London Sovereign RATP Group is a bus company in North London. It is a subsidiary of RATP Group and operates buses under contract to Transport for London.
Company History[]
London Sovereign RATP Group can trace its roots back to independent Borehamwood Travel Services which ran a fleet that included ex-Kelvin Central MCW Metrobuses and Northern Counties Palatines bodied Leyland Olympians and a collection of other vehicles. In 1993 it won its biggest London Buses contract, to operate route 13 with leased AEC Routemasters in its orange livery. In August 1994, Borehamwood Travel Services was sold to the Blazefield Group's Sovereign subsidiary, with the two operations merged as Sovereign London. On 3 November 2002, the business was sold to Transdev, and renamed Transdev London Sovereign.
After London United was transferred to RATP as a result of the wider Transdev group's merger with Veolia Transport in March 2011, London Sovereign became Transdev's only London bus company. In March 2014, London Sovereign was sold to RATP and resumed trading as London Sovereign RATP Group.
Edgware (BT) []
Edgware garage operates London bus routes 79, 142, 251, 258, 288, 326, H12, school route 642, and night route N5.
History:[]
Edgware garage was first opened by the London General Omnibus Company in 1925 with space for 24 buses, but there was plenty of room adjacent to the Underground station which had recently been built. In 1939 a new building was built next to the original building which was to become the new bus station, while the remaining open parking area was used to store vehicles for the trolleybus replacement program. In 1984 a new 100 bus garage was built on on the site of the long closed Edgware railway station at a cost of £4.5 million. In 1992 plans were made to close Edgware garage as Cricklewood garage was to become a fully functioning garage with new facilities. The outdoor parking area and the bus station then became a midibus base in 1993, with a new bus wash and light maintenance facilities provided in the yard.
In 1999, London Sovereign, having won some tenders for bus services in North-East London, took a 10-year lease on half of Edgware garage and invested in a new maintenance facility which was to replace its former base at Borehamwood. In late 2000, Metroline moved back into the other half of the garage, making it one of the few garages to be shared by two operators.
On 3 September 2011, London Sovereign commenced operating route 251.
On 1 September 2012, London Sovereign commenced operating route 605.
On 25 July 2015, part of route 183's allocation was transferred to Harrow (SO) garage and London Sovereign commenced operating route 326.
On 24 October 2015, route 324 passed to Metroline.
On 3 September 2016, route 114 passed to Metroline.
On 5 September 2016, London Sovereign commenced operating a school day journey on H14.
On 1 April 2017, London Sovereign commenced operating route 139 and route 13 passed to Tower Transit.
On 2 September 2017, route 605 passed to Sullivan Buses .
On 30 September 2017, London Sovereign commenced operating route 258.
On 6 January 2018, London Sovereign commenced operating routes 142 and 642. The Edgware (BT) allocation for route 183 was transferred from this garage to Harrow (SO) garage at the same time.
On 1 September 2018, London Sovereign commenced operating routes 288 and H12. The double deck school journeys on route H14 was withdrawn and route 251 was transferred from this garage to Parr Road (CP) garage at the same time.
On 8 December 2018, Route 292 passed to Metroline and London Sovereign commenced operating route 79.
On 25 July 2020, London Sovereign RATP commenced operating route N5.
On 29 August 2020 Route 139 passed to Metroline.
On 5 September 2020, route 251 was transferred to this Garage and the Parr Road allocation for route H12 was transferred to this garage.
Bus types in use:[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 251 and 326
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 10.2m (ADE) for routes 142, 258 and 642
- Alexander Dennis E20D 10.9m / Enviro 200 MMC (DLE) for route 288
- Alexander Dennis E20D 10.5m / Enviro 200 MMC (DME) for route 326
- Alexander Dennis E40H 10.4m / Enviro 400 MMC (ADH) for routes 258, H12 and N5
- Volvo B5LH 10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (VH) As logistical spares
- Volvo B5LH 10.6m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 (VH) for routes 79 and N5
Harrow (SO)[]
Harrow garage operates London bus routes 395, H9 (Sundays only), H10 (Sundays only), H11, H14, H17, H18, H19 and weekend night route 183.
History:[]
Harrow garage opened in 1994. It is RATP Group's smallest London bus garage. The low roof beam across the middle of the depot building was raised to allow double decker's. The garage has a plot of land next to it, owned by London Sovereign, which is now used to park most of the single decker's due to the 183 allocation, which started on 24 July 2015. The 183 is split between Harrow and Edgware with the majority of buses at Harrow.
On 25 July 2015, part of the allocation for route 183 was transferred to this garage.
On 8 October 2016, a half hourly weekend night service was introduced on route 183 using 3 existing Scania OmniCitys.
On 6 January 2018, routes 398 and H17 were transferred from this garage to London United's Park Royal (RP) garage. The Edgware (BT) allocation for route 183 was transferred from Edgware (BT) garage to this garage at the same time.
On 1 September 2018, London Sovereign commenced operating routes H18 and H19.
On 26 January 2019, part of the allocations for routes H9 and H10 were temporarily transferred from this garage to North Wembley (NW) garage.
On 7 September 2019, route H13 passed to Metroline and London Sovereign commenced operating route 395.
On 16 May 2020, route H17 was temporarily transferred back to this garage from London United's Park Royal (RP) garage.
Routes 398 and the Parr Road allocation for routes H9 and H10 will be transferred back to this garage from 12 December 2020.
Route 223 will be transferred to this garage from early 2021 (TBC).
London Sovereign will commence operating the X140 on the 4 September 2021.
Bus type in use:[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes 395, H9 and H10
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.8m (DLE) for route H11
- Alexander Dennis E20D 10.9m / Enviro 200 MMC (DLE) for routes H17, H18 and H19
- Alexander Dennis E40H 10.4m / Enviro 400 MMC (ADH) for route H14
- Scania OmniCity 10.8m (SP) for routes 183
- Volvo B5LH 10.5m / Wright SRM (VHR) for route 183
- Volvo B5LH 10.4m / Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 (VH) for route 183
- ADL EV 10.2m / Enviro 400 EV City (BCE) to be introduced to Route X140 on 4th September 2021.
Parr Road (CP)[]
Parr Road garage operates routes 288, 303, H9 and H10.
History:[]
On 1 September 2018, London Sovereign commenced operating routes 288 and 303. Route 251 was transferred from Edgware (BT) garage to this garage.
On 29 June 2019, part of route H12's was transferred to this garage.
On 5 September 2020, Route 251 was transferred to Edgware (BT) Garage and the Parr Road allocation for route H12 was transferred to Edgware (BT) garage. At the same time, routes North Wembley allocation for routes H9 and H10 was transferred to this garage.
The Parr Road allocation for routes H9 and H10 will be transferred back to Harrow (SO) garage from 12 December 2020.
Bus type in use:[]
- Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 Dart 10.2m (DE) for routes H9 and H10
- Alexander Dennis E20D 10.9m / Enviro 200 MMC (DLE) for routes 288 and 303
Former Garages[]
North Wembley (NW)[]
North Wembley garage operate routes
History:[]
On 26 January 2019, part of the allocations of routes H9 and H10 were temporarily transferred from Harrow (SO) garage to this garage.
On 5 September 2020, North Wembley (NW) was announced closed. Routes H9 and H10 was transferred to Parr Road (CP) garage at the same time.