New Routemaster: LT class London buses on route 38

Images of the New Routemaster bus operating route 38.

Arriva and route 38 were selected as the first operator/route to use the NBFL in public service, using the 8 pre-production prototypes. Their deployment was intended as an in service trial of the bus, before a commitment was made to order the production buses. The buses were introduced gradually to the route, with just LT1 and LT2 entering service on the first day, 27 February 2012 (LT2 starting the first journey, at lunchtime). The others were introduced as they were delivered from the factory, with the last of the 8 only arriving in the summer. They operated as extras to the normal complement of Arriva's DW class buses, and only operated as far north as Hackney rather than the usual northern terminus in Clapton. Once the production class entered service, the prototypes (by then reduced in number to 5 due to the world tour) were retained on the route, but operated permanently in one person-operation mode (the trial conductors had been Arriva drivers on secondment).

Route

(for more maps, see the maps gallery)

• 
  Map of route 38 at the time of full conversion to New Routemasters
• 
  Map of the London routes operated by New Routemasters (including route 38 in the intermediate phase) just before the full conversion of route 38
• 
  Map of the London routes operated by New Routemasters at the time of the full conversion of route 38
• 
  Map of all the London routes currently operated by New Routemasters

• 
  27 February 2012
  unknown
• 
  27 February 2012
  LT2
• 
  1 March 2012
  LT2
• 
  2 March 2012
  LT2
• 
  6 March 2012
  unknown
• 
  7 May 2012
  LT1
• 
  17 May 2012
  ?
• 
  10 June 2012
  LT4
• 
  17 August 2012
  LT3
• 
  17 August 2012
  LT3
• 
  17 August 2012
  LT3 and LT7
• 
  17 August 2012
  LT3 and LT7
• 
  29 October 2012
  unknown
• 
  12 March 2013
  LT5
• 
  23 October 2013
  LT7
• 
  23 October 2013
  LT4
• 
  4 January 2014
  LT4
• 
  14 December 2013
  LT6
• 
  26 August 2013 14:56
  LT7
• 
  26 September 2013 13:40
  LT5
• 
  29 April 2014
  LT208
• 
  29 April 2014 13:21
  LT176
• 
  29 April 2014 13:21
  LT176
• 
  29 April 2014 16:56
  LT176
• 
  30 April 2014
  LT5
• 
  30 April 2014
  LT208
• 
  6 May 2014
  LT198
• 
  7 June 2014 16:39
  LT203
  (middle) with DW class buses also on route 38
• 
  7 June 2014 16:39
  LT203
  (left) with a DW class bus also on route 38
• 
  7 June 2014 16:40
  LT4
  behind a DW class bus also on route 38 and a DP class on route 308
• 
  7 June 2014 16:40
  LT182
  (right) with a DW class bus also on route 38 and a DMV class on the 308
• 
  7 June 2014 16:56
  LTLT207 (middle) & LT206 (right)
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT4
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT186
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT196
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT224
  (rear) behind LT236, also on the 38
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT236
  trailing an HV class on route 73
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT236
  being followed by LT224, also on the 38
• 
  13 June 2014
  LT238
• 
  13 June 2014 15:54
  LT214
• 
  13 June 2014 15:55
  LT214
• 
  13 June 2014 16:01
  LT224
  Trailed by LT68 on route 11
• 
  13 June 2014 16:10
  LT224
• 
  13 June 2014 16:23
  LT213
• 
  13 June 2014 16:30
  LT203
• 
  13 June 2014 16:33
  LT203
• 
  13 June 2014 16:33
  LT213
• 
  21 June 2014
  LTLT198 (left) & LT184 (right)
• 
  21 June 2014
  LT219
• 
  13 July 2014
  LT172
• 
  25 July 2014
  LT183
• 
  25 July 2014
  LT188
• 
  25 July 2014
  LT203
• 
  25 July 2014
  LT231
• 
  25 July 2014
  LT238
• 
  1 September 2014
  LT226
• 
  4 October 2014 11:13
  LT186
• 
  4 October 2014 11:20
  LT186
• 
  14 November 2014
  LT203
  (left) with LT193 coming the other way with the opposite working
• 
  14 November 2014
  LT193
  (right) with LT203 coming the other way with the opposite working
• 
  26 December 2014
  LT196
• 
  26 December 2014
  LT196
  following LT101 on route 24
• 
  28 February 2015
  LT7

Hackney to Victoria one way system (southbound)

• 
  LT3
  3 February 2013
  51.546549°N 0.084018°W / 51.546549; -0.084018
  Ball's Pond Road, Islington
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  11 April 2012
  51.546544°N 0.084594°W / 51.546544; -0.084594
  Ball's Pond Road, Islington
  closeup
• 
  LT1
  20 May 2012
  51.525382°N 0.110456°W / 51.525382; -0.110456
  Rosebery Avenue, Islington
  closeup
• 
  LT7
  7 November 2012
  51.525382°N 0.110456°W / 51.525382; -0.110456
  Rosebery Avenue, Islington
• 
  unknown
  16 April 2013
  51.517476°N 0.1245°W / 51.517476; -0.1245
  Bloomsbury Way, Camden
• 
  LT8
  27 February 2013
  51.517426°N 0.124615°W / 51.517426; -0.124615
  Bloomsbury Way, Camden
  closeup
• 
  unknown
  16 April 2013
  51.517052°N 0.125584°W / 51.517052; -0.125584
  New Oxford Street, Camden
• 
  unknown
  16 April 2013
  51.51693°N 0.126619°W / 51.51693; -0.126619
  New Oxford Street, Camden
• 
  LT7
  20 April 2013
  51.506406°N 0.143501°W / 51.506406; -0.143501
  Piccadilly, Westminster
  closeup

Victoria one way system

Southbound approach

• 
  LT5
  20 April 2013
  51.496356°N 0.145065°W / 51.496356; -0.145065
  Buckingham Palace Road, about to turn left into Terminus Place (Shakespeare pub SW corner)
  closeup
• 
  LT5
  20 April 2013
  51.496205°N 0.145102°W / 51.496205; -0.145102
  Buckingham Palace Road, making the left turn into Terminus Place (Shakespeare pub SW corner)
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496103°N 0.144727°W / 51.496103; -0.144727
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496103°N 0.144727°W / 51.496103; -0.144727
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496103°N 0.144727°W / 51.496103; -0.144727
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496103°N 0.144727°W / 51.496103; -0.144727
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
• 
  LT6
  16 April 2013
  51.496121°N 0.144638°W / 51.496121; -0.144638
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
  closeup
• 
  LT6
  16 April 2013
  51.496121°N 0.144638°W / 51.496121; -0.144638
  Terminus Place, negotiating the Shakespeare pub SE corner
  closeup

Victoria bus station Lane D

• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496123°N 0.144327°W / 51.496123; -0.144327
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.496123°N 0.144327°W / 51.496123; -0.144327
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496125°N 0.144386°W / 51.496125; -0.144386
  back of the lane
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496103°N 0.143876°W / 51.496103; -0.143876
  middle of the lane
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496096°N 0.14371°W / 51.496096; -0.14371
  front of the lane
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.496096°N 0.14371°W / 51.496096; -0.14371
  front of the lane
• 
  LT5
  20 April 2013
  51.496095°N 0.143705°W / 51.496095; -0.143705
  front of the lane
  closeup
• 
  LT5
  20 April 2013
  51.496095°N 0.143705°W / 51.496095; -0.143705
  front of the lane
  closeup

Northbound departure

• 
  LT2
  21 March 2012
  51.496676°N 0.144866°W / 51.496676; -0.144866
  Grosvenor Gardens / Victoria Street
  closeup

Victoria one way system to Hackney (northbound)

• 
  LT2
  4 May 2013
  51.50335°N 0.15052°W / 51.50335; -0.15052
  Piccadilly, Westminster
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  4 May 2013
  51.503362°N 0.150247°W / 51.503362; -0.150247
  Piccadilly, Westminster
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  28 February 2012
  51.533822°N 0.105574°W / 51.533822; -0.105574
  Upper Street, Islington
  closeup
• 
  LT6
  5 May 2013
  51.535108°N 0.10437°W / 51.535108; -0.10437
  Upper Street, Islington
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 February 2013
  51.537681°N 0.100197°W / 51.537681; -0.100197
  Essex Road, Islington
  closeup

Hackney terminal turning/Clapton garage

At the Hackney end, the trial buses started and finished their route 38 journeys short of the Clapton terminus, on opposite sides of Graham Road (first stop - Stop E, last stop - G), just south of Hackney Central station. This was presumably because the allocation's home garage is a short distance away to the NE at Clapton (CT) garage (located at the very south of Lower Clapton), accessed via Mare Street.

• 
  19 September 2012 15:46
  LT1
  Turning into the garage entrance road
• 
  19 September 2012 15:47
  LT1
  In the garage entrance road

Route 38 buses off route/out of service

• 
  LT2
  27 February 2012
  51.495606°N 0.142358°W / 51.495606; -0.142358
  Victoria (Vauxhall Bridge Road), Westminster
  Parked up out of service facing south on the bus stand outside the Apollo Victoria Theatre, on the west side of the road. Having arrived into Victoria bus station on a southbound service around 50 minutes earlier, the destination display has now been set ready for a new northbound journey.
  closeup
• 
  LT2
  3 April 2013
  51.496055°N 0.143575°W / 51.496055; -0.143575
  Exiting Victoria bus station, but not from the usual lane, so possibly not to start a new northbound journey
• 
  LT6 being towed north up Tottenham Court Road (past Stop X, Warren Street), after failing on a northbound working of route 38
  13 June 2012

Unknown

• 
  unknown
  16 April 2013
• 
  unknown
  16 April 2013