Letting Go

33 years is a long time, isn't it? However things cannot remain the same forever, change is good and change will eventually need to come for many things. Route 173, being one of Arriva's longest standing routes has just made the move from Arriva at Barking (DX) to Stagecoach at Barking (BK)

T73 seen in Barking on route 173
© EastLondoner

Depending on where you live, and what groups online you are a part of and what website you visit, you have either heard of route 173 endless times over the past few months or you've not heard about the route at all. The route runs between Beckton Station and King George Hospital in East London and is known for having a good portion of its route running down the A13 road, one of London's busiest and most troublesome roads. 

Route 173 started operation in 1973, however was quite a different route to what it is today running between Canning Town and Becontree Heath via Dagenham Heathway and Newham Way, with peak hour extensions continuing the few stops ahead to Poplar from Canning Town. In 1979, the route was extended from Canning Town to Stratford, running via West Ham Station. In 1983, the portion where the route used Newham Way after Canning Town was altered so that the 173 would run via Asda in Beckton to provide some better links to shoppers. In June 1993 the route was extended from Becontree Heath to Little Heath via Chadwell Heath. A few months later in September 1993 the route was cut short from Stratford to Beckton, with the lost section being partially replaced by route 473 forming the 173 as we know it today. An extension in the late 90s saw the route extended the extra stop from Little Heath to King George's Hospital. 

Two Enviro400s on the 173 stand at Beckton
© EastLondoner

So the obvious question is what makes the 173 change special? It just seems like a normal route end of the day. However once we look at the heritage of Arriva London, what is now London's second largest operator had quite humble beginnings in the capital. In the late 1980s, the 173 was operated by a small company called Grey-Green, with their base in Barking along Ripple Road which is DX garage today. Grey Green was purchased by the Cowie Group in their first step to becoming a London operator, making the 173 their first route. The Cowie Group is what was later rebranded as Arriva, the same Arriva that we know today. At the time I write this post, Arriva has a PVR of 1410, making it London's second biggest operator, the same operator who purchased route 173 as their first route. Up until the recent tender change route 173 had run out of DX garage since 1987 making it 33 years of operating there which is a really long time, probably longer than the lifespan so far of some of you reading this.

Some Wright Gemini 2 buses at Beckton
© EastLondoner

The past 5 years of the 173s operation has had its ups and downs to say the least, when the contract was renewed last time I wrote about the upgrade of the route to double decker on this blog. The allocation was made up out of Enviro400s which were initially brought for the 38s conversion from bendybus operation in 2009, however these got supplemented with a few Wright Gemini 2 bodied DB300 buses when route 175 was won in 2017 by Arriva alongside the sporadic appearances of Enviro200s the route certainly had an interesting allocation. However towards the end of the contract the allocated Enviro400 buses started to feel extremely tired and worn down while the Wright Gemini 2 buses that would appear were just too slow to be suitable for a route that has a decent portion at 50mph speed limits. Towards the end of the contract the prospect of a brand new allocation looming was becoming more and more attractive. 

The loaned buses being prepared for takeover
© EastLondoner

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, the intended electric buses due for the route were going to arrive late as the factories were all impacted by the lockdown that was imposed. This left Stagecoach in a scramble to find suitable buses to run the 173 with in the meantime. Many operators in this case would usually just hire buses from the incumbent operator, as has been the case with previous changes such as route 285 and K1, but instead Stagecoach hired buses that RATP had spare. The reason for this is anyone's guess as the reason hasn't been made public, although judging by the state of some of the Arriva Enviro400s it was certainly good news to hear that they wouldn't be sticking around on the route. The buses that were hired ranged from ADE40410-17, ADE40425 and ADE40455-ADE40461. Prior to entering service on the 173 the buses were given their new numbers, in the 80*** range alongside temporary logos and new BK blinds. 

Luckily as I live on the route, it didn't take me much effort to go and cover the service on the first day. My first bus was actually a native Stagecoach bus in the form of 19847, which was drafted in from Leyton (T) to help out. The ride wasn't anything too special, apart from the bus feeling like a completely new vehicle compared to the 173s old allocation with Arriva which left a lot to be desired. 

 

80413 seen at King George Hospital
© EastLondoner

80425 and another Enviro400 at Beckton
© EastLondoner

When my bus reached King George Hospital the driver wasted no time in switching the blinds and dead running the bus back to the garage. A quick look at the Stagecoach schedule shows that the 173 has quite an interesting changeover arrangement. Due to the 173s slightly C shaped nature, both Beckton Bus Station and King George Hospital aren't particularly far from Barking (BK) garage, so at times of day (and all day during weekends), buses run back to the garage for their changeovers from both ends. As a result the route can look incredibly unbalanced on tracking apps due to the constant turnover of buses running the route. During the week this arrangement is still in place for some journeys, however live changeovers also take place at the Lodge Avenue flyover (which is the same place they happened when Arriva used to operate the route). These changeovers are eventually expected to move to Becontree Heath when the drivers rest facility is modified there. 

Euro5 Voith Enviro400s were never going to be the most enjoyable buses down the A13, so later on in the day I tried out a loaned RATP bus, my bus was going to be ADE40456, or 80456 as it was now numbered. This bus was a lot more enjoyable than the existing Stagecoach stock that it was working alongside and was in a really good condition, so thumbs up to RATP for that! Before I knew it I was home. Since the first day I've used the 173 quite frequently, sampling a variety of the buses on loan from RATP and many are in excellent condition, although 80412 does make a weird whining noise. Regardless it's quite easy to say that the temporary allocation of the 173, despite being 8 years old is a massive upgrade to the buses that were previously used on the route. 

10136 on stand at Beckton Bus Station
© EastLondoner

Stagecoach have had the 173 for over a month now, and have brought a noticeable step forward for the route. While Arriva had quite a lot of history with the route, service was quite poor and the buses it used were dreadful. With Stagecoach a noticeable improvement in service is already visible alongside the obvious improvement in the quality of buses operating the route - even if they are temporary cast offs! 

Electric buses have started arriving for route 174, and the buses for route 173 are expected to follow suite. Barking (BK) garage have their chargers installed now so keep an eye on the blog for a post covering the new electrics in East London soon!