Bus 55 in London: Walthamstow Bus Station to Oxford Circus

The number 55 crosses east London from Walthamstow Bus Station to the Oxford Circus area, running through Leyton, Clapton, Hackney, Shoreditch and Clerkenwell on the way. With 50 to 52 stops in each direction, it is a long route that links the Walthamstow end of the network with the West End.

Its service pattern differs between the two ends, particularly at the start of the day, so the figures below are split by direction and by weekday or weekend.

Where the route goes

Starting at Walthamstow Bus Station, the bus goes through Leyton along High Road and Manor Road, then passes Lea Bridge Station and the Lee Valley Ice Centre before reaching Clapton Pond. It continues through Hackney Central Station and Cambridge Heath Station, past Shoreditch Church and Old Street Station, and on to Hatton Garden and Rosebery Avenue.

The final section passes Bloomsbury Square and Museum Street, then reaches Tottenham Court Road Station and Wardour Street before ending at Great Titchfield Street near Oxford Circus Station. The full journey from Walthamstow takes 85 minutes on weekdays and 70 minutes at weekends, so allow plenty of time for the whole run.

Stops: Walthamstow Bus Station - Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station

1. Walthamstow Bus Station
2. Grosvenor Park Road
3. Grove Road Walthamstow
4. Bakers Avenue
5. High Road Leyton / Bakers Arms
6. Shortlands Road
7. Manor Road (E10)
8. Markhouse Road
9. Emmanuel Parish Church
10. Bloxhall Road
11. Lea Bridge Station
12. Lee Valley Riding Centre
13. Lee Valley Ice Centre
14. Chatsworth Road / Lea Bridge Road
15. Wattisfield Road
16. Lea Bridge Roundabout
17. Clapton Pond
18. Millfields Road Lower Clapton
19. Clapton Girls' Tech College
20. Hackney Baths
21. Clapton Square
22. Pembury Circus
23. Hackney Central Station
24. Hackney Town Hall
25. St Thomas's Square
26. Mare Street / Well Street
27. King Edward's Road
28. Mare Street / Victoria Park Rd
29. Cambridge Heath Station
30. Pritchards Road Bethnal Green
31. Warner Place
32. Queensbridge Road
33. Hoxton Station
34. Shoreditch Church
35. Shoreditch Town Hall
36. Great Eastern Street
37. Old Street Station
38. Bunhill Row
39. St Luke's Music Edu Centre
40. Aldersgate Street / Goswell Rd
41. Clerkenwell Rd /St John Street
42. Clerkenwell Green
43. Hatton Garden
44. Rosebery Avenue
45. Grays Inn Road /Theobalds Road
46. Red Lion Square
47. Bloomsbury Square
48. Museum Street
49. Tottenham Court Road Station
50. Tottenham Court Road Station
51. Wardour Street
52. Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station

Stops: Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station - Walthamstow Bus Station

1. Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station
2. Tottenham Court Road Station
3. Tottenham Court Road Station / New Oxford Street
4. Museum Street
5. Bloomsbury Square
6. Red Lion Square
7. Grays Inn Road /Theobalds Road
8. Hatton Garden
9. Farringdon Road
10. St John Street
11. Goswell Road
12. Central Street / Old Street
13. St Luke's Music Edu Centre
14. Old Street Station
15. Shoreditch Fire Station
16. Great Eastern Street
17. Shoreditch Town Hall
18. Hackney Road / Columbia Road
19. Hoxton Station
20. Queensbridge Road
21. Warner Place
22. Pritchards Road Bethnal Green
23. Cambridge Heath Station
24. Mare Street / Victoria Park Rd
25. King Edward's Road
26. Mare Street / Well Street
27. St Thomas's Square
28. Hackney Town Hall
29. Hackney Central Station
30. Amhurst Road / Hackney Downs
31. Mare Street / Narrow Way
32. Hackney Baths
33. Glenarm Road
34. Clapton Girls' Tech College
35. Clapton Pond
36. Lea Bridge Roundabout
37. Lea Bridge Road / Upper Clapton Road
38. Chatsworth Road / Lea Bridge Road
39. Lee Valley Ice Centre
40. Lee Valley Riding Centre
41. Perth Road (E10)
42. Emmanuel Parish Church
43. Markhouse Road
44. Rochdale Road
45. Shrubland Road
46. High Road Leyton / Bakers Arms
47. Hoe Street / Bakers Arms
48. Grove Road Walthamstow
49. Queen's Road
50. Walthamstow Bus Station

When it runs

On weekdays the first bus leaves Walthamstow Bus Station at 03:50 and the last at 23:58, with 140 journeys in that direction. From Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station the first bus is at 00:01 and the last at 23:51, with 143 weekday journeys. Weekend service starts at 04:50 from Walthamstow and at 00:05 from the Oxford Circus end.

Buses run about every 9 minutes from Walthamstow on weekdays and about every 10 minutes from the Oxford Circus end. At weekends the intervals become 10 and 13 minutes, with 112 and 115 journeys respectively.

Timetable at a glance

Tips for passengers

Because the Walthamstow end starts earlier on weekdays than at weekends, early-morning trips work best on a weekday. Tottenham Court Road Station is served in both directions, so use the full stop name, Great Titchfield Street / Oxford Circus Station, to confirm your end point. Journey times differ by around 15 minutes between weekdays and weekends, so build that into your plans.

See also

Full stop list for the London Tram.

Another route in the city: London Bus 1.

You may also need the London Bus 2.

First and last departures on the London Bus 3.

Compare with the London Bus 4.

Nearby routes and routes sharing stops

• London Bus 53
• London Bus 54
• London Bus 56
• London Bus 57
• London Bus 243
• London Bus 38
• London Bus 106
• London Bus 26
• London Bus 19
• London Bus 20