RATP London has won two more new contracts based on the introduction of new battery-electric buses from early next year, taking over both from Metroline.
London Sovereign will operate the 125 (Colindale-Winchmore Hill) from Edgware garage and London United the 235 (Brentford- Sunbury) from Hounslow Heath. Charging facilities will be installed at both sites.
Operation of schooldays only route 696 (Hayes- Bishop Ramsey School) will transfer within RATP from London United to London Sovereign.
The 125 was one of the earlier routes that London Transport put out to tender, with operation passing to Grey-Green on 14 November 1987 using buses based at the Stamford Hill coach depot. When that site closed in 1998, Grey-Green had already been renamed Arriva London North East and the 125 transferred to Arriva London North. Following retendering in 2015, the contract was awarded to Metroline.
The current incarnation of route 235 was introduced on 31 August 1996 between Sunbury and Brentford County Court, replacing the section of route 237 (then Shepherd’s Bush-Sunbury Village) between Hounslow Heath and Sunbury. London United operated it from Hounslow garage using MCW Metrobuses until it passed to Telling’s-Golden Miller (TGM) in January 1998, using low-floor Plaxton Pointer-bodied Dennis Darts. London United retained a presence, operating additional schoolday journeys with double-deckers. The school service passed to Armchair in 2003 and was renumbered 635 the following year.
