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London Buses route 26

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26
Overview
OperatorTower Transit
GarageLea Interchange (LI)
VehicleAlexander Dennis Enviro400 10.1m
Peak vehicle requirement17
Night-timeNight Bus N26
Route
StartHackney Wick
ViaCambridge Heath
Liverpool Street
Aldwych
EndWaterloo station
Length7 miles (11 km)
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency10-12 minutes
Journey time30-58 minutes
Operates05:00 until 00:50

London Buses route 26 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hackney Wick and Waterloo station, it is operated by Tower Transit.

History

East London Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 in April 2007

Route 26 commenced on 18 July 1992, being introduced to replace the withdrawn section of route 6 between Hackney Wick and Aldwych, running between Hackney Wick and Waterloo station, from Bow garage using Leyland Titans.[1] The route was converted to low floor in 1999. In April 2001, the allocation was transferred to Stratford garage, and again in February 2008 to West Ham. The route has stayed the same since it began, apart from minor reroutings in Shoreditch in 2002 and in Hackney in 2008.

Having been operated by East London since it inception, upon being re-tendered, on 25 June 2011 the route passed to First London's Lea Interchange garage with Alexander Dennis Enviro400s.

On 22 June 2013, route 26 was included in the sale of First London's Lea Interchange garage to Tower Transit.[2][3]

Bomb incident

On 21 July 2005, would-be bomber Muktar Said Ibrahim attempted to explode a device contained in his rucksack on a number 26 bus on Hackney Road near Shoreditch. A small explosion on the top deck caused the vehicle's windows to explode, but the device did not detonate as intended and there was no significant damage. The vehicle, operated by Stagecoach London, was stopped and a 200 yard safety cordon established while the bomb was defused.[4][5]

Ibrahim left the bus following the failed attack, but was later caught. He and five other men were taken to court in January 2007, and his DNA was found on a battery used in the bomb.[6] He was convicted in July 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[7]

Current route

References

  1. ^ Blacker, Ken (2007). Routemaster: 1970–2005. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-85414-303-7.
  2. ^ First quits London bus business Bus & Coach Professional 9 April 2013
  3. ^ Date set for Aussie takeover of London bus routes Australasian Bus & Coach 14 June 2013
  4. ^ 'Smell of smoke' at number 26 bus Daily Mail 21 July 2005
  5. ^ Windows Blown Out Of Number 26 Bus Sky News 21 July 2005
  6. ^ Bus bomb bid' CCTV shown to jury BBC News 29 January 2007
  7. ^ Four 21/7 bomb plotters get life BBC News 11 July 2007