Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 bodied
Volvo B5LH on
Whitehall in May 2014 Route 53 commenced operating on 22 October 1952 between
Plumstead Common and
Camden Town as a replacement for route 53A. In April 1958, the Sunday service was extended from Plumstead Common to
Erith. This was withdrawn in May 1963. In 1967
AEC Routemasters replaced the
AEC Regent III RTs that had operated the route since it commenced. In October 1984 it was extended from Camden Town to
Parliament Hill replacing
route 3.
Route 185 parallels part of route 53; following the collapse of
London Easylink in August 2002, it was left with a limited service provided by a number of operators, and extra journeys on route 53 were operated between
Westminster and
New Cross Gate to relieve overcrowding. The service is the only Transport for London contracted route to serve the section of the
A2 road through Blackheath Hill. In April 2003 subsidence in a chalk mine beneath the road led to the road being closed and the route being diverted via
Lewisham. In November 2008, a bus travelling on the route was involved in a collision with a car in
Woolwich. There were no serious injuries. Passengers stated that the bus driver had braked sharply to avoid a more serious collision, and he was praised by a spokesman for bus operator
Selkent. In 2015, the route was curtailed to
Lambeth North Underground station and only completes the journey to
Whitehall at night. When next tendered, it was retained by
Stagecoach London with a new contract commencing on 23 July 2016, when it resumed terminating at
Horse Guards Parade in
Whitehall. On 15 June 2019, the route was permanently withdrawn between
Lower Marsh and
Whitehall as part of TfL's Central London Buses Review. ==Current route==