History
The 360 was one of several new routes introduced in readiness for the commencement of the London congestion charge in February 2003. Operations commenced on 25 January 2003 using a batch of cascaded early model Dart SLFs, unusually treated to route branding.
The route was the first in London to use hybrid electric buses, with six vehicles built by Wrightbus, branded Electrocity, entering service in February 2006. The trial was announced in March 2005; the 360 was chosen as it is one of few single-deck routes to operate in central London. Six diesel buses were operated alongside the hybrids for comparison. The hybrids were temporarily withdrawn shortly after their introduction following problems with engine overheating.
In November 2009, it was announced that route 360 would be converted to full hybrid operation using a mixture of new and existing vehicles from January 2010, the first route to use only hybrid vehicles. London Central retained the contract to operate the route, which requires eleven buses.
Read more about this topic: London Buses Route 360
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“All objects, all phases of culture are alive. They have voices. They speak of their history and interrelatedness. And they are all talking at once!”
—Camille Paglia (b. 1947)
“The history of any nation follows an undulatory course. In the trough of the wave we find more or less complete anarchy; but the crest is not more or less complete Utopia, but only, at best, a tolerably humane, partially free and fairly just society that invariably carries within itself the seeds of its own decadence.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“The custard is setting; meanwhile
I not only have my own history to worry about
But am forced to fret over insufficient details related to large
Unfinished concepts that can never bring themselves to the point
Of being, with or without my help, if any were forthcoming.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)