Route History

Date
Gar
Mon-Fri
Sat
Sun
27.11.93
CN
2midi
2midi
--
New Midibus route operated by
London & Country from Croydon Garage

BEDDINGTON CORNER Wolesey Road - Mill Green Road - Middleton Road - Peterborough Road - Revesby Road - Green Wrythe Lane - Middleton Circle - Middleton Road - Robertsbridge Rd - St Helier Hospital - Wrythe Lane - Erskine Road - Oakhill Road - Sutton Green - Sutton one way system - Carshalton Road - Langley Park Road - Cavendish Road - Brighton Road - SUTTON STATION ( Mon-Sat except evenings )


21.05.94
CN
2midi
2midi
--

BEDDINGTON CORNER Wolesey Road - Mill Green Road - Middleton Road - Peterborough Road - Revesby Road - Green Wrythe Lane - Middleton Circle - Middleton Road - Robertsbridge Rd - St Helier Hospital - Wrythe Lane - Erskine Road - Oakhill Road - Sutton Green - Sutton one way system - Carshalton Road - Langley Park Road - Cavendish Road - Brighton Road- Sutton - back to BEDDINGTON CORNER
Sutton terminal revised to operate a one way loop via Carshalton Road - Langley Park Road - Cavendish Road - Brighton Road - instead of running both ways via Langley Park Road

01.01.95
CN
2midi
2midi
--
Operation now with London Links

 

Optare Metrider 445 Sutton Post Office

© Lawrence Living

 

 


30.11.96
A191+
4ML
4ML
--
Contract reassigned

BEDDINGTON CORNER - Sutton - Sutton Station - Cedar Road - Langley Park Road - The Gallop - Chiltern Road - Brighton Road - Belmont - Downs Road - Sutton Lane - High Street - BANSTEAD Victoria ( Mon-Sat )
At Sutton Town Centre diverted to Chiltern Road ( Sutton Hospital )  via current Route S3 then via Brighton Road - Downs Road - Sutton Lane - and High Street  to Banstead replacing withdrawn section of Route 80

 

Marshall Minibus ML12 Sutton Post Office

 


Scanned from 1996 leaflet

11.10.97
EB
4MRL
4MRL
--
Contract surrendered by London General
and awarded to Epsom Buses

BEDDINGTON CORNER - BANSTEAD Victoria ( Mon-Sat )
New operator

19.04.98
EB
4MRL
4MRL
3MRL

BEDDINGTON CORNER - BANSTEAD Victoria ( Daily )
Sunday service introduced

Plaxton Pointer Dart 2 8.8m Sutton Post Office

 


04.01.99
EB
4MPD
4MPD
3MPD

BEDDINGTON CORNER - BANSTEAD Victoria
MRL type sold in favour of new 29 seater Dart SLF type

22.01.00
EB
5MPD
5MPD
3MPD

HACKBRIDGE Elm Road - BANSTEAD Victoria
Extended from Beddington Corner to Hackbridge
After 1600 runs direct along Middleton Road omitting Revesby Road

01.12.01
EB
7MPD
7MPD
3MPD

MITCHAM Cricketers - Cranmer Road - Carshalton Road - Mitcham Junction - London Road - Beddington Corner - BANSTEAD Victoria
Contract renewal with new Darts
Withdrawn between Beddington Corner and Hackbridge - diverted instead to Mitcham


10.01.04
EB71+
7MPD
7MPD
3MPD

MITCHAM  -  BANSTEAD
Sunday and evening frequency increase


05.11.05
EB71+
7MPD
7MPD
3MPD

MITCHAM Cricketers - BANSTEAD Victoria
Reverted to pre 2001 working via Revesby Road instead of Middleton Road direct after 1600

12.04.14
EB301+
8SE
6SE
4SE

MITCHAM Laveneder Fields - BANSTEAD Marks & Spencer
BANSTEAD Marks & Spencer - High Street - Sutton Lane - Downs Road - Belmont Station - Brighton Road - Sutton Hospital - Chiltern Road - The Gallop - Langley Park Road - Cavendish Road - Brighton Road - Sutton Station - High Street - Grove Road - Sutton Park Road - Cheam Road - St Nicholas Way - Crown Road - Sutton High Street - Oakhill Road - Benhilton - Erskine Road - Wrythe Lane - St Helier Hospital - Robertsbridge Road - Middleton Road - Middleton Circle - Green Wrythe Lane - Revesby Road - Peterborough Road - Goat Lane - Mill Green Road - London Road - Carshalton Road - Mitcham Junction Station and Tramlink - Carshalton Road - Cranmer Road - Cricket Green - London Road - Lower Green West - Lower Green - London Road - Mitcham - Raleigh Gardens - Holborn Way - London Road - Victoria Road - LAVENDER FIELDS


LAVENDER FIELDS- Victoria Road - London Road - Holborn Way - Upper Green - Mitcham - London Road - Cricket Green - Cranmer Road - Carshalton Road - Mitcham Junction Station and Tramlink - Carshalton Road - London Road - Mill Green Road - Goat Lane - Middleton Road - Peterborough Road - Revesby Road - Green Wrythe Lane - Middleton Circle - Middleton Road - Robertsbridge Road - St Helier Hospital - Wrythe Lane - Erskine Road - Benhilton - Oakhill Road - Sutton High Street - Marshalls Road - Throwley Way - Carshalton Road - Chalk Pit Way - Sutton Court Way - High Street - Sutton Station - Brighton Road - Cavendish Road - Langley Park Road - The Gallop - Chiltern Road - Sutton Hospital - Brighton Road - Belmont Station - Downs Road - Sutton Lane - High Street - BANSTEAD Marks & Spencer
Withdrawn between Mitcham Junction and Fair Green - diverted instead via Cranmer Road - Cricket Green - Lower Green - London Road - Upper Green - London Road - and Victoria Road to
LAVENDER FIELDS


OM11 Throwley Way, Sutton

© Lawrence Living


26.06.17
EB301+
11OM
11OM
7OM
Managed now by London United

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
New management

01.12.18
EB301+
11OM
11OM
7OM

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
Contract renewal

om20237

 

OM20237 in RATP livery

 

 


03.07.21
C61+
11OM
11OM
7OM
Metrobus logo
Contract reassigned

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
Contract moved to Croydon (C)

SE169 Sutton ©Jamjar

SOE17 Banstead


14.05.22
C61+
11OM
11OM
7OM

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
Re-routed in Belmont via Cotswold Road, not serving Belmont Station. |
Re-routed in the St Helier area in both directions via Wrythe Lane, Bishopsford Road, Green Wrythe Lane and Middleton Road, not serving Robertsbridge Road, Revesby Road and Peterborough Road.

OM10 Banstead

 

OM10 Banstead

© Busocculation

 


12.08.23
GM81+
11SE
11SE
7SE

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
Transferred from Croydon (C) to Goat Road Mitcham (GM)

02.03.24
C61+
11OM
11OM
7OM

BANSTEAD  - LAVENDER FIELDS
Allocation moved back to Croydon (C) using buses ex withdrawn 455

Commets from Watton

Route S1
The S1 received a couple of re-routeings fairly recently, one of which saw it run direct at Belmont via Sutton Hospital rather than doing the dog-leg via Belmont Station.  Therefore, I had to walk up to Highdown Lane to catch it the short distance to the terminus at Banstead Town Centre.  I boarded OM13, one of the unique Optare MetroCity single deckers inherited from RATP/Quality Line when Epsom Garage closed and the route transferred to Go Ahead Metrobus with its vehicles.

LVF showed that, in addition to the mainly OM allocation, a couple of SEs and two SOEs were out on the route, with SOE6 being half an hour behind.  Therefore, I awaited its arrival for a ride on this now rare class.  Departing on time, we travelled back through the woods to Belmont, taking the direct route via Sutton Hospital, but then traversing the back roads loop to Sutton Station - a useful facility, but adding journey time for those travelling between Banstead and Sutton.  

After Sutton Town Centre, we continued with a full load around the back streets to St Helier Hospital, after which we entered the other new section of the route, which now avoids the narrow back roads, instead going via Rose Hill Roundabout, Bishopsford Road and Middleton Road to Beddington Corner.  Incidentally, an overturned van was lying on its side, completely blocking the northbound dual carriageway at St Helier Avenue, which didn't affect us, but was causing diversions on the 157 and 164!

A traffic queue was encountered into roadworks at Mitcham Junction, then at the next stop, we pulled in behind OM4 and were ordered rather brusquely off SOE6 to join it, as our original bus was apparently going back to the garage - no explanation given, and very badly handled by the two drivers concerned who made sarcastic remarks about the passengers being asleep.  So, a different bus for the last 10 mins of the journey, through Mitcham to Lavender Fields, which we reached after a long journey of 1hr 20m.  Our late arrival meant no stand time and we departed almost immediately on the return, but I got off just a few stops in at Mitcham Town Centre.

The S1 passes within Go Ahead from Croydon to Goat Lane Mitcham Garage this weekend, taking with it SOEs and SEs, but not the OMs, which are to stay at Croydon for the 455 until that route's withdrawal next year when it is replaced under the Sutton/Croydon scheme.  The S1 itself is 30 Years old this year, having begun in 1993 as a midibus route with London & Country between Beddington Corner and Sutton.  Having grown at both ends, with route changes in the middle, it is now a very different beast.  Operators since L&C have been Londonlinks, London General, Quality Line/RATP and Go Ahead Metrobus, now back to London General.

 

Garages

GM Goat Road
Meal Reliefs  at SUTTON Crown Road
Start and finish duties at Mitcham Junction

C Croydon
Changeover point Mitcham Junction
Meal reliefs at Mitcham Library

A Sutton
Changeover point Sutton Green

EB Epsom
Changeover point Banstead stand

GA-L Route guide

 

© Ian Armstrong 2023
Date of edit   Tuesday, 19.03.24