A massive backlash by passengers forced London Mayor Sadiq Khan to pull back on his recent controversial plan to get rid of numerous bus routes across the capital. 

In the aftermath of a consultation which gathered over 20,000 replies, Transport for London (TfL) announced it will only axe three bus lines. As a result, 17 routes which were initially to be cut have been saved and will continue to operate as they did up until now. Contrary to what was planned, another 40 services will also remain in use. 

Sadiq Khan – himself the son of a bus driver – later admitted that the consultation had shown „the strength of feeling across the capital”. Nevertheless, he announced that various routes would still be altered in order to „ensure a continued reliable bus network” in central and inner London.

London’s Mayor added that he is “very pleased that the vast majority of bus routes proposed to be cut due to the government’s funding conditions can now be saved.”

https://twitter.com/PutneyFleur/status/1595830942559502336?s=20&t=jAifsY7wnXpfWc_doYIwzQ

The possibility of reducing central London buses by a fifth had already been announced back in June by TfL in an attempt to balance the books caused by the epidemiological situation. 

The three routes that are to be entirely removed are the 32 between Brent Park and Paddington, the 507 between Victoria and Waterloo, and the 521 between Waterloo and London Bridge. 

Image: British Poles

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen