A total of 40 London bus routes have been cut back in the last two years, mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has admitted.
Information obtained by the Green party on the London Assembly shows that 40 routes have had bus frequences reduced since April 2024.
This excludes a number of recent changes, including those that started last Saturday when the 13 was reduced to one bus every 10 minutes, and the 32 was temporarily limited to a bus every 11 minutes.
They also fail to take into account of the proposed shortening of the 19 and 38 routes through central London or the already imposed cuts to the 484 bus that serves King’s College hospital.
A mayoral written answer said that 40 routes had had their hourly frequencies reduced in the last two years while 71 routes had frequency increases.
However, research by the Green party has established that the increases are often off peak, while the reductions are disproportionately daytime, weekday, and peak time, affecting more passengers.
The service reductions primarily affect inner London – boroughs such as Camden, Islington and Westminster (each with 11 routes affected), followed by Hackney (10 routes), Haringey (nine) and Hammersmith and Fulham and Lambeth (eight each).
Roues to suffer recent cutbacks include the 3, 371, 134, 229, 453, 291, 178, 51, S4, 386, W15, EL2, 220 and 173.
Caroline Russell, the Green party leader on the London Assembly, said: “Tinkering with bus frequencies makes every day affordable journeys a bit less convenient for people getting to school, or a hospital appointment, picking up shopping or visiting friends.
“Reducing from four buses an hour to three may mean older and disabled people waiting longer in the cold or rain at a bus stop, and for a more crowded bus which just makes bus travel less attractive.
“If the mayor wants to meet his transport targets, catching the bus should be a reliable and convenient alternative to driving. He should use his powers to reduce motor traffic before fiddling around with bus timetables, reducing services in peak time and making bus travel less handy.”
Recent TfL bus frequency reductions
3: Frequency reduced from six to five buses an hour during Monday to Saturday daytime
371: Frequency reduced from six to five buses an hour during Monday to Saturday daytime
134: Frequency reduced from 7.5 to seven buses an hour during Monday to Saturday daytime
229: Frequency reduced from six to five buses an hour during Monday to Saturday daytime
453: Frequency reduced from nine to 7.5 buses an hour, Monday to Saturday
291: Frequency reduced from six to five buses an hour, Monday to Saturday
178: Frequency reduced from four to three buses an hour, Monday to Saturday
51: Frequency reduced from six to five buses an hour, Monday to Saturday
S4: Monday to Saturday daytime frequency reduced from three to two buses an hour.
386: Monday to Saturday daytime frequency reduced from four to three buses an hour.
W15: Monday to Friday frequency reduced from 7.5 to six buses per hour.
EL2: Monday to Friday daytime frequency reduced from 7.5 to six buses per hour.
220: Reduced frequency from nine to 7.5 buses per hour during Monday to Friday daytimes and from eight to 7.5 buses per hour during Saturday shopping hours.
173: Monday to Friday peak frequencies reduced from six to 5.5 buses per hour.
Last week, The Standard revealed that Sir Sadiq had been hit by another backlash from London Labour MPs over his bus cuts.
Ellie Reeves and Vicky Foxcroft wrote to Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord to express “deep concern” about the reduction in the frequency of route 484.
The mayor, who chairs TfL, was already facing criticism over proposed changed to the 19 and 38 bus routes, including from Hackney South and Shoreditch MP Meg Hillier.
TfL is making widespread changes to bus routes across the capital in a bid to respond to the long-term decline in passenger numbers - primarily caused by plummeting bus speeds, which now average 9mph.
The Standard revealed in January that the mayor was having to spend £1.2bn a year subsidising the capital’s bus network.
A TfL spokesperson said: “London has one of the most extensive and accessible bus networks anywhere in the world, and we are committed to providing the best service possible.
“Since April 2024, there have been 71 instances of frequency increases compared to 40 instances of frequency reductions.
“We regularly review our services according to customer demand and, following detailed analysis, we make frequency changes to bus timetables allowing us to operate bus services efficiently to meet demand whilst offering value for money.
“This also means allowing buses more time to complete their journeys - which should increase reliability. As with all changes, we continue to keep any changes under review."
