54 The London Bus

T

he 36 is a relative

rarity these days

• a true cross-
  London route
  that penetrates
  well into the suburbs in both
  directions.
  Many others have had one of
  their ends lopped off in recent
  years to improve timekeeping.
  The 36 connects Queen’s Park
  in north-west London with New
  Cross Gate in the south-east,
  tracing a diagonal course across
  the capital, and striking right
  through the centre.
  It dates back to 1911 and still

follows approximately the same

route as then, though it was

originally longer, extending

south-east to Lewisham and

beyond. Over the years it has

sometimes been supplemented by

two variants, the 36A and 36B,

which followed essentially the

same path but diverged at the

south-eastern end. These became

a permanent feature in the

1950s, but were dropped again in

the 1990s. However, the 36 itself

remains a high-intensity 24hr

service, with daytime departures

every 3 to 7min.

The 36 has been operated by

Go-Ahead’s London Central

arm since privatisation in the

1990s. When I sampled the

route it featured an intriguing

array of different bus types,

mostly around six to 10 years

old. They included both diesel-

only and hybrid versions of two

makes – Volvo B9TLs and B5LHs

with Wright Eclipse Gemini 2

bodywork, and Alexander Dennis

Enviro400s. I also saw 12-year-

old Volvo B7TLs with earlier

Gemini bodies.

There was variety

in the liveries, too.

Some buses were in

London’s current

allover red scheme,

but many were in Go-

Ahead’s old London livery, with

grey and yellow skirt, and most

of these bore London General

rather than London Central

fleetnames. Both businesses have

long been part of the Go-Ahead

Group, and the branding reflects

the mixed origin of the buses and

the increasingly standardised

identity of Go-Ahead’s London

operations.

Following a renewal of the

contract to operate the route,

Go-Ahead is introducing a

batch of hybrid Alexander

Dennis Enviro400 MMCs —

including the first in London

with ultra-capacitors instead of

batteries — to replace some of

the older buses on the service,

and I saw two of these already

in use in April (complete with

London Central fleetnames). The

company has also been using the

route to trial Optare’s all-electric

MetroDecker, which has been

converted from its original 2014

diesel configuration.

Subjectively, in the age of

the hybrid bus I found I was

London by Bus

BELOW: One

of the newest

buses for the 36,

Alexander Dennis

Enviro400H MMC

EH200, turns from

Fernhead Road

into Shirland

Road shortly after

setting out from

Queen’s Park.

Route

36