Loads of London bus routes might be axed

Just when we all thought that London’s public transport was looking up after the devastation of the pandemic, what with the opening of the Crossrail Elizabeth Line, there is now some really bad news for the capital’s commuters.

TfL has announced that it is starting a six-week consultation process to potentially axe 16 London bus routes, representing an almost 20 percent reduction in London services.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously suggested that some bus routes in London might be ‘moved’ to the outer suburbs, with the Elizabeth Line taking up more of the capital’s transport ‘slack in central areas.

However, there has been no suggestions that such a swingeing reduction might be on the cards. Disability campaigners in particular have raised serious concerns about the impact on accessible public transport if bus services are slashed, with many London tube stations still effectively off-limits for disabled travellers. 

Here’s the full list of bus routes under discussion as part of the consultation:

4 (Archway-Blackfriars)

11 (Fulham-Appold St) 

12 (Oxford Circus-Dulwich Library)

14 (Putney Heath-Russell Square) 

16 (Mora Rd-Victoria)

24 (Grosvenor Rd-Royal Free Hospital) 

31 (Bayham St-White City) 

45 (Elephant & Castle-Atkins Rd) 

72 (Brunel Rd-Hammersmith Bridge Rd) 

74 (Putney Exchange-Baker St)

78 (Shoreditch High St Station-St Mary’s Rd)

242 (Homerton Hospital-Aldgate Station) 

349 (Glyn Rd-Rookwood Rd) 

521 (London Bridge-Waterloo)

C3 (Clapham Junction-Warwick Rd)

D7 (Poplar-Mile End)

London Mayor Sadiq Kham took to Twitter to explain the rationale behind the depletion of London's public transport thanks to the Tory government.

We’ll keep you updated as we get more info.

There’s a new London Underground map featuring the Elizabeth Line.

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