Metrobus is a bus operator with routes in South London, and parts of Surrey, Kent & Sussex. Metrobus operates its London Buses as a Go-Ahead London Subsidiary company and remains an independent company for its commercial services. Formed through a management buyout in 1983, Metrobus was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in September 1999.
Metrobus previously operated many routes under contract to Transport for London in south and south-east London, but following a restructuring, on 1 April 2014 these were transferred to Go-Ahead London and Metrobus became a Go-Ahead London company, a subsidiary. The remaining operations were brought under the control of Brighton & Hove on 1 July 2014.
Croydon (C)[]
Croydon garage operates London bus routes 127, 157, 359, 403, 434, 439, 450, 463, S1, school routes 633 and 663, Superloop route SL7 and 24-hour routes 119 and 264. Croydon garage also operate non-TfL Surrey School routes 618, 668 & 669.
History[]
The Beddington Lane depot was opened by Metrobus in December 2005 to house route 127 which had been surrendered early by Centra. Work was completed on the garage buildings in February 2006. This garage took over the London routes that ran from Godstone with the exception of routes 146 and 246 which transferred to Orpington (MB) garage.
On 30 August 2008, Metrobus commenced operating route 293.
On 25 April 2009, Metrobus commenced operating route 75.
On 14 April 2012, route X26 passed to Quality Line.
On 19 May 2012, route T33 passed to Abellio London and route 54 transferred to this garage.
On 26 April 2014, route 75 passed to Stagecoach London.
On 3 May 2014, route 54 passed to Stagecoach London.
On 24 October 2015, routes N64 and T32 were withdrawn.
On 19 March 2016, route 367 passed to Abellio London.
On 27 August 2016, route 64 passed to Arriva London. At the same time, route 355 transferred to this garage from London Central's Camberwell (Q) garage.
On 3 December 2016, route 118 transferred from London General's Merton (AL) garage to this garage.
On 28 January 2017, route 118 transferred from this garage to London General's Stockwell (SW) garage.
On 4 March 2017, Metrobus commenced operating route 455.
On 15 April 2017, Metrobus recommenced operating route X26.
On 26 August 2017, route 130 passed to Abellio London.
On 1 September 2018, route 293 passed to Quality Line.
On 27 October 2018, Metrobus commenced operating route 403.
On 31 August 2019, Metrobus commenced operating routes 197 and 663.
On 29 August 2020, route 405 passed to Arriva London.
On 19 September 2020, route 202 passed to Arriva London.
On 3 April 2021, Metrobus commenced operating route 633.
On 8 May 2021, Metrobus commenced operating route 463.
On 3 July 2021, Metrobus commenced operating route S1.
On 18 June 2022, route 197 transferred from this garage to London Central’s Peckham (PM) garage.
On 27 August 2022, Metrobus commenced operating route 264.
On 17 April 2023, Metrobus commenced operating Surrey School routes 615, 618, 619, 668 & 669.
On 4 August 2023, Metrobus commenced operating part of the allocation for route TR3.
On 12 August 2023, route S1 transferred to London General’s Goat Road (GM) garage.
On 13 August 2023, the allocation for route TR3 passed back to Abellio London.
On 19 August 2023, route X26 was renumbered to SL7.
On 26 August 2023, Surrey School route 615 passed to Falcon Buses. At the same time, Surrey School route 619 transferred to Crawley garage.
On 30 September 2023, Metrobus commenced operating route 450. At the same time, route 355 transferred back to London Central's Camberwell (Q) garage.
On 2 December 2023, Metrobus commenced operating route 157.
On 2 March 2024, route 455 was withdrawn. At the same time, Metrobus commenced operating route 439 and route S1 transferred back to this garage from London General’s Goat Road (GM) garage.
Route 663 will pass back to Arriva London from 24 August 2024.
Bus types in use[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 8.9m for route 434
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 9.3m (SE) for route S1
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 9.6m (SE) for route S1
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.4m / Optare Esteem (SOE) for route S1
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 10.1m (E) for route 403
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 10.2m (E) for route 127
BYD D8UR 9.7m / Enviro200 MMC EV (SEe) for routes 439 and 450
BYD D8UR 10.9m / Enviro 200 MMC EV (SEe) for route 359- BYD D8UR-DD 10.9m / Enviro 400 City EV (Ee) for routes 119 and 264
- Optare MetroCity 9.9m (OM) for route S1
- Volvo B9TL 10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WVL/WVN) for routes 127, 663 and SL7
- Volvo B9TL 10.5m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WVL) for route SL7
- Volvo B9TL 10.5m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (WVN) for route 127
- Volvo B5TL 10.5m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 (WVL) for route 127
- Volvo B5LH 10.6m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 (WHV) for routes 119, and 633
- Wright StreetLite 8.8m (WS) for route 463
Non-TfL Bus Types in use[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 10.2m (E/EN) for routes 618, 668 and 669
Orpington (MB)[]
Orpington garage operates London bus routes 126, 138, 162, 208, 227, 233, 320, 352, 353, 354, 358, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 and school routes 654 and 664.
History[]
A former farm, Green Street Green depot was for many years the only garage for all of Metrobus' London tendered routes since the award of route 61 in 1986. More recently routes have been operated from Godstone and in December 2005 a new depot was constructed in Croydon to cope with new tender awards. During mid-2005 major reconstruction started on the Green Street Green site to make improvements and provide an expansion. During these works, a temporary base was being used at Polhill in next to the base of what was Southlands Travel.
On 2 May 2009, Metrobus commenced operating route 54.
On 19 May 2012, route 54 transferred from this garage to Croydon (C) garage.
On 23 February 2013, Metrobus commenced operating route 233.
On 23 March 2013, Metrobus commenced operating route 126.
On 19 September 2015, Metrobus recommenced operating route 246.
On 23 January 2016, route B14 transferred from this garage to London Central's Bexleyheath (BX) garage.
On 20 August 2016, routes 146 and 336 passed to Stagecoach London.
On 20 May 2017, route 464 passed to Abellio London.
On 17 March 2018, routes 161, 181 and 284 passed to Stagecoach London.
On 8 December 2018, Metrobus commenced operating routes 51, R5 and R10.
On 22 June 2019, Metrobus commenced operating route 227. At the same time, route 51 transferred to London Central's Bexleyheath (BX) garage.
On 27 July 2019, Metrobus commenced operating route 208.
On 19 September 2020, Metrobus recommenced operating route 354. At the same time, route 246 passed back to Stagecoach London.
On 5 December 2020, Metrobus recommenced operating route R7.
On 27 August 2022, route 684 passed to Stagecoach London.
On 3 September 2022, Metrobus recommenced operating route 664.
Bus types in use[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 8.9m (SE/SEN) for routes 138, 162, 233, 354, R1, R4, R5, R8 and R10
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 9.6m (SE/SEN) for routes R2 and R11
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.2m (SE) for route R9
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.8m (SE) for routes 126 and 358
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 10.1m & 10.2m (E/EN) for routes 320
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400H 10.2m (EH) for route 320
- Alexander Dennis E40H 10.4m / Enviro 400 MMC (EH) for route 208 and 664
- BYD D8UR-DD 10.9m / Enviro 400 City EV (Ee) for route 353 and 654
- Irizar ieTram Electric 12.0m (IE) to be introduced to route 358 from June 2024
- Electric Single Decker (TBC) to be introduced to routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R8 and R11 from 29 March 2025
- Electric Double Decker (TBC) to be introduced to route 320 from 24 August 2024
- Mercedes-Benz O530 C2 Citaro 12.0m (MEC) for route 358
- Wright StreetLite 8.8m (WS) for routes 352, R3, R6 and R7
- Wright StreetLite 11.5m (WS) for route 227
Former Garages[]
Crawley (CY)[]
Crawley garage operated London bus route 465.
History[]
On 3 October 2009, there was further expansion in the fleet as Arriva decided to sell their Horsham bus operations to Metrobus. Metrobus took over the operations of route 465. Six Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Darts used on the 465 continued on that route.
On 30 June 2012, route 465 passed to Quality Line.
