London Buses route SL1 is a Transport for London contracted Superloop express bus route in London, England. Running between North Finchley bus station and Walthamstow Central station, it is operated by Arriva London.
History
The route was first proposed by Transport for London in June 2023 as the second proposed new route in the Superloop express bus network. At the time of the consultation, the route was proposed to be numbered X34. It was proposed to partially parallel routes 34 and 221.Proposals for a new limited stop express bus route between North Finchley and Walthamstow (X34 bus route), part of the Superloop Transport for London July 2023 Having been renumbered SL1, it was introduced on 9 December 2023.TfL confirms new routes and next steps for the next phase of the Superloop network in outer London Transport for London 7 September 2023Superloop buses will form orbital route around London by spring 2024 Evening Standard 20 October 2023New route SL1 introduced - 9 December 2023 Transport for London It is operated by Arriva London as a variation to its route 34 contract that it parallels between New Southgate and Walthamstow.Superloop takes shape Buses issue 823 November 2023 page 20
After a competitive tendering process, the contract was retained by Arriva London from November 2024 with the Alexander Dennis Enviro400H Citys to be replaced by brand new BYD BD11s. According to internal TfL reliability metrics from July 2024, the route is performing well and better than the contractual minimum standards, with bus speeds in line with expected performance.
Current route Route SL1 operates via these primary locations:Route SL1 Map Transport for London North Finchley bus station Friern Barnet New Southgate station Arnos Grove station Palmers Green Silver Street station Meridian Water South Chingford Walthamstow Market Walthamstow Central station for Walthamstow bus station
Operation The route operates at a frequency of a bus every 12 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays and a bus every 15 minutes on Sundays.
Reception Route SL1 has been criticised for not offering a direct link to North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton.
Former route SL1 From June 1996 until August 2002, a previous route SL1 ran in Central London connecting the mainline railway stations at Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, St Pancras, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street, London Bridge, Waterloo and Victoria.Enhancement of Accessible Bus Service Linking London's Mainline Railway Stations London Regional Transport 27 June 1996Latest service changes Transport for London 31 August 2002 The route was operated by Thorpes and was branded as Stationlink, running an hourly (clockwise) circular service with route SL2 operating in the reverse direction. Both were replaced by routes 205 and 705 respectively in August 2002.
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