

They initially used Dennis Dart SLFs 10.2m with a pvr of 2, an increased frequency and new evening service in 2001 saw the pvr raise to 4. On 2 March 2002, the route was extended from Wallington to Eastfields, replacing route S5 to Mitcham Common. Contract renewal in April 2004 saw the route being retained by Quality Line with new shorter Optare Solo buses, the inside seats 28 and the standing passenger capacity is approximately 25, with one wheelchair user, however, at some times during the day a single-decker bus is used, this is notably larger, with more seats and more standing passenger capacity.

Current route

Route departing Coulsdon

* Coulsdon "Red Lion"
* Brighton Road
* Smitham Station
* The Avenue
* Woodmansterne Road
* St Andrew's Road "for Woodmansterne Station "
* Lyndhurst Road
* Winifred Road
* Whitehorn Avenue
* Clock House Farm Estate "The Mount"
* Grove Lane
* Woodmansterne Road
* Woodcote Grove Road
* Smitham Bottom Lane
* Woodcote Road
* Woodcote Green
* Railway Approach
* Wallington Station
* Manor Road
* Croydon Road "Wallington County Grammar School"
* Hilliers Lane
* Beddington Lane
* Beddington "ASDA"
* Beddington Lane tram stop
* Mitcham Common
* Windmill Road
* Commonside East
* Manor Road
* Rowan Road
* Meopham Road
* Grove Road
* Eastfields "Level Crossing"

Route departing Eastfields

* Eastfields "Level Crossing"
* Grove Road
* Meopham Road
* Rowan Road
* Manor Road
* Commonside East
* Windmill Road
* Mitcham Common
* Beddington Lane
* Beddington Lane tram stop
* Beddington "ASDA"
* Hilliers Lane
* Croydon Road "Wallington County Grammar School"
* Manor Road
* Railway Approach
* Wallington Station
* Woodcote Road
* Woodcote Green
* Smitham Bottom Lane
* Woodcote Grove Road
* Woodmansterne Road
* Grove Lane
* Clock House Farm Estate "The Mount"
* Whitehorn Avenue
* Winifred Road
* Lyndhurst Road
* St Andrew's Road "for Woodmansterne Station "
* Woodmansterne Road
* The Avenue
* Smitham Station
* Brighton Road
* Coulsdon "Red Lion"

ee also

* List of bus routes in London
* Quality Line

External links

* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk Transport for London]
* [http://www.busesatwork.co.uk London Bus Routes]
* [http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/463.pdf Full timetable (PDF)]