Picture Archive Post 72

Arriva Shires 2470 on Route 631, Golders Green, 20/06/2013
(© Aubrey)

Route 631 started out as Route H1 as a school route for Henrietta Barnett School, in Hampstead Garden Village. Route H1 started on 4th January 1993 as a replacement/supplement to the H2 school journeys. As a minibus route, due to the tight roads around the Hampstead Garden Village area, the route was always required to have small, narrow buses. The route started out with R & I Coaches from North Acton (NA). Through MTL ownership, the route eventually ended up in Metroline's hands. September 2000 saw the route move to Harlesden (HR). June 2003 saw the route move to North Wembley (NW), before settling on Perivale (PV) in September 2004. New Optare Solo Slimlines replaced the MCW Metroriders on the routes from June 2005. Those buses however only lasted 1 year, as Arriva the Shires took over the routes, with new Optare Solo Slimlines, including the example shown (2470). The routes ran from Garston (GR).

Route H1 was renumbered 631 to be in line with other school day only routes on 18th May 2013.

Under the streamlining of the London operations of Arriva, the route passed to Arriva London, and the bus was re-numbered OS71. Metroline took over the route on 9th June 2018, running the routes from Cricklewood (W) using the existing buses temporarily, until new Optare SoloSRs are delivered.