STRIKE EXTRAS | Gemini 2 Diesels Back on Route 38! The OLDEST Arriva DDs | Tube Strikes 2025

The September 2025 Tube strikes have recently come to an end. These strikes meant extra buses were used on key bus routes around London. The 38, 59, 133, 159 and other routes all had extra buses.

0:00 Diesel Gemini 2s
4:15 New Routemaster hybrids
5:20 Bus journeys (DWs)

Arriva ran extras on route 38, using 15 year old Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 diesels. Diesel buses are normally banned from running in the central London Congestion Charge zone. However, these "banned workings" were permitted by TfL.

These Gemini 2s were last used on the 38 in the year 2014. They replaced the infamous Mercedes Citaro bendy buses in 2009. And have since been used at Barking, Croydon and Grays garages.

Route 38 currently uses New Routemaster hybrid buses. These replaced the Gemini 2s in 2014. The 38 is an iconic London bus route, running between Clapton Pond and Victoria. Strike extras on this route only ran between Holborn and Hackney Central / Clapton Pond. Around two to three extras were used on the 38 per day.

The 38 is one of London's most frequent routes; running every 4 to 8 minutes. Buses on the 38 run between Victoria and Hackney Central or Clapton Pond. The 38 serves many notable areas, such as Clapton Pond, Hackney Baths, Dalston Junction Station, Essex Road Station, Islington Green, Angel Station, Finsbury Town Hall, Mount Pleasant, Red Lion Street, Museum Street, Tottenham Court Road Station, Cambridge Circus, Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus, Green Park Station, Hyde Park Corner and Victoria Station.

The 38 started running in the 1910s, and is now over 110 years old. The route originally ran between Victoria and Leyton Green via Angel and Clapton. Sunday services ran to Epping Forest.

World War I restrictions saw many changes to the 38. By the end of the war, the 38 had been rerouted to Wathamstow. Several variants of the 38 were then introduced, being numbered 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D, 38E, 138A and 138B were introduced over the next few years.

By 1969, the 38 had been cut back to Leyton Green, being replaced by the 55. The Sunday service was also converted to one-person operation. London Forest also began running the route that year.

In February 1990, the 38 was cut to terminate at Clapton Pond instead of Leyton Green. And in 1991, East London and Leaside Buses started running the route.

The 38's Sunday service to Leyton Green was axed in 1997. The route's peak frequency was then increased in July 2002.

In October 2005, the 38 was converted to bendy bus operation. New low floor Mercedes Citaros replaced the AEC Routemasters.

The bendy buses were then replaced by new ADL Enviro400s and Gemini 2s in 2009. Eight prototype New Routemasters then entered service on the route in 2012. These eight buses are now used on route 313.

#bus #buses #tflbus #bus38