28 The London Bus
12, which for many years linked
Croydon with Harlesden, usually
in two overlapping sections.
In 1972 the section between
Peckham and South Croydon
became the 12A, operated
by Elmers End garage until
Croydon took over in 1986, by
which time it had been extended
to operate between Peckham and
Old Lodge Lane.
The 12A was withdrawn in
September 1990, replaced by
the 312 between Peckham and
Croydon and the 412 between
Croydon and Old Lodge Lane.
Thornton Heath operated both
routes initially, but the 312 was
reallocated to Croydon in 1994.
The section between Norwood
Junction and Peckham was
withdrawn in 2005.
In late 2015, this truncated 312
was the first route in London
to be converted entirely to
battery electric bus operation,
using new Optare MetroCity
EV single-deckers supported by
two charging points installed
for them at Croydon garage. A
Chinese-built Yutong electric
single-decker, built to London
specifications, was tried
alongside the Optares from
April 2018.
Croydon garage gained a
schooldays only operation of
route 412 in 1993 and two years
later the route was extended to
Norwood Junction. In 1997 that
route transferred to Croydon
garage in its entirety and the
following year it was revised to
run between West Croydon and
Purley.Once they were green
As explained in the article
starting on p74, London
Transport’s Country Area
operated an extensive network
of trunk routes linking suburban
London with the surrounding
counties. In the Croydon area,
the East Surrey company — a
predecessor of the Country Area
— began operating a service
between Croydon and Sevenoaks
in 1921, initially numbered S3.
This became the 403 in 1924.
In 1936 it was extended from
Croydon to Wallington and along
with routes 408 (Warlingham-Guildford) and 470 (Warlingham-
Dorking) in postwar years
provided a frequent service
of green Country Area RT
double-deckers along the urban
corridor between Wallington and
Warlingham, almost all of which
was within Greater London. For
many years, express buses ran in
the direction of the peak between
Warlingham and Croydon.
Rationalisation in the early
1970s saw the 408 and 470
withdrawn east of Croydon
and converted to driver-only
operation, while the 403 was
curtailed at Warlingham. A new
route, initially numbered 403A,
provided a service between West
Croydon and Tonbridge.
The 403 was the last London
Country route operated by RTs,
with the last example appearing
in September 1978. It became a
driver-only service the following
year and was extended westfrom Wallington to Cheam in- Given that it operated for
almost all of its length in Greater
London, it was no surprise that
the route was absorbed within
the London Buses network from
August 1986, but with operation
initially contracted to London
Country there was little sign of
outward change.
Retendering in 1991 saw
operation pass to South London
from Croydon garage. At
the same time the route was
shortened again to run between
West Croydon and Warlingham.
London & Country won it back
again in November 1994 and
operated it from Beddington
Farm garage. Operation
transferred to Croydon garage
in 2011 with a new contract, but
another contract change will
transfer it away to Go-Ahead
London Metrobus from October - ● ML
London Bus Garages
TOP RIGHT:
Alexander Dennis
Enviro200 ENL29
leaving Croydon
for Banstead on
one of the shorter
journeys on
route 166.
BOTTOM RIGHT:
A reminder of
when green buses
plied some of
today’s Croydon
routes. This was
May 1975 when
the National Bus
Company’s London
Country Bus
Services operated
the former London
Transport Country
Area. RT3147 is in
West Croydon bus
station, waiting
to depart as a 403
to Warlingham
Park Hospital.
TONY WILSON