London’s fringe gains an A3 and B1

Tuesday 28th July 2026

A whole raft of route changes in south Essex began yesterday. Many tendered routes changed hands with Stephensons gaining work from both Central Connect and First Bus at the same time as those companies introduced interesting initiatives on London’s fringes including a long restored cross boundary route and a brand new one.

I took a look at both new routes yesterday to try and get the measure of them and their potential for success.

First up is Central Connect’s route A3 which provides a restored link along the short bus-less section of road between Waltham Abbey, Sewardstone and the Lee Valley Camp Site, the latter being the northern terminus of TfL bus route 215.

The timetable comprises seven off-peak hourly return journeys between 08:50 and 15:08 with an eight minute journey time and two minutes layover at the Lee Valley Camp Site.

In practice journeys originate in Waltham Cross because west of Waltham Abbey, Central Connect has introduced another new route – the A1 – from Waltham Cross to Waltham Abbey via South Holdbrook giving a better service for the houses and businesses in this small area.

However, when buses get back from Lee Valley Camp Site after an out and back A3 instead of reverting to an A1 and return to Waltham Cross, they continue from Waltham Abbey on a third new route – the A2 – to serve Roundhills on a quick 14 minute rounder, then once back in Waltham Abbey and after that, buses operate the return journey to Waltham Cross as an A1.

It’s an A1-A3-A3-A2-A1 interworking arrangement for one off-peak bus. So, quite an efficient way of providing these new connections.

As well as providing a bus service for Sewardstone for the first time for many years (I still hanker for the ‘good old days’ when London Transport ran the delightful 242 from Chingford to Waltham Abbey/Cross, Cuffley, Potters Bar and South Mimms and before that route 205 ran from Chingford to Hammond Street/Flamstead End) this new route A3 also provides a ‘connection’ with TfL’s route 215 which terminates from the south at the Camp Site, just north of the Greater London boundary, before returning to Walthamstow.

The new A1 also adds to the number of buses now connecting Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross where other changes this week have seen Arriva extend its route 66 (Loughton/Debden circular to Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross) to join the 251 on to Cheshunt and Hammond Street providing a new 15 minute coordinated frequency between Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Hammond Street.

Meanwhile Central Connect has also increased the frequency of its route 13 (Waltham Cross, Waltham Abbey to Epping and North Weald) from hourly to half hourly.

All this gives the Waltham Abbey-Waltham Cross link one of the best frequencies it’s had in a long time and I’m sure passengers will appreciate this.

However, the A1, A2 and A3 combo does appear rather confusing especially when in these early days of the new arrangements there’s no roadside information or publicity at bus stops so passengers were naturally completely baffled and perplexed as to what route this minibus – with no working destination blind – was on and weren’t any the wiser when the driver said he was an A1.

But it wasn’t only passengers who were confused yesterday afternoon when I set about doing the full A1-A3-A2 experience. Drivers were also befuddled, as I’ll explain.

I caught the 1340 A1 from Waltham Cross bus station operated by a Mercedes Sprinter still bearing the livery of the old Novus DRT scheme in Leicestershire, albeit minus the brand name. Amazingly we carried another passenger but only to Waltham Abbey, a journey for which he could have caught one of the many other routes.

In Waltham Abbey we turned seamlessly into an A3 and headed down to the Lee Valley Camp Site.

Never mind a lack of information at bus stops – once we’d crossed over the M25 there didn’t seem to be any bus stops so I’m not sure how the lucky residents of Sewardstone with their restored bus service will know where and how to catch it. Maybe it’s hail and ride but nothing indicated it is.

Arriving into the bus turning area at the front of the Camp Site on time at 13:58 our progress was blocked by a 215 on layover although luckily the bus was also due away at 14:00 as well as ourselves.

Obviously there was no information about the A3 at the bus stop here…

…. as there hadn’t been in Waltham Cross bus station where out of date details are on display for non TfL routes from some time ago.

From the Camp Site it was back to Waltham Abbey from where we were due to turn into an A2 for the 14 minute run around the Roundhills residential area.

But that’s where total confusion and misunderstanding contrived to work against it. At the Quaker Lane bus stop in Waltham Abbey driver Omar who’d taken me to Lee Valley and back was a bit surprised by being taken off by new driver Andrew who’d arrived for the shift change in a company car.

Andrew insisted he would next be driving an A1 (as per his duty sheet) whereas Omar and I advised him the next journey was an A2. Omar said he hadn’t been to Roundhills. Andrew said he thought there was a road closure there.

To cut a long story of ten minutes confusion between the two men short, Omar went off in the car and Andrew set off (on what I thought was an A2) but just did a circuit of the Waltham Abbey ring road and back to Quaker Lane. He then waited time until 14:24 and headed back to Waltham Cross as an A1.

I then twigged what had happened – he’d arrived for his handover 14 minutes too early and not realised we hadn’t done the A2 yet. Omar thought Andrew was doing him a favour by letting him get off the bus early.

The only solace from the confusion was I doubt anyone was waiting in Roundhills. No one caught the A3 and only one passenger had travelled on the A1 as already described with none boarding as we headed back to Waltham Cross.

With the split of routes making an A1 to A3 followed by an A3 followed by an A2 and back and then the A1, I can see why three separate route identifiers have been used, but, it’s a recipe for confusion as evidenced by yesterday’s experience albeit it could be put down to Day One teething issues and a lack of clear information and publicity.

However, even when people get used to the pattern of interworking (that’s passengers and drivers) it still means residents of Roundhills although enjoying a direct bus into Waltham Cross, coming home they have to go via Lea Valley Camp Site, or hop off the bus for 20 minutes and wait for it come back from there in Waltham Abbey. Similarly Sewardstone residents wanting Waltham Cross go via Roundhills on the outward journey but not on the return. And I suspect most people living in South Holdbrook, and who can, will find it quicker to walk.

Maybe it will settle down. But, I have my doubts on this one. Furthermore, both South Holdbrook and Roundhills are served by Epping Forest Community Transport’s routes 211 and 212 respectively, albeit both offering just four off-peak journeys, so it’ll be interesting to see if these routes continue, and if so, I’m guessing regulars may stay loyal.

This week’s second new route, which actually does extend fully into London territory, is First’s route B1 which until last weekend was one of a number of local routes in Basildon but has now taken on a new role as a fast link from that town and its western suburbs to Harold Wood thereby providing onward connections via the Elizabeth Line to Romford, central London, Heathrow and Reading.

Route B1 had run every 12 minutes between Basildon’s bus station and Laindon and Southfields west of the town centre as shown on the red route on the old map below…

… now annotated with the additional loop in Southfields before heading off to Harold Wood.

Now, as part of other changes, involving other B numbered routes (including a change to the B2 route) the frequency has reduced to every 20 minutes but with buses extended westwards to Harold Wood taking 15 minutes journey time from Laindon.

Buses run non-stop once they leave the Essex town utilising the A127 and then a couple of minor roads on the west side of the M25 (used by TfL route 346) to reach Harold Wood station.

I caught the 11:00 departure from Basildon’s bus station yesterday morning and wasn’t surprised to still find the old Essex County Council departure list and out-of-date First Bus network map on display at the stand.

If only local authorities and many bus companies would put as much effort into fixing these fundamental ‘attention to detail’ flaws as they do in sending out hyped up news releases about how these new initiatives are so wonderful.

No other retail-customer interface is so woeful when launching a new product.

A dozen passengers boarded in the bus station with three more joining as we wended our way through Laindon and Southfields dropping all but four off- with that number staying on board to take advantage of the new fast link to Harold Wood.

That was quite an impressive number for a first weekday morning of the new facility and hopefully bodes well for the future. The driver told me three passengers had travelled the other way on an earlier journey which was also good to hear. And we arrived on time alongside Harold Wood Station.

Unfortunately there’s no room for the bus to take its seven minute layover in the lay-by by the station itself so it has to continue along Station Road and Avenue Road to the A12 to retrace its route back via Gubbins Lane making for quite a circuit, and I’d imagine easily eating up the stand time on those congested roads.

The bus does eventually return to the lay-by by the station entrance/exit to begin its Basildon bound journey, although you’d never know it from the bus stop plate or the timetable cases below which obviously hadn’t been updated.

I can see a market developing for this useful link especially once word spreads about its existence. However, a driver who was acting as a route learning mentor on board was telling me a bad accident on the nearby section of the M25 earlier yesterday morning closed all but one lane in each direction causing long delays on all surrounding roads throwing the fledging service into meltdown.

Sadly this is not an uncommon feature of the M25, and the A127 also has a reputation for delays too, but such eventualities shouldn’t stop useful initiatives like the B3. I’m glad it hasn’t.

I wish it well and will watch the take up with interest wondering if there are other such applications of fast links from outside London to the Elizabeth Line.

Roger French

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