London Buses route 111

111
Abellio London Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEV in Kingston upon Thames
Overview
Operator	Transport UK London Bus
Garage	Twickenham
Vehicle	Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEV
Peak vehicle requirement	Day: 25 Night: 4
Began service	16 February 1944
Predecessors	Route 110
Night-time	24-hour service
Route
Start	Heathrow Central bus station
Via	Cranford Heston Hounslow Hanworth Hampton
End	Kingston upon Thames
Length	15 miles (24 km)
Service
Level	24-hour service
Frequency	About every 8-15 minutes
Journey time	52-107 minutes
Operates	24-hour service

London Buses route 111 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Heathrow Central bus station and Kingston upon Thames, it is operated by Transport UK London Bus.

History

London United Scania OmniCity at Heathrow Central bus station in August 2013

Route 111 commenced operating on 16 February 1944 from Hounslow garage to Hanworth.^[1] It was converted to driver-only single-deck operation with AEC Swifts on 23 August 1969. At the same time a self-service system was introduced on routes 110 and 111, with passengers buying tickets from a machine.^[2] It was extended to Heathrow Airport in 1981.^[1]

From 1 December 2007, route 111 was converted into a 24-hour service; before its introduction a number of residents in Hampton complained to the local newspaper and Transport for London, who named the alternative of more route 481 buses bypassing Hampton to the north-east.^[3] Supporters of the extension in hours of operation included the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.^[4]

Weekday peak hours service increased to every 8–9 minutes in 2010.^[5] The service was free within the Heathrow free travel zone, until the travel zone was abolished in June 2021 after Heathrow Airport Holdings withdrew funding.^[6]

Having been operated out of Hounslow garage since its inception, on 30 April 2022 it was taken over by Abellio London and began being operated out of Twickenham bus garage. The route was temporarily using New Routemasters prior to the arrival of 30 new Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEVs, which began to be delivered in January 2023.^[1][7][8]

Current route

Route 111 operates via these primary locations:^[9]

• Heathrow Central bus station
• Harlington Corner
• Cranford
• Heston
• Lampton
• Hounslow East station
• Hounslow bus station
• Hanworth
• Hampton School
• Hampton station
• Hampton Thames Street
• Hampton Court Palace
• Kingston upon Thames Wood Street
• Cromwell Road bus station for Kingston station

References

1. London United loses route 111 Buses issue 798 September 2021 page 22
2. Graeme Bruce, J; Curtis, Colin (1977). The London Motor Bus: Its Origins and Development. London Transport. p. 116. ISBN 0853290830.
3. "24-hour bus scheme fury". Richmond & Twickenham Times. 24 October 2007.
4. "24 hour service for 111 bus route" (Press release). Transport for London. 26 November 2007.
5. "Councillors' Details – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames". April 2022.
6. Heathrow free travel zone to end – 12 June 2021 Transport for London 12 June 2021
7. Crawford, Alex (18 March 2022). "Abellio expected to operate first Electroliner fleet in England". routeone. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
8. McNabb, Rachel (18 January 2023). "30 new zero-emission Wrightbus Electroliners heading to London". Ballymena Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
9. Route 111 Map Transport for London

External links

Media related to London Buses route 111 at Wikimedia Commons