London's Least Frequent Bus Route The 969

What is the 969

The 969 is London’s least frequent bus with only 2 return journeys between Whitton and Roehampton Vale a week. The last survivor in London’s once large mobility bus network with these route numbers being in the 900. The 969’s runs on Tuesdays and Fridays with the route starting in Whitton at 10:00 and travelling through Richmond, Barnes and Roehapmton to the ASDA in Roehampton Vale arriving just after 11:00. The return journey follows roughly the same route and departs ASDA at 13:15 and arrives in Whitton at 14:15.

The Penultimate Mobility Bus The Route 965

Bus route 965 was the penultimate mobility bus and before its demise in 2018 ran three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It started in Riverhill, a tiny settlement just inside the Greater London boundary (in the Royal borough of Kingston Upon Thames) containing a few caravans and a care home. Riverhill is only accessible by travelling through Surrey, with the removal of the 965 the residents there are now a long way from a London bus. And terminated at Kingston, specifically the Sury Basin Sainsbury’s (with the bus stand the 965 terminated at now lying unused).

My Journey

Today I started in Hampton after ending up there after doing something there early in the morning and rode the R70 as close as possible to the start of the 969 which is Gladstone Avenue. I was early, well you need to be for a twice a week bus, and meandered my way to Gladstone Avenue.

Where the 969 starts there is a small cluster of houses shaped in a triangle and surrounded on all sides by the river Crane, a railway line and a busy road. I suspect why the 969 is still running is primarily the difficulty of getting anywhere from this small triangle of houses on foot.

The River Crane

The A316 Chertsey Road

The train line between Twickenham and Whitton

The bus starts in a hail and ride section with a single timetable case being the only sign of this bus's existence here. Ironically this case is located on the opposite side of the road to where the bus actually starts. Also on my walk to the true start, in another small but better connected cluster of houses, I spotted another case and timetable for the 969 which is actually pretty good hail and ride signage for TFL.

My bus appeared from the main road at 09:49 and after a few minutes of the driver setting up the bus, we were let on about 5 minutes early. 3 people got on the bus with me and this is when the unique personal service of our driver began, one lady with her bag on wheels (a necessity for anyone regularly using this bus) was informed that because this section of route is hail and ride, the bus can pick her up from directly outside her home. We then set off slightly early at 09:58 with the journey starting with a round trip of this triangle of houses. Halfway round the triangle we slowed and stopped for no obvious reason, with the regulars looking out of the bus to one side. I deduced we were waiting for a regular user (another example of the unique service of this twice a week bus) and after about 90 seconds the driver got out and did something I have never seen a bus driver do, especially a London bus driver, rang the doorbell of the user we were waiting for. They never arrived and it was suggested they were on holiday so we continued and made our way to Richmond.

At Richmond a very young enthusiastic boy arrived and, well why wouldn’t you with the rarity of this bus, took a picture of the ibus display with the route 969 displayed. After the initial hail and ride section and the other section in the Lennox Estate the 969 uses proper bus stops with (I think) all but one of stops containing the 969 and at least one other route. That exception which gets the full bus stop treatment with an included bus shelter is Mortlake station. On the approach to Barnes Bridge we encountered the 533 a route recently created because of Hammersmith bridge’s closure.

We then made it to the river Thames and under Barnes railway bridge and direct to the second hail and ride section in the Lennox estate. This is when I realised that this bus came stocked up with the metro (the free newspaper). And the driver’s excellent service continued with him making sure everything was in order (with bags on wheels all stowed and everyone sat down). We then finally, but only a couple minutes late, made our way down the A3 to ASDA. Unlike the 85 we didn’t turn left in front of ASDA but were privileged enough to drive around to the other carriageway and be left off at the closest possible stop to ASDA (another example of customer service and short walking distances being prioritised over efficiency and speed).

The Future

When I went into this I thought that this route is basically pointless and with only 2 return journeys a week no one would miss it. But experiencing the unparalleled personal service and the absolute lifeline it provides to a small, but intensely grateful, number of people who could not imagine a better service. The 969 for its regular customer can be described as a group taxi to the shop, with added socialising, and also free for freedom pass holders, which most regulars have. This service despite TFLs funding disaster deserves to stay because of its uniqueness not experienced anywhere else in London.