London Buses route 26
| 26 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Operator | Tower Transit |
| Garage | Lea Interchange (LI) |
| Vehicle | Alexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 17 |
| Night-time | Night Bus N26 |
| Route | |
| Start | Hackney Wick |
| Via | Cambridge Heath Liverpool Street Aldwych |
| End | Waterloo station |
| Length | 6.24 miles (10.04 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | 10-12 minutes |
| Journey time | 30-58 minutes |
| Operates | 05:00 until 00:50 |
London Buses route 26 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hackney Wick and Waterloo station, it is operated by Tower Transit.
History
London bus 26 originated in 1948 running between Lambourne End and Ilford. It ceased operating on that route in 1958, and the following year started running between Aldgate and Leyton, continuing on this route until 1966. In 1970 the bus route started its third incarnation, running as a service between New Barnet and Golders Green. It had its route modified during the 70s and 80s, e.g. being extended to Brent Cross Shopping Centre after it opened in 1976, but was finally withdrawn from that route in 1991.
On 18 July 1992, route 26 was introduced to replace the withdrawn section of route 6 between Hackney Wick and Aldwych, running between Hackney Wick and Waterloo station, from Bow garage using Leyland Titans.[1] The route was converted to low floor in 1999. In April 2001, the allocation was transferred to Stratford garage, and again in February 2008 to West Ham. The route has stayed the same since 1992, apart from minor reroutings in Shoreditch in 2002 and in Hackney in 2008.
On 22 June 2013, route 26 was included in the sale of First London's Lea Interchange garage to Tower Transit.[2][3]
Tender History
Upon being re-tendered in 2010, the route was awarded to First London from 25 June 2011.
Bomb incident
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On 21 July 2005, would-be bomber Muktar Said Ibrahim attempted to explode a device contained in his rucksack on a number 26 bus on Hackney Road near Shoreditch. A small explosion on the top deck caused the vehicle's windows to explode, but the device did not detonate as intended and there was no significant damage. The vehicle, operated by Stagecoach London, was stopped and a 200-yard safety cordon established while the bomb was defused.[4][5]
Ibrahim left the bus following the failed attack, but was later caught. He and five other men were taken to court in January 2007, and his DNA was found on a battery used in the bomb.[6] He was convicted in July 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[7]
Current route
Route 26 operates via these primary locations:[8]
- Hackney Wick St Mary of Eton Church
- South Hackney
- Cambridge Heath station
- Bethnal Green Warner Place
- Hoxton station
- Shoreditch High Street station
- Bishopsgate
- Liverpool Street station
- Bank station
- Mansion House station
- St Paul's Churchyard
- City Thameslink station
- Holborn station
- Aldwych
- Waterloo Bridge
- South Bank
- Waterloo station
References
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Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons- Timetable
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ First quits London bus business Bus & Coach Professional 9 April 2013
- ↑ Date set for Aussie takeover of London bus routes Australasian Bus & Coach 14 June 2013
- ↑ 'Smell of smoke' at number 26 bus Daily Mail 21 July 2005
- ↑ Windows Blown Out Of Number 26 Bus Sky News 21 July 2005
- ↑ Bus bomb bid' CCTV shown to jury BBC News 29 January 2007
- ↑ Four 21/7 bomb plotters get life BBC News 11 July 2007
- ↑ Route 26 Map Transport for London
