Operated by Arriva London North. First bus 05:25, last bus 00:20. 272 journeys on weekdays. Fares: £1.75 flat — more.

Night bus — overnight departures 22:00–01:00. Friday nights only. Nights are the night you set out on, so a 01:30 bus on Saturday morning counts as Friday. All night buses.

Wanted a different 253? 6 other bus routes are numbered 253 elsewhere in the UK — see every 253 bus timetable by area.

Each column is one journey, headed by the time it sets off. Times are shown at the route's main timing stops — buses serve all stops in between. Switch a table to All stops for every stop it calls at, or open a stop's own page for live departures there.

Christmas & bank holidays

These dates are not the usual timetable for the day they fall on. They come from the operator’s published data, which for Christmas and New Year is often late or incomplete, so check with Arriva London North before you travel. Everything above is an ordinary week.

Not published yet: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 27 December, 28 December, 29 December, 30 December, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and 2 January. Operators often publish festive timetables only a few weeks ahead, so check again nearer the date.

Route map

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All stops on route 253

How busy is route 253?

6.59m passenger journeys were recorded on route 253 in 2024/25 across 1,137,274 kilometres operated. That is down from a peak of 11.57m in 2011/12.

Millions of passenger journeys per financial year, from Transport for London's published bus statistics. A passenger journey is one boarding of one bus — someone commuting five days a week makes ten of them, so this is not a count of people. Years marked 53w ran 53 weeks rather than 52, so they sit about 2% high against their neighbours. TfL changed how boardings were estimated in 2017 and restated 2016/17 on the new basis; the chart uses the restated figure, so years before 2016/17 are not exactly comparable with those after. Route-level totals do not sum to TfL's network figures, which carry separate adjustments. Powered by TfL Open Data. Compare every London route →

Towns & areas on this route

Frequently asked questions

What time is the first 253 bus?

The first 253 departure on weekdays leaves at 05:25 (check the full timetable below for your stop, as times vary along the route — weekend times can differ).

What time is the last 253 bus?

The last 253 on weekdays leaves its first stop at 00:20. Always check the timetable for your specific stop — later stops are reached after this time.

How much does the 253 bus cost?

London buses use TfL's flat fare: £1.75 per journey with contactless or Oyster, and the Hopper fare gives you unlimited bus and tram changes within one hour. Daily and weekly caps limit what you can spend. Cash is not accepted.

Who runs the 253 bus?

The 253 is operated by Arriva London North.

Timetable data from Arriva London North via the DfT Bus Open Data Service (London feed). Route names, stop sequences and map geometry come from TfL Open Data. Check before you travel — services can change at short notice.