Nearly 80 bus routes in central and inner London face being axed or cut back, it was announced on Wednesday, as part of a major shake up aimed at making “significant savings”.
Transport for London’s decision to launch a six week consultation on 78 of its 620 routes in the centre of the city - including some of the capital’s best known services - sparked a fierce row between City Hall and Boris Johnson’s government over who was to blame for the cuts.
Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance said: “No one wants to see reductions to our bus network, but TFL is having to consider these changes because of the savings demanded by the Government as part of the emergency funding deals during the pandemic.”
The latest £200m government bail out for TFL, announced in February to help it maintain services as it attempts to recover from the financial damage caused by the pandemic, is due to run out on June 24. In total the Government has provided £5bn of funding to TFL since the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
As part of the latest deal, TFL says it has been required to reduce operating expenditure and the extent of the bus network by 4 per cent by 2024/25.
Transport bosses say that has left bus services in central and inner London vulnerable due to falling demand as commuters have switched to the tube and rail network or taken advantage of improved cycle networks.
Which bus routes are facing the axe?
TfL is proposing to withdraw the following bus routes (where customer demand for buses can be covered by other services):
Bus routes under threat
TfL is proposing to axe the following bus routes
4
11
12 (24h route)
14 (24h route)
16
24 (24h route)
31
45
72
74
78
242
259
521
C3
D7
N11
N16
N31
N72
N74
City Hall officials say that while passenger numbers are recovering they are still some way below pre-pandemic levels. They want a long term funding deal from the Government to prevent them having to cut services by as much as 20 per cent.
But a Government source criticised the Mayor, accusing him of “artificially creating” the bus cuts as a “political weapon in his battle for a long-term capital funding deal”. They said the Government will continue to support bus services through revenue funding which is separate to the capital funding package set to expire later this month.
“Thanks to our support, there is, and there will be, more than enough money to maintain services,” the source added.
“Public services and their users should not be attacked to make political points. TFL’s staff and services are at no risk, unless the mayor wants them to be. This is bleeding-stump politics for which the mayor should answer to Londoners.”
Among the routes to be included in the consultation are the number 11 which goes between Fulham and Liverpool Street, passing some of the capital’s most famous landmarks including the Palace of Westminster and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The number 24, which links Pimlico and Hampstead Heath, is also included as is the 133 which connects Streatham with the City of London.
TFL said not all routes would be scrapped completely with some being re-routed or cut back.
Mr Dance added: “TfL has looked carefully at the routes affected in order to reduce the impact on passengers as much as possible. Routes changed are ones where there are very similar existing services or where passengers would make use of the Mayor’s ‘Hopper’ fare to reach their destination.”
The number of bus journeys being taken by London commuters is now around 5million a day during the week - a major recovery but still below pre-pandemic levels which it was around 6.3m a day. But numbers have recovered more strongly in outer London where there are fewer transport connections than in the centre.
Ridership on some routes has been declining since 2014, TFL says, with passenger levels falling by 9 per cent by 2019. TFL said the introduction of the Elizabeth Line will only serve to reduce demand for buses in the centre of the capital.
In its statement, TFL added the proposed changes would reduce “the effect on passengers as much as possible and will allow for investment in outer London where there is a clear need for more buses due to higher demand”.
Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning at TFL, said:⯓Adapting the capital’s bus service – such a significant part of our transport network – is what we have always done to ensure it keeps up with changing needs of Londoners. The flexible nature of the bus network means we can respond to changes in demand, both now and in the future.
“We know that these plans will have some impact on some of our customers, but we are trying very hard to ensure that we can still have the right level of service where it is needed and can deliver our long-term positive vision for the bus network.”
