I reckon bus enthusiasts really know how to party.
At about 18:30 on Friday, 6 September 2024, I joined countless other bus enthusiasts in riding the last route 549 bus from South Woodford to Loughton and back. The 549 was one of London’s least frequent bus routes, with only nine buses from Monday to Saturday in each direction, operating from 06:30 until 19:46 on a frequency of approximately every 90 minutes. It ran between South Woodford and Loughton via Woodford, Roding Valley and Buckhurst Hill.
Transport for London (TfL) withdrew the route and replaced it with a restructured route W14 from Saturday, 7 September, providing the residents of Woodford, Roding Valley, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton with a more frequent bus service [1]. The W14 now runs between Whipps Cross and Loughton, with TfL extending the W13 to Leyton Superstores and the W12 to Woodford Bridge as the W14 no longer serves them.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 single-decker bus was completely packed, with people standing right up to the yellow line next to the bus driver. The journey was lively, and it was like having a party onboard. It reminded me of Hong Kong, where bus companies have had to draft convoys of double-decker buses at similar events to convey all the bus enthusiasts who packed out every bus. I also took a YouTube video of the return journey [2], documenting the last bus for one of London’s least frequent bus routes.
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I reckon bus enthusiasts really know how to party.
At about 18:30 on Friday, 6 September 2024, I joined countless other bus enthusiasts in riding the last route 549 bus from South Woodford to Loughton and back. The 549 was one of London’s least frequent bus routes, with only nine buses from Monday to Saturday in each direction, operating from 06:30 until 19:46 on a frequency of approximately every 90 minutes. It ran between South Woodford and Loughton via Woodford, Roding Valley and Buckhurst Hill.
Transport for London (TfL) withdrew the route and replaced it with a restructured route W14 from Saturday, 7 September, providing the residents of Woodford, Roding Valley, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton with a more frequent bus service [1]. The W14 now runs between Whipps Cross and Loughton, with TfL extending the W13 to Leyton Superstores and the W12 to Woodford Bridge as the W14 no longer serves them.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 single-decker bus was completely packed, with people standing right up to the yellow line next to the bus driver. The journey was lively, and it was like having a party onboard. It reminded me of Hong Kong, where bus companies have had to draft convoys of double-decker buses at similar events to convey all the bus enthusiasts who packed out every bus. I also took a YouTube video of the return journey [2], documenting the last bus for one of London’s least frequent bus routes.
[1] https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/changes-to-bus-routes-549-w12-w13-w14
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzKC4NtVyMo
Bus enthusiasts?! Whenever I have to bus a journey I can’t tube, the last thing I feel is enthusiasm.