London Buses route 73
| 73 | |
|---|---|
_Arriva_London_New_Routemaster_(17236751253).jpg)
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| Overview | |
| Operator | Arriva London |
| Garage | Stamford Hill (SF) |
| Vehicle | New Routemaster |
| Night-time | Night Bus N73 |
| Route | |
| Start | Stoke Newington |
| Via |
Newington Green Angel King's Cross Oxford Circus Marble Arch |
| End | Victoria bus station |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
London Buses route 73 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Stoke Newington and Victoria bus station, it is operated by Arriva London.
Route 73 commenced on 30 November 1914, and originally ran from King's Cross to Barnes via Euston Road, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, Knightsbridge, Kensington and Hammersmith.
By 1949 the route had been extended at both ends to operate from Stoke Newington to Richmond. On 26 November 1958 the route was extended further west to Hounslow replacing route 33. This latter route was reinstated in 1966 between Hammersmith and Richmond, with route 73 curtailed at Hammersmith on weekdays, continuing to Richmond on Saturdays and Hounslow on Sundays.
The weekend service was cut back to Twickenham in October 1978, and in September 1982 back to Hammersmith. On 13 August 1988 the route was diverted at Hyde Park Corner to Victoria bus station, and replaced by route 10 west of Hyde Park Corner.
In August 1994 the route, at the time operated by Leaside Buses, was used to test satellite monitoring of buses in an effort to reduce bunching.
On 4 September 2004 route 73 was converted to one-man operation, with the AEC Routemasters replaced by Mercedes-Benz O530G articulated buses. This change was intended to improve peak capacity and decrease boarding times; however, a Transport for London advertising campaign to this effect was prohibited by the Advertising Standards Agency as the claims were misleading.Fare evasion on the route increased after the introduction of articulated vehicles, leading some passengers to nickname the route 'seventy-free'. The route was used to test the iBus system in 2007.
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