London Buses route 406 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Surrey, England. Running between Kingston and

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, it is operated by London United.

History

Route 406 started in 1920 as route S6 between Kingston and Redhill, and was renumbered as 406 in 1924. In 1957, the second prototype

AEC Routemaster The AEC Routemaster is a front-engined double-decker bus that was designed by London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and Park Royal Vehicles. The first prototype was completed in September 1954 and the last one ...

ran on route 406 between Redhill and Kingston. It was later shortened to operate just between Kingston and

. Following the

Privatisation of London bus services The privatisation of London bus services was the process of the transfer of operation of buses in London from public bodies to private companies. For half a century, operation of London bus services for public transport was under the direct co ...

the route became part of London Country South West. In 1991,the route was diverted at Surbiton Hill Road via Surbiton Station to Kingston. On 27 January 2001 it became a tendered Transport for London route with London United's Hounslow garage taking over operation. A proposal to extend the 406 to

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

in 2001 was not received favourably by residents and did not proceed. Upon being re-tendered, on 30 June 2007 it passed to

Quality Line Quality Line was a bus company based in Epsom, England. A subsidiary of the RATP Group, Quality Line operated bus services throughout the South West London and Surrey area, with many under contract to Transport for London. It ceased operations ...

with new Alexander Dennis Enviro400s. It was the first double deck contract won by Quality Line. The route was diverted via Surbiton Hill Road instead of Surbiton station at the same time. Thus the route was restored to its original routing. In 2016 a petition was launched calling for the route to run overnight. On 24 April 2020, Route 406 along with Route 418 and 465 were transferred to London United operating from their Tolworth Depot.

Current route

Route 406 operates via these primary locations:Route 406 Map
Transport for London * Kingston ''

Cromwell Road bus station Kingston upon Thames in South West London, England is served by two bus stations as well as a large number of on-street bus stops. Due to the Kingston one-way system, the various stops and bus stations are physically separate, however passengers ...

for

Kingston station Kingston station may refer to: Australia * Kingston railway station, Brisbane * Kingston railway station, Victoria * Canberra railway station, Australian Capital Territory (locally known as Kingston station) Canada * Kingston station (Ontario) * ...

'' * Surbiton ''Hollyfield School'' * Tolworth Broadway * Tolworth station * Ewell High Street *High Street ''for Epsom station'' *

''Clock Tower or Hospital''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:406, London Buses Route Bus routes in London Transport in Epsom and Ewell Transport in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames