The present route 10 was introduced in 1988, essentially as a split of route 73, to preserve the link between Hammersmith and Kensington and the West End, route 73 being diverted away from these areas to run to Victoria instead. The 10 also parallels the 9 for a substantial section between Hammersmith and Hyde Park Corner, and so the choice of route number was quite natural. This was the second time that route number 10 has been used on a London bus route.
The initial route was over the 73 between Hammersmith and King's Cross, and was run by the London United division. However, as work was lost at sister company London Northern, from April 1989 an allocation was introduced from Holloway garage at the other end of the route. For operational convenience the 10 was extended to the back of Holloway garage, via the traditionally rather badly served York Way and Brecknock Road. Initially this section did not run during early mornings, late evenings or Sundays, but a Sunday service was later added, following which journeys were extended to Archway rather than terminating in the back of the garage in Tufnell Park (Monnery Road). The service was then altered to garage journeys only, leaving local passengers to the only other service, the Monday to Saturday C12 running every 20 minutes. The withdrawal of the C12 in 1998 saw the full service running through to Archway.
As part of Mayor of LondonKen Livingstone’s plans to introduce congestion charging, it was proposed to split the 10 as it cut right across central London. After some confusion about the numbering, the outcome was that the 10 was shortened to run once again between Hammersmith and King's Cross, while the essentially local route between Archway and Kings Cross, and as far as Marble Arch, would be taken over by a new route 390. Surprisingly, it was the 390 that was to retain the Routemasters, while the 10 would gain new double deckers. It started using RMLs and MCW Metrobuses and when Metroline took over low floor Tridents were introduced.
Although most of the Routemasters were painted in Metroline livery, most of the Metrobuses were not repainted,(they still carried MTL London Northern livery) this may have been because they were going to Arriva London.
In late 2002 the contract was handed over to First and the previously mentioned vehicles were converted to the 390 and Alexander ALX 400s, Plaxton bodied Tridents and later Wright Eclipse Gemini-bodied Volvo B7TLs were introduced.
The 10 was put out to tender, the existing contract for the route, with Metroline, being renumbered 390. The "new" 10 was awarded to First London, who, as a temporary arrangement, were parking the buses in the White City lorry park, which is effectively acted as an outstation of Westbourne Park.
Transdev London gained the contract for the route from First London on 30 January 2010. Route 10 was converted to 24 hour operation with a half hourly night service being added, meaning that the N10 was withdrawn and the section between Hammersmith and Richmond replaced by a night service on the now 24-hour route 33.
