Stagecoach has started a new route, 715, from Guildford to Kingston upon Thames, via Ripley, Cobham and Esher, on behalf of Surrey County Council.
To mark the start of the new service, some journeys on the first day (31 December) ran using a Routemaster that operated on the former Green Line route 715 during the 1960s.
Stagecoach South Managing Director Edward Hodgson said: "We are delighted to be launching this new service within Surrey. We have a strong track record of attracting more people to bus travel and we will continue to focus on providing good value, high-quality services for people in the area
“We are grateful to London Bus Museum at Brooklands for providing their Routemaster for our launch day.
“It is important to be proud of our heritage. A very large number of our customers have never been on a bus where a conductor comes around and hands you a ticket, but that is what buses were like and it shows passengers how things used to be and just how much bus travel has evolved."
Stagecoach have been working with Surrey County Council to maintain a service between Guildford and Kingston which was otherwise in danger of disappearing, following Abellio’s decision to hand back its contracts.
The new route 715 replaces for the most part, the former Abellio route 515.
On Mondays to Saturdays improved travel is offered between Guildford and Kingston, with a more direct route and a timetable with improved frequency.
On Mondays to Saturdays, buses run hourly until early evening, with the last bus from Guildford at 1750 and a 1900 journey to Cobham. The last bus from Kingston is at 1925.
On Sundays and public holidays, route 715 will run every 90 minutes and will divert between Esher and Winters Bridge via Lower Green, Douglas Road, Ember Lane, Imber Court and Thames Ditton, to give those areas a Sunday service.
