Southwark is facing unprecedented and damaging cuts to its public transport.
Across the city, seventy eight of London’s bus routes will be affected by recent proposals, with seventeen of the affected routes serving our borough.
These cuts to our transport services are a huge misstep, making it harder for our residents to get around the city, and making journeys longer and often more expensive. The reduction in these services, particularly those at night, will also risk having a serious impact on the safety of passengers. The Government needs to step up, provide Transport for London (TfL) with a decent long term funding deal, and stop their obvious attempts to level down our capital.
These reductions will also have a negative impact on the environment and air quality. Cutting public transport at the same time as we are encouraging Londoner’s to leave their cars at home is entirely counter-productive.
TfL is still recovering from the huge financial damage caused by the pandemic. It reports that, in the latest funding settlement, the Government is asking TfL to cut the bus network by 4% by 2025.
One of the routes proposed to be removed, the 12 bus, is an much-loved London bus route, and many residents in Southwark will have made use of it to get to and from the West End. These cuts would see that route removed completely, after 115 years of serving the capital.
Southwark Labour petition against bus cuts put forward by Labour mayor Khan
The Government has forced TfL into this position by a series of shambolic short term funding settlements and unrealistic demands. London’s buses keep our communities connected and provide a reliable way to get around for the elderly, people with disabilities, and lower-income Londoners and the vital workers that keep our city’s economy working 24 hours a day.
These cuts are a political choice, forced on TfL by a government making an active decision to run down our city. Compare London to dozens of other major cities around the world. When Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, he agreed to cut £700 million of government funding to TfL, making London one of the only transport system in the world that does not receive any significant regular subsidy from its national government. This means that in recent years, over 70% of TfL costs have been paid for by fares. Add this to the fact that an estimated £500 million is raised every year from Londoners paying Vehicle Excise Duty, which is collected by Government and spent on transport infrastructure outside the capital. The government is choosing to move Londoners’ money out of our city.
‘A kick below the belt’: passengers and drivers react to possible Nunhead bus cut
These regressive cuts will affect many of our lowest income residents during the cost of living crisis. Hard working people who keep the city running will now need to break their journey and wait for multiple buses as they try to get to work. The Hopper fare was a brilliant idea that made getting around London easier and more affordable, but these cuts mean that great idea is now just papering over the cracks in a transport service that the Government is simply allowing to wither on the vine.
Southeast London’s public transport is already less well-served than other parts of London and has weathered previous cuts. Our small number of tube stations means buses are the backbone of our transport network. If we are to build the homes and town centres people want and need, we have to have a public transport system that can serve them. I would urge local people and businesses to complete the TfL consultation and join me in calling upon the government to deliver the investment essential to stop these cuts by signing our local petition.
The TFL consolation can be completed here – https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/busreview/survey_tools/busreview-survey
You can sign the Save our Southwark Buses HERE