A bus that offers a direct link between two of London’s biggest Jewish communities has been launched in a bid to address safety fears in the wake of last year’s Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
The 310 bus links Golders Green and Stamford Hill. It has been introduced by Sadiq Khan at a cost of £3.2million to honour a pledge he made during this year’s mayoral elections.
Jewish organisations have campaigned for the direct link for at least 15 years.
The service – which will use single deck diesel buses - will run for a trial period of “at least 12-months” to assess demand and to allow Transport for London to establish whether it is “viable” in the long term.
Unusually it will only operate between 7am and 7pm, but on a seven-day-a-week basis. Buses will run every 20 minutes. Surprisingly for a new service, TfL has chosen not to use electric buses, which are cleaner than diesels.
The service will be operated by Stagecoach East London. The first buses began operating on Sunday.
TfL chose not to accept the lowest bid – of £2.4million – because Stagecoach was able to launch the route sooner than the rival bidder, and with newer buses, according to TfL tender documents.
The 310 will follow the same routes as the 210 bus that links Brent Cross and Finsbury Park via Golders Green, Highgate village and Archway, and the 253 between Finsbury Park and Stamford Hill Broadway.
When confirmation of the route was first announced in the summer, Mr Khan said: “I know there have been concerns about safety given the terrible rise in antisemitism and this route will provide a safe, sustainable and affordable route for local residents.”
On Monday, as he took a trip on the 310 bus, Mr Khan told the Standard he was aware that Jewish Londoners had experienced an increase in anti-Semitic attacks and “felt scared” in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.
Mr Khan said: “They feel scared because they worry they could be on the receiving end of anti-Semitic abuse, verbal or physical.”
The mayor added: “When I hear families in Stamford Hill say they are scared to visit families in Golders Green, or the synagogue in Golders Green, because they have got to change buses... I was told that if there was a direct bus link between these two significant communities, that will give them more confidence to use public transport, and more confidence to leave home.
“Families were scared about that change [of buses] at Finsbury Park, not because they had suffered necessarily criminality, but [they had] that fear.
“We have got to recognise that sometimes perception can be as important to somebody, and the impact on them, as the actual crime itself.”
Andrew Gilbert and Adrian Cohen, vice presidents of the Board of Deputies, said: “In a period where our community is encountering unprecedented antisemitism, any measure that bolsters the confidence of Jewish individuals in using public transport is immensely valued.
“This is something we have been campaigning for over 15 years. Stamford Hill and Golders Green have always been centres of Jewish communal life in North London. A direct bus service connecting these hubs will provide substantial benefits to the community.”
Mr Cohen told the Standard he expected the service to be well used. He said many Jewish people travelled between the two areas for schools, work and to visit family.
“The bus will be running between two very big communities in north London, Jewish communities in Golders Green and Stamford Hill,” he said. “There is already a lot of traffic between those communities.”
He said he expected the new bus to make travel safer. “There is undoubtedly, particularly for Jews who are very visible as such, a concern about public transport, and that has increased since October 7 last year.
“Members of the community do feel vulnerable. The fact you have a direct bus route between the two will certainly ease those concerns. There is a tendency to prefer buses to the Underground because one feels a lot safer above ground.”
Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of public transport service planning, said: “We welcome all customers on board the new 310 bus and encourage people to use the service as much as possible and provide feedback during the consultation period.
“We hope the new route will help to increase the use of buses and reduce car use by improving travel options for people living in the area.”
In the Finsbury Park area, the 310 is not able to serve the bus station in Wells Terrace. It will run via Stroud Green Road, under the railway bridge, with stops on Seven Sisters Road and westbound on Rock Street.
The early-morning frequency of the 210 bus will be improved from September 21.
On weekdays, there will be a bus every 12 minutes before 7am, rather than 15 minutes at present. At the weekends, there will be extra buses before 9am.
Overall, the route will start to operate 90 minutes earlier than at present.
