Read
AUTHORPÆDIA is hosted by Authorpædia Foundation, Inc. a U.S. non-profit organization.
Svetlana Velmar-Janković
| 129 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | Go-Ahead London |
| Garage | Henley Road |
| Vehicle | BYD BD11 |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 22 |
| Began service | 3 June 2006 |
| Former operator(s) | Travel London Abellio London |
| Night-time | No night service |
| Route | |
| Start | Lewisham Shopping Centre |
| Via | Greenwich North Greenwich Silvertown London City Airport Beckton |
| End | Gallions Reach |
| Length | 10 miles (16 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | Every 8-12 minutes |
| Journey time | 54-80 minutes |
| Operates | 05:20 until 01:20 |
London Buses route 129 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Lewisham Shopping Centre and Gallions Reach, it is operated by Go-Ahead London.
The service is one of three bus routes to run through the Silvertown Tunnel, alongside route SL4 and the Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle.[1]
History
Following a public consultation, route 129 was introduced on 3 June 2006 to provide a direct connection between Greenwich Millennium Village and Greenwich. The route originally ran between Greenwich and North Greenwich bus station and was operated by Travel London using single decker buses.[2]
Route 129 was included in the sale of Travel London to Abellio London in May 2009.[3]
On 4 June 2011, the contract for the route passed from Abellio London to Go-Ahead London, continuing to use single decker buses.[4]
In June 2014, the route was fully converted to use double decker buses.[5]
In July 2017, Transport for London opened a public consultation proposing for the route to be extended from Greenwich to Lewisham Shopping Centre in order to support the opening of the Elizabeth line.[6][7] This change was implemented on 14 May 2022, partially replacing route 180.[8][9]
In November 2022, Transport for London opened a public consultation proposing for the route to be extended from North Greenwich bus station to Gallions Reach via Silvertown, London City Airport and Beckton as part of the Silvertown Tunnel bus network.[10][11][12] In March 2023, it was confirmed that the extension would go ahead and it was implemented on 7 April 2025, the same day as the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel.[13]
Current route
Route 129 operates via these primary locations:[14]
- Lewisham Shopping Centre
- Lewisham station
- Greenwich station
- Greenwich Cutty Sark
- Maze Hill
- Greenwich Millennium Village
- North Greenwich bus station
for North Greenwich station 
- West Silvertown station
- Pontoon Dock station
- London City Airport
- Beckton bus station for Beckton station
- Gallions Reach station
- Gallions Reach Great Eastern Quay
Operation
The route operates at a frequency of a bus every eight minutes on weekdays, every 10 minutes on Saturdays and every 12 minutes during the evenings and on Sundays.[15][16]
Like all bus services using the Silvertown Tunnel, the service is operated using zero emission battery electric buses.[17] The service will be free to use for all passengers until at least April 2026.[18][19][1]
Previous route 129
The route number 129 was previously used for a service running between Claybury Broadway and Becontree Heath. This service was withdrawn on 26 June 2004, being replaced by sections of routes 128 and 150.[20]
References
- ^ a b "Silvertown Tunnel bus changes". Transport for London. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ "New bus route for Greenwich". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Travel London becomes Abellio". TransportXtra. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Bus tender result: Route 129 - December 2010". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "FOI-1425-1819: Invitation To Tender - Bus Services". Transport for London. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Changes to suburban bus services to support Elizabeth line Transport for London July 2017
- ^ "TfL bus cuts threaten route 180 through Lewisham, Greenwich and Charlton". Greenwich Wire. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Bus changes Transport for London 14 May 2022
- ^ "Crossrail: London bus route changes from this weekend due to the upcoming Elizabeth line opening". MyLondon. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Have your say on a possible new cross-river bus network in East London". Disability Horizons. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Rusk, Lynn (25 October 2022). "Two new bus routes planned for Silvertown Tunnel". LondonWorld. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Silvertown Tunnel Bus Network Proposals". Transport for London. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ Lydall, Ross (7 April 2025). "Silvertown Tunnel opens - with car drivers paying up to £4 to use first new Thames tunnel for 58 years". The Standard. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Route 129 map". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Neath, Amelia (17 March 2025). "Free London buses announced for first year of Silvertown Tunnel opening". Independent. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Route 129 timetable". Transport for London. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Tom (12 March 2025). "When Silvertown opens, Blackwall tolls start too". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Donnelly, Luke (10 January 2025). "Launch date set for free Superloop London bus route across River Thames". MyLondon. Reach Plc. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Tom (12 March 2025). "When Silvertown opens, Blackwall tolls start too". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Route 129: Claybury Broadway to Becontree Heath". London Bus Routes. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
External links
Media related to London Buses route 129 at Wikimedia Commons
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
