Sadiq Khan's Superloop 'puts more Londoners on buses but they keep getting stuck in traffic'

Sadiq Khan’s Superloop “express” bus network has increased the number of Londoners using buses but has been blighted by delays, the first detailed analysis of the mayor’s £6m initiative has revealed.

The report, drawn up by Transport for London, says that several of the nine Superloop routes are “not meeting minimum performance standards”, primarily due to roadworks and the lack of bus lanes.

These include the SL8 route between Uxbridge and Shepherd’s Bush, the first Superloop route that Mr Khan launched last July in a bid to offer a public transport alternative to motorists affected by the Ulez expansion across Greater London.

The SL8 was a rebranded version of the 607 express bus that was introduced just before the by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in which the Ulez was a factor in the failure of the Labour candidate to capture Boris Johnson’s old parliamentary seat.

Weekday passenger numbers on the SL8, the best-used route, have increased from about 20,000 to 25,000 but the net increase is only one per cent once all the extra Superloop buses, and loss of passengers from “parallel” routes, is factored in. The TfL report says “performance issues” are also to blame for the “absence of growth”.

The SL6 (formerly the X68) links Croydon and Russell Square, operating 12 return peak journeys on weekdays.

Passenger numbers are up 20 per cent but total less than 2,000 a day. The route is also failing to meet performance standards “due to disruption that has been caused by roadworks on the stopping section of the route”.

The SL7 (formerly the X26) between West Croydon and Heathrow had its frequency doubled from two to four buses an hour, almost matched by a 91 per cent increase in passengers.

However, TfL wants to reduce the length of the route – the longest in the capital – to improve reliability.

The SL9 (formerly the X140) between Heathrow and Harrow has also failed to hit its performance targets but has delivered a two per cent increase in passengers.

TfL says the Superloop has delivered a “faster growth in demand” than the rest of the bus network – for the same £1.75 fare.

There were 1.86bn bus journeys in 2023/24, up five per cent on the previous year but below the 2.05bn in 2019/20.

Six of the nine Superloop routes have fewer than 10,000 passengers a day, despite buses typically operating every 10 to 15 minutes.

Last month, TfL’s chief customer officer Alex Williams said the Superloop had increased passenger numbers by an average of eight per cent in areas where the buses operated.

The mayor’s critics claim the Superloop is little more than a cosmetic make-over. The buses on the SL3 route are rebranded “Boris bus” Routemasters rather than zero emission vehicles, while only single deckers can be used on the SL5 route because of low trees.

The SL1 between North Finchley and Walthamstow, SL5 between Bromley and Croydon and SL10 between Harrow and North Finchley “are performing well and better than the contractual minimum standard with bus speeds in line with expected performance”.

Mr Khan said the core objectives of the Superloop were to provide faster journeys between key outer London town centres and transport hubs.

He has promised to deliver a second Superloop network in his third term. This will include a “Bakerloop” service along the proposed Bakerloo line extension, offering faster services between Elephant and Castle and Lewisham.

Mr Khan’s spokesman has been approached for comment.