Green Line Coaches
A long-established English commuter and interurban coach brand serving London and the surrounding counties.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Green Line Coaches is an English interurban and commuter coach brand associated historically with routes linking London to towns in the Home Counties. The brand originated in the expansion of express coach services developed by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) during the late 1920s. Those services connected central London with destinations as far as approximately 30 miles away and were created partly in response to the growth of small independent operators. Green Line gave the express network a distinctive identity, separating it from LGOC’s red urban bus services. Green Line Coaches Limited was established on 9 July 1930. The network grew rapidly: from an initial group of about eight routes and 60 vehicles, it reached 27 routes and 275 coaches by October 1931. The company also absorbed or coordinated with several independent operators. To reduce congestion caused by coaches waiting in central London, routes were increasingly linked across the capital, although an early coach station in Poland Street, Soho, was short-lived. In 1933, Green Line passed to the newly created London Passenger Transport Board. The board consolidated competing services within the London Passenger Transport Area and gradually standardised the fleet. Services were suspended during the Second World War and resumed in February 1946. During the post-war period, the network expanded into a large system of numbered routes, generally using numbers in the 700 series to connect towns in Surrey, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Berkshire and other areas with London and with one another. Passenger demand reached a reported peak of roughly 36 million journeys annually between 1957 and 1960. The introduction of AEC Routemaster double-deck coaches on selected services in the early 1960s reflected the scale and frequency of the network. Green Line also operated orbital routes around London, including services linking areas north, south and west of the capital without requiring passengers to travel through central London. Administrative responsibility changed in 1970, when Green Line moved from London Transport to London Country Bus Services under the National Bus Company. The brand subsequently faced declining patronage as car ownership increased and competing rail services became faster. Cross-London routes were progressively reduced, with the final examples ending in 1979. Deregulation under the Transport Act 1980 allowed the network to reach beyond its traditional territory, including Oxford, Cambridge, Northampton and Brighton, while airport links to Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton became an important part of the business. Green Line also operated as a National Express contractor for a period. The 1986 restructuring and privatisation of London Country fragmented the former network among several successor operators. Green Line ceased to function as a single integrated operating company, although the trademark and brand identity survived. By the mid-1990s, Arriva had acquired most of the relevant London Country successor businesses and became the owner of the Green Line brand. Arriva subsequently licensed the name to other operators, including First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, New Enterprise Coaches and Stephensons of Essex. The modern brand has been substantially smaller than its historic network. Services formerly operated under the Green Line name have been withdrawn, transferred, renumbered or rebranded. Reading Buses assumed route 702 in 2017, and part of that service was later replaced by route 703 between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Bracknell. In 2023, the operator announced that routes 702 and 703 would move to the London Line and Flight Line identities respectively. Arriva Herts & Essex also withdrew route 758 in December 2021 after persistently weak passenger numbers, a problem intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the withdrawal of route 755 in November 2025, route 757 became the remaining service promoted under the Gree…
History
Green Line began as the express-coach network of the London General Omnibus Company. From 1927, LGOC developed services from London to settlements in the surrounding counties, responding to competition from numerous small operators. The services were given a unified green livery and fleet name to distinguish them from the company’s ordinary red buses. Green Line Coaches Limited was formally created on 9 July 1930. Expansion was rapid, with approximately 27 routes and 275 vehicles recorded by October 1931. The company also acquired independent competitors and linked routes across London to reduce the congestion caused by coaches terminating in the centre. On 1 July 1933, the network became part of the London Passenger Transport Board. Competing services inside the board’s operating area were absorbed, and the varied inherited fleet was progressively replaced with more standardised vehicles. Wartime conditions led to a suspension of services, but the network resumed in February 1946. During the late 1940s and 1950s, Green Line established a large 700-series route system connecting London with towns across Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. Ridership reached its high point at around 36 million passenger journeys per year between 1957 and 1960. AEC Routemaster double-deck coaches were introduced on selected high-volume routes from 1962, and orbital services were developed to connect outer areas without routing every journey through central London. In 1970, responsibility transferred from London Transport to London Country Bus Services, which operated within the state-owned National Bus Company. The network then entered a period of decline caused by rising car ownership and improved parallel railway services. Cross-London routes disappeared by 1979. Coach deregulation in 1980 enabled Green Line to extend its reach to destinations such as Cambridge, Oxford, Northampton and Brighton. Airport services to Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton were also introduced, and Green Line became a National Express operator. The 1986 division of London Country into four companies prepared the business for privatisation and fragmented the former Green Line system. Routes were distributed among successor companies and only a smaller number survived under the shared brand. Airport operations passed to Jetlink and later to National Express. The former orbital route 726 was reduced and ultimately became London Buses route X26 in 2005. Arriva acquired most London Country successor businesses by the mid-1990s and became the trademark owner. Rather than operating every Green Line service itself, Arriva licensed the brand to other companies, including First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, New Enterprise Coaches and Stephensons of Essex. Later changes further reduced the network. First Berkshire discontinued routes 700 and 701 after its Bracknell depot closed in 2015. Reading Buses took over route 702 in 2017, while route 703 was introduced in 2018 between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Bracknell. In 2023, the remaining Reading-area services were announced for rebranding as London Line and Flight Line. Arriva Herts & Essex delayed the planned launch of route 720 during the COVID-19 period, and route 758 was withdrawn in 2021 because of persistently low demand. The withdrawal of route 755 in November 2025 left route 757 as the sole service identified with the Green Line brand, linking Luton-area stops and Luton Airport with Green Line Coach Station.
- 2025
Route 755 withdrawn
[1]The 755 number was withdrawn and the affected Luton-area journeys were incorporated into route 757.
- 2021
Route 758 withdrawn
[1]Arriva Herts & Essex withdrew route 758 after long-term weak passenger demand.
- 2018
Route 703 launches
[1]Route 703 began operating between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Bracknell under the Green Line brand.
- 2005
Route 726 becomes London Buses X26
[1]The reduced orbital route 726 was renumbered X26 and ceased to operate under the Green Line identity.
- 1986
London Country is divided for privatisation
[1]The breakup of London Country fragmented Green Line’s operating network among several successor companies.
- 1980
Coach deregulation enables network expansion
[1]The Transport Act 1980 allowed Green Line to expand beyond its traditional operating area and develop new airport services.
- 1970
Operations move to London Country Bus Services
[1]Green Line moved from London Transport to London Country Bus Services under the National Bus Company.
- 1962
AEC Routemaster coaches introduced
[1]Double-deck Routemaster coaches entered service on selected high-demand routes, including routes 721 and 704.
- 1946
Post-war services resume
[1]Green Line services restarted in February after their wartime suspension.
- 1933
Transferred to the London Passenger Transport Board
[1]Green Line became part of the new London Passenger Transport Board, which consolidated competing services in its area.
Products and positioning
A heritage regional coach brand focused on scheduled links between London, its surrounding counties and selected airports.
Scheduled commuter and airport coach service
Green Line 757
The remaining service promoted under the Green Line identity. Operated by Arriva, it links Leagrave and Luton-area locations, Luton station and Luton Airport with Green Line Coach Station. It represents the brand’s current role as a regional connection between the Luton area and central London rather than the extensive multi-route network associated with its historic period.
Interurban and commuter coach services · 1930
Historic 700-series network
Green Line’s historic core consisted of numbered services linking London with towns across the Home Counties. The network included radial routes, cross-London links and orbital services, with destinations such as Windsor, Guildford, Luton, Aylesbury, Crawley, Gravesend, Hertford and Welwyn Garden City.
Airport coach services · 1980
Airport services
During the deregulated period, Green Line operated or supported routes connecting London and regional locations with Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports. Historic route numbers included 747, 757, 767 and 777. Many of these services later passed to other operators or brands, including Jetlink and National Express.
Brand decisions
2023
Rebranding of routes 702 and 703StrategyBackground
The Green Line identity had become concentrated on a small number of separately operated regional services.
Action taken
The operators announced that route 702 would use the London Line name and route 703 the Flight Line name.
Aftermath
The change further reduced the number of services using the Green Line brand and separated the routes’ identities according to their operating markets.
2018
Introduction of route 703Product launchBackground
Part of route 702 between Legoland Windsor and Bracknell was withdrawn.
Action taken
A new route 703 was introduced between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Bracknell under the Green Line brand.
Aftermath
The service temporarily preserved Green Line connectivity in the affected corridor before later rebranding plans were announced.
1986
Fragmentation of the Green Line operating networkStrategyBackground
The National Bus Company’s London Country operations were reorganised in preparation for privatisation.
Action taken
London Country was split into four operating companies, causing Green Line routes and assets to be distributed among separate successor businesses.
Aftermath
Green Line survived primarily as a shared brand rather than as one integrated operating company, and later depended on licensing arrangements between Arriva and other operators.
Sources1 sources
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