Stagecoach's double blow!

The 7th July 2005 London bombings were a series of suicide attacks in London which targeted civilians using public transport during the morning rush hour.

Four bombers detonated four bombs, three in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a Stagecoach double-decker bus in Tavistock Square, operating on route 30 (now operated by First London).

Almost one hour after the attacks on the London Underground, a fourth bomb was detonated on the top deck of a number 30 double-decker bus, a Dennis Trident 2 (fleet number 17758, registration LX03 BUF, two years in service at the time) operated by Stagecoach London and travelling its route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick.

Earlier, the bus had passed through the King's Cross area as it travelled from Hackney Wick to Marble Arch. At its final destination, the bus turned around at Euston  and started the return route to Hackney Wick. It left Marble Arch at 9 am and arrived at Euston bus station at 9:35 am, where crowds of people had been evacuated from the tube and were boarding buses.

The driver was told to divert the bus down Tavistock Square to avoid danger.

The explosion at 9:47 am in Tavistock Square ripped off the roof and destroyed the rear portion of the bus.

The location of the bomb inside the bus meant the front of the vehicle remained mostly intact (as shown in the picture above). Most of the passengers at the front of the top deck survived, as did those near the front of the lower deck, including the driver, but those at the top and lower rear of the bus suffered more serious injuries. 

The extent of the damage caused to the victims' bodies resulted in a lengthy delay in announcing the death toll from the bombing while police determined how many bodies were present and whether the bomber was one of them.

Several passers-by were also injured by the explosion and surrounding buildings were damaged by debris.

After the tragic event, Stagecoach London bought one of their first Enviro 400's to replace this bus; it was named 'Spirit of London' to remember the victims in the 7/7 bombings. This bus has a fleet number of 19000 (originally 18500) and a registration of LX55 HGC and is based at West Ham Garage (WH).

On the 19th October 2012 during the night, 2 14-year-old girls committed arson on the bus which was operating on the 24-hour service on route 69 between Walthamstow and Canning Town. 

An argument between the two passengers and driver occurred as the driver told the two passengers to leave the bus at Walthamstow Station instead of the bus station terminus.

Luckily there were no passengers on the bus at the time and no-one was injured, which took place at Selborne Walk.

Stagecoach have assessed the condition of the bus and it CAN be repaired. But it's not cheap!; £50,000 will be spent on restoring the Spirit of London bus to ensure that it remains a tribute to the passengers killed.

For the time being, we'll be patiently waiting for the bus to be prepared, and can't wait for it to return back to service!

A special thanks to all those whose pictures feature above!

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