Capital City Green

Capital City Green
(Route 27)
A Yutong E12 in Cardiff.
Overview
OperatorCardiff Bus
VehicleYutong E12
Peak vehicle requirement12
Route
StartThe Hayes
ViaQueen Street station, National Museum, Cathays station, Maindy, Mynachdy, Birchgrove, Heath, Llanishen, Thornhill, Birchgrove, Heath, Blackweir, Cardiff Castle, Westgate Street
EndThe Hayes
Length12.1 miles (19.4 km)
Service
Frequency12 minutes (Morning/Afternoon) 30 minutes (Evening)
Journey time57-75 minutes

Capital City Green was the branding of the bus service 27 Cardiff, operated by Cardiff Bus. The route ran from the city centre to the north of the city, serving the Maindy, Mynachdy, Birchgrove, Heath, Llanishen and Thornhill districts.

The service formed part of the wider Cardiff Bus network and was one of three services initially introduced on the network, to have a unique branding, along with Baycar and Capital City Red.

The upgraded service was introduced in 2007 when Cardiff Bus deployed on the route six out of 15 new Scania OmniCity vehicles which it had purchased at a cost of £2.5 million.[1]

History

Prior to the 1940s, Cardiff trams ran as far north as Gabalfa from the city centre.[2] The trams were replaced with Cardiff trolleybuses in the 1940s until the 1960s when the transition to motor buses began and was completed by 1970.[3] At the time, routes to areas in the west of Cardiff such as Caerau and Culverhouse Cross carried the number 27. Birchgrove and Llanishen were served by the 28B and Thornhill by the 29, which still exist today, running on a different route the 27,[4] making the 27 a newer route.[5]

Vehicles

The route is run by Yutong E12’s buses. All the buses are branded in the standard Cardiff Bus livery. Equipped with air-conditioning, reserved spaces for buggies and wheelchairs, CCTV, on-bus screens with local travel information as well as next stop information. The route uses a fleet of all electric single deckers. [6]

The route use to be run by Scania CN270UB Omnicity.[7]

Route

Capital City Green 27
Thornhill
Llanishen
Birchgrove station
Birchgrove
Heath
Gabalfa Interchange
Maindy
Cathays station
Cathays Park
City Centre
Kingsway
Dumfries Place
Westgate Street
The Hayes

The 12.1 mile long route circles the city centre anti-clockwise before heading north past the Civic Centre and Cathays railway station, through Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove. It passes through Thornhill and Llanishen in a clockwise route and returns south to the city centre via Blackweir instead of Cathays.

Amongst the place served (from south to north) are:

During city centre closures on Friday and Saturday nights, the route does not circle the city centre, but instead operates directly between The Hayes and Queen Street Station, not stopping at Kingsway, Dumfries Place or Westgate Street.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Transport Xtra Cardiff Bus unveils new £2.5m bus fleet
  2. ^ Gould, David (1996). Cardiff's Electric Tramways. Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-487-3.
  3. ^ Lockwood, Stephen (2005). Cardiff Trolleybuses. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-64-0.
  4. ^ Davies, Roger (2006). Streets of Cardiff. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-3098-7.
  5. ^ "27 - City Centre to Llanishen and Thornhill". www.cardiffbus.com. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Celebrating 1 year of our electric buses". www.cardiffbus.com. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  7. ^ Cardiff Bus Scania N270UB Omnicity On Route 27 (740). Retrieved 1 March 2026 – via www.youtube.com.
  8. ^ "27 - City Centre to Llanishen and Thornhill". www.cardiffbus.com. Retrieved 1 March 2026.