London Buses route 55

London Buses route 55 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Walthamstow bus station and Oxford Circus, it is operated by Stagecoach London.

55
New Routemaster on route 55 in February 2015
Overview
OperatorStagecoach London
VehicleNew Routemaster
Peak vehicle requirement35
Night-timeNight Bus N55
Route
StartWalthamstow bus station
ViaLeyton Green
Hackney Central
Shoreditch
Clerkenwell
Holborn
EndOxford Circus

History
Stagecoach London Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 in February 2013

The route number 55 came from tram 55, replaced by trolleybus 555, which had run between Old Street and Hackney.[1]

In 1990, the section of the route that linked Leyton and Oxford Circus was withdrawn. It was reinstated in 1997 after a campaign by Waltham Forest residents.[2]

Stagecoach London successfully retained route 55 with a new contract starting on 27 February 2010 and a further contract starting on 28 February 2015.[3][4]

New Routemasters were introduced on 28 February 2015. The rear platform remains closed at all times except for when the bus is at bus stops.[5] On 12 October 2019, route 55 was extended to Walthamstow bus station after the withdrawal of route 48.[6]

gollark: You have to charge them all the time, and voice control is annoying and imprecise.
gollark: I mean, calculator watches are vaguely impractical, smartwatch bad, and automatic time sync is good but not that interesting.
gollark: What other features do you *want*?
gollark: I don't know. I'd have to check my notes.
gollark: I agree.

References
  1. Craig, Zoe (15 September 2016). "How Do London's Buses Get Their Numbers?". Londonist.
  2. "Campaign hails bus and bike safety record on 'congested' Lea Bridge Road after no accidents since 2005". East London and West Sussex Guardian. 30 November 2016.
  3. 2010 Bus Tender Result Transport For London
  4. 2015 Bus Tender Result Transport For London
  5. "Route 55 and 15 to be served by New Routemaster buses". 26 January 2015.
  6. Permanent Bus Changes Transport for London
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