South London Bus Route - Route 44

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 Route 44: Tooting Station - Victoria
Operated by: London General (GAL)
Garage: AL
PVR: 17
Length: 11km/7 miles
Bus Type: Plaxton President/Volvo B7TL and Enviro 400

     Timetable: http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/044full.pdf

Route 44 began on the 1st of October 1950 using RT's which were then replaced with RTL's with its RT's moving to Thornton Heath to help replace the trams. Route 44 initially ran between Mitcham, Three Kings and London Bridge which it did for 2 years before being moved to Mitcham, Cricketers. By 1958, the 44's Sunday service was extended from Mitcham to Wallington and from 1963 it was extended on Sundays from London Bridge to Poplar. In 1964 the Sunday service between Mitcham and Wallington was withdrawn being replaced by 115A, a year later it's RTL allocation was withdrawn and replaced with RT's.

It was then reduced again with its Sunday service between Mitcham and Poplar reduced to Mitcham and Aldgate, nothing had changed with the route apart from it gaining an OPO allocation and then in 1988 it was extended from Mitcham to Sutton which was once again withdrawn within 3 years in both ends, so it ran between Vauxhall and Tooting Station with the 344 replacing it from Vauxhall.

The route has stayed the same with only 1 change from 1991 occuring when it Merton Garage purchased nearly 80 Plaxton Presidents to be shared among all of their DD routes with the 44 taking 17 of them. The next change in the 44's 56 year life was a re-routing between Battersea Park Station and Vauxhall which saw it no longer serve Vauxhall but instead terminate at Victoria via Chelsea Bridge. 

On the 12th of November 2012, Stockwell Garage lost route 24 to Metroline leaving 25 57reg Enviro 400's with no actual allocated route to work on, so as the 44, 77 & 270 all had been retained by Go-Ahead London on the 1st of June 2013 for a further 5 years they were allocated the 25 Enviro 400's and some of them entered service as early as March. By July 2013 all 25 of the Enviro 400's were refurbished and fitted with smartblinds and given a 100% red repaint. But 1 of the Enviro 400's (E69) moving to Camberwell which it has since returned back to Merton.

As of now the 44 doesn't have an official allocation with all of Merton's double deckers spread evenly but the buses that mostly make up the 44 are the 54reg PVL's from route 36 and the 57reg Enviro 400's from route 24.

Fleetlist

PVL's

                                 

                                       PVL390 LX54 HAA                                       

                                       PVL391 LX54 HAE                                       

PVL392 LX54 HAO

PVL393 LX54 HAU

PVL394 LX54 HBA

PVL395 LX54 HBB

PVL396 LX54 GZG

PVL397 LX54 GZH
PVL398 LX54 GZK

PVL399 LX54 GZL

PVL400 LX54 GZM

PVL401 LX54 GZN

PVL402 LX54 GZO

E's

E69 LX57 CJU

E70 LX57 CJV

E71 LX57 CJY

E72 LX57 CJZ

E73 LX57 CKA

E74 LX57 CKC

E75 LX57 CKD

E76 LX57 CKE

E77 LX57 CKF

Note: These are not its exact fleetlist but part of the 54 buses shared between the DD routes at Merton

Now here are a few photos of the 44 in all of its forms. Enjoy :) 

PVL400 seen in Tooting

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E142 seen leaving its terminus of Tooting Station
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WVL72 seen at Tooting Station© All Rights Reserved by Ledlon89  

                             

E84 seen on Garratt Lane

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