At 24 miles long, TfL bus route X26 is the longest of all the 620 routes in terms of end-to-end distance. Serving predominantly Tubeless boroughs in outer South West London, it has an important role to play linking major town centres and the area's largest employer, Heathrow.
Its length has also made it the ultimate bus geek's endurance challenge. It can sometimes take in excess of two hours to make the full journey and buses only run every 30 minutes meaning it's rare for many of the 1.4million passengers per year who use the service to want to do the whole route all in one go.
Following the Mayor's Superloop announcement, we now know the route is going to get a makeover, with double the buses (running every 15 minutes), a distinctive re-branding, and a connection to an express route towards Bromley at the Croydon end. So, for old time's sake, I took on the challenge and set off from Heathrow Airport's Central Bus Station at 1.05pm on Wednesday for the entire journey to Croydon - let me tell you, the makeover is certainly overdue!
READ MORE: ‘I went on TfL’s first Superloop bus and found out how it’s all going to work’
The first thing that really struck me was just how old these buses looked and felt. Yes, the single door double deckers are functional for airport-goers, with luggage racks and USB ports - yet the literal fifty shades of grey interior and rattly plastic panelling made for a rather nauseating ambience. After flying into one of the world's leading airports, this certainly wouldn't strike me as one of the world's leading bus routes.
I changed seats a few minutes into the journey as the rattling of the plastic panels above my head became unbearable, knowing I'd likely have to endure it for two hours. On a regular bus route this wouldn't be such a problem, but for one which is used for cross-city journeys instead of simple short hops, the passenger experience is so important to get right, that little things like this would put passengers off returning.
Fortunately, as the journey got under way, it did get quite pleasant. One of the things I love about taking the bus is that you get to take in so much more of your surroundings than you do via rail, Tube, or plane - and on the X26 I certainly had the time to. It wasn't just the bus geek in me that appreciated it, but the architecture fan spotted the grade 2 listed Hatton Cross in all its glory, the "avgeek" got a glimpse at BA's workshops over the airport perimeter wall from the top deck, the socialite noted the eateries I could try out when trundling through Teddington and crossing the Thames at Kingston Bridge was certainly pleasant too.
Back to busgeekery, the announcements on the X26 are different to ones on other bus routes as they list connecting routes at each stop, instead of just the name. This is a welcome feature and one which might be worth rolling out on all upcoming Superloop routes as Londoners warm up to where the network actually goes.
An hour into the journey is when my I could feel my patience starting to slip. The bus had reached some roadworks just entering New Malden, which made me realise I was only halfway, suggesting I was progressing at a miserly 12mph. I suppose this beats the TfL bus network average of 9mph though, and for £1.75 it's nothing too upsetting.
The bus got busier towards its eastern terminus, with passengers using it for shorter hops between the smaller town centres and broadways between Worcester Park and Wallington, but most passengers were ultimately heading for Croydon.
The final hurdle, approaching two hours into the journey, was the lack of bus priority to get buses quicker into Croydon, particularly having to wait in single-file traffic around the gyratory in Waddon. As part of the route's inclusion in the Superloop network, it is crucial that awkward traffic hotspots are addressed as best as possible, otherwise it risks undermining the whole principle of trying to convert people into advocates of express buses. For this, TfL is going to have to work with borough councils, which is probably easier said than done right now due to the fallout from the ULEZ expansion, which has not been well received in Sutton or Croydon.
It's hard to believe that once upon a time, the route stretched from Staines all the way to Dartford, with it still progressing as far as Bromley under TfL in the early 2000s. My journey was part of a pre-Superloop adventure, so I continued onto Bromley anyway, but anymore than 24 miles in solid Outer London traffic would be an absolute nightmare to run. I stipulate Outer London traffic specifically as a problem as last year I took on the 24 mile "12X Coaster" route from Brighton and that was certainly speedier, taking only 84 minutes end-to-end.
Arriving in Croydon, I hopped off exactly two hours after leaving Heathrow, which meant it was indeed a 12mph jaunt - good for a TfL bus route overall but certainly 'could do better'. I'm optimistic that with some 21st century buses, better bus priority at the eastern end of the route and a few improvements to the passenger experience on the route, I'll appreciate a future "Superloop X26" journey in the coming months and years more.
Follow MyLondon's transport editor Callum Marius on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram @callummarius
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