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521
Go-Ahead London Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV on London Bridge
Overview
Operator	Go-Ahead London
Garage	Waterloo
Vehicle	Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV
Peak vehicle requirement	15
Status	Defunct
Began service	18 July 1992 (1992-07-18)
Ended service	29 April 2023 (2023-04-29)
Predecessors	Route 501 Route 513
Night-time	No night service
Route
Start	Waterloo station
Via	Holborn St Paul's station Cannon Street
End	London Bridge bus station
Length	3 miles (4.8 km)
Service
Level	Monday to Friday
Frequency	About every 2-12 minutes
Journey time	21-34 minutes
Operates	06:29 until 00:33

London Buses route 521 was a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. It ran between Waterloo station and London Bridge bus station, and was operated by Go-Ahead London.

It was also one of two Red Arrow branded services. In 2016, it became the first battery electric bus route in London, along with route 507.

History

Route 521 commenced operating on 18 July 1992 as part of the Red Arrow network of bus routes aimed at commuters in Central London linking some of the capital's main railway termini.

On 2 June 2002, along with route 507, the route was the first bus route in London to be converted to articulated bus with Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaros.

During late 2003, early 2004, a series of onboard fires on Mercedes-Benz O530Gs led to withdrawal of the entire fleet, while Mercedes-Benz made some modifications. During this period limited services operated using a variety of different buses on route 521.

In September 2009, as part of the move to replace London's articulated buses, the O530Gs were replaced by Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaros.

Another criticism of articulated buses was the low number of seats, with only 49 per vehicle. A standard rigid Citaro has 44 seats, however the new ones for route 521 have just 21, with room supposedly for up to 76 standers, leading to criticism the new buses were "cattle trucks" and even more crowded than the buses they replaced.

In December 2013, two trial BYD electric buses were introduced. In September 2016, Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV bodied BYD electric buses began to operate the route, making it and route 507 the first battery electric bus routes in London. In September 2016, the buses on this route and on the 507 have received new digital route displays.

On 28 August 2021, the PVR was cut to 15 vehicles rather than 32.

Route withdrawal

On 23 November 2022, it was announced that route 521 would be withdrawn following a consultation, with routes 59 and 133 being rerouted to replace it either side of St Paul's. These changes were implemented on 29 April 2023.

Former route

Route 521 operated via these primary locations:

• Waterloo station
• South Bank Waterloo Bridge
• Aldwych (to Waterloo only; buses to London Bridge skipped the stops in Aldwych via the Strand underpass)
• Holborn station
• Chancery Lane station
• Holborn Circus
• City Thameslink station
• St Paul's station
• Mansion House station
• Cannon Street station
• Monument station
• London Bridge
• London Bridge bus station for London Bridge station

References

1. ^ Gillett, Francesca (12 September 2016). "First electric buses in central London 'by end of year' as two routes announced". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
2. Dryhurst, Michael (2016). London's Red Arrow Buses. Newcastle: Bowden Publishing. p. 10.
3. London transport - with a twist BBC News 5 June 2002
4. "Bendy-buses withdrawn after fires". BBC News. 24 March 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
5. "The beginning of the end for the bendy bus". Greater London Authority press release. 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
6. "Passengers call for the return of the bendy bus". The London Paper. 31 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
7. Electric buses hit London roads The Guardian 19 December 2013
8. Mayor unveils first fully electric bus routes for central London Transport for London 9 September 2016
9. "Debut for electrics and StreetDecks" Buses issue 739 October 2016 page 22
10. Powell, Tom (12 September 2016). "London buses introduce new 'Tube map-style' digital route displays". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
11. Mortimer, Josiah (21 December 2021). "The 41 London bus routes that have quietly been cut in 2021". MyLondon. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
12. "Central London Bus Review 2022: Decision summary and next steps" (PDF). TfL Have Your Say. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
13. Marius, Callum (23 December 2022). "From most frequent route to cancellation, the downfall of the 521 bus". MyLondon. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
14. "Central London bus changes". TfL. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
15. Route 521 Map Transport for London

External links

• Media related to London Buses route 521 at Wikimedia Commons
• Timetable

• Former bus routes in London
• Transport in the London Borough of Camden
• Transport in the London Borough of Southwark
• Transport in the City of London
• Transport in the City of Westminster