CT Plus route 26: Waterloo Station, Waterloo Road - Hackney Wick, St. Mary of Eton Church
Departed Waterloo Station / Waterloo Road (C), towards Waterloo Bridge / South Bank (P)

CT Plus have won the contract to route 26 with London's second batch of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City. 2501-2521 also introduce a new number fleet-code system to the HCT Group-owned operator, a change from their previously letter-number format.

I was very happy with this tender result, showing the greatness of CT Plus within their small fleet. However, route 26 is an absolutely boring route. Via The City, Hoxton and Hackney, I felt like I had already done the route as it merely links the 55 and 388 together. A decent route for a fast drive aboard a better-performing modernisation of the Routemaster, but the 78 is a much more interesting route.

Not to take away the fact that this is still a great win from an operator who, because of their size and their (productive) use of withdrawn buses instead of purchasing new ones, are generally frowned upon. More to come from CT Plus with their takeover of route W19 later this year.

©London Bus Breh 2016.

Tags:   HCT Group CT Plus Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Limited ADL Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City Enviro400H City E400H City Hybrid Hybrid Bus Hybrid Technology 2501 SN16 OHP 16-reg London Buses London Buses Bus London Buses route 26 Route 26 Waterloo Waterloo Station Waterloo Road TfL Transport for London

© All Rights Reserved

CT Plus route 26: Waterloo Station, Waterloo Road - Hackney Wick, St. Mary of Eton Church
Approaching Waterloo Bridge / South Bank (P)

A leading rear-end design.
©London Bus Breh 2016.

Tags:   HCT Group CT Plus Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Limited ADL Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City Enviro400H City E400H City Hybrid Hybrid Bus Hybrid Technology 2501 SN16 OHP 16-reg London Buses London Buses Bus London Buses route 26 Route 26 Waterloo Waterloo Station IMAX IMAX Roundabout TfL Transport for London

© All Rights Reserved

CT Plus route N26: Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross Station - Chingford, Bus Station
Trafalgar Square / Charing Cross Station (F)

©London Bus Breh 2016.

Tags:   HCT Group CT Plus Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Limited ADL Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City Enviro400H City E400H City Hybrid Hybrid Bus Hybrid Technology 2507 SN16 OHW 16-reg London Buses London Buses Bus London Buses route N26 Route N26 Trafalgar Square Charing Cross Charing Cross Station Strand TfL Transport for London

© All Rights Reserved

CT Plus route 388: Stratford City, Bus Station - Elephant & Castle, Newington Causeway
Departed HereEast (P), towards Trowbridge Estate (Q)

CT Plus retained route 388 from Ash Grove (HK) on 21 January 2017. New E40H Citys, 2523-2538, were introduced a few weeks later, from 6 February. Furthermore, the route was extended to Elephant & Castle on 10 April, replacing the withdrawn section of route 100.

The former Blackfriars terminus was generally quiet, from my experience, with little demand shown for the route there so they might as well have extended it. However, I'm not too keen on the additional re-route at St. Paul's to which I was previously unaware. Perhaps a strategy to help mitigate traffic at the Threadneedle Street and Wormwood Street approaches to Bishopsgate, the 388 nevertheless feels longer as a result via St. Paul's, Barbican and London Wall instead of direct via Bank to Liverpool Street.

I had quite the aggressive driver showing me the new routing. Departing a bus stop in Bethnal Green, he immediately braked as if caught unawares by passing traffic which further caught a passenger downstairs off-guard, the sound of their trip or at least their falling shopping bags following the driver's correction.

At least the driver reacted, but throughout the journey he seemed to not display the sharpest sense of awareness for other road users; I seemed to notice cars poking their front-ends from side streets to intercept ahead onto the main road, pedestrians crossing wherever they pleased and cyclists before the driver reacted to these variables, of course all generating understandable impatience behind-the-wheel.

I also had to deal with sharp direction changes which sometimes make for a fast and exciting ride but in this instance just felt unnecessary. I'm quite positive about CT Plus' services, but this isn't the first time on the 388 that I've experienced abrupt driving.

I conclude with the annoyingly familiar trait of an Enviro400H's air-conditioning system drowning the sound of the engine, again affecting my enjoyment of the ride. Plus, my opinion of the 388 has gone down slightly now that it is longer and less direct, originally a fast link to east London.

©London Bus Breh 2017.

Tags:   HCT Group CT Plus Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis Limited ADL Alexander Dennis Enviro400H MMC Enviro400H MMC E400H MMC E40H MMC Hybrid Hybrid Bus Hybrid Technology 2530 SN66 WRT 66-reg London Buses London Buses Bus London Buses route 388 Route 388 Stratford Stratford City Here East Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Olympic Park TfL Transport for London

© All Rights Reserved