Several bus routes linking Southwark and central London could be axed as part of new Transport for London (TfL) proposals to “simplify” the network.
The routes at risk are:
- The 78, which runs from Nunhead and Peckham through Bermondsey, over Tower Bridge to Liverpool Street
- The 521, which runs from Waterloo to London Bridge, via Holborn and the City of London
- The 45, which runs from Streatham through Camberwell and Walworth to Elephant and Castle
- The 12, which runs 24 hours from Dulwich through Peckham, Camberwell, Walworth and Elephant and Castle into Westminster
The 388, which currently terminates at London Bridge, would be extended through Bermondsey to Peckham to pick up the slack left if the 78 bus were scrapped.
The 148, which currently terminates at Medlar Street in Camberwell, would instead go through Peckham before coming back to Camberwell.
Other possible changes floated by TfL include:
- The 53, which currently runs from Plumstead to Elephant and Castle, would terminate at the Elephant instead of going onto Lambeth North
- The 43, which currently runs from Old Street to London Bridge, would terminate at Liverpool Street instead
- The 47, which currently runs from Lewisham, through Surrey Quays and Bermondsey into the City and Shoreditch, would terminate at London Bridge instead
- The 343, which runs from New Cross, through Peckham, Elephant and Castle and London Bridge onto Aldgate, would stop at Tower Bridge instead
- The 133, which runs from Elephant and Castle through Borough to London Bridge and onto Liverpool Street, would go to St Paul’s instead
- The 171, which would terminate at Elephant and Castle instead of Lambeth Road
- The C10, which runs between Canada Water and Victoria via Westminster Bridge Road, would instead go via Waterloo Road and York Road
TfL is consulting on the changes over the next six weeks. Some 78 bus routes out of 620 are at risk of either being cut altogether or reduced.
London’s transport agency has been told to reduce its bus network by the national government as a condition of the bailout, which has seen £5 billion poured into TfL coffers so far. TfL’s finances suffered hugely due to reduced ridership in the pandemic. The bus network was subsidised by the Tube before the pandemic, and bus ridership was already declining before lockdowns. With bus ridership still only at around 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and Tube passenger levels even lower, this subsidy is now unfeasible.
Southwark’s Liberal Democrats criticised the proposed cuts and changes to routes. Lib Dem leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Sadiq Khan is failing South London and it is clear that his Labour colleagues in this part of the capital are unable to make him listen to our residents. More bus cuts, a delayed Bakerloo line extension, and pushing ahead with the unpopular and polluting Silvertown Tunnel shows that he does not care about people living south of the river.
“Their brand-spanking-new Elizabeth Line is a fantastic addition to London, but it does little to immediately help South London residents who are already struggling with the cost-of-living-crisis. We know we have been put to the bottom of Sadiq’s list.
“Sadiq Khan and Labour talk a good game on sustainable transport and the climate emergency, but when it comes to it they are not delivering. Sadiq cut the RV1, London’s first zero-emission hydrogen bus, which served some of the capital’s most polluted districts. We deserve better from our Mayor”
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London’s 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.
“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.”
Have your say on the proposals here.
I quite liked taking the 47 bus on weekends up to East London. But it seems TFL are discouraging/reducing cross river bus journeys. That’s one way to get people to pay the tube fares, despicable though it may be.