Three London boroughs are getting millions to spend on speeding up bus routes

Some London’s buses have become painstakingly slow. A recent study by the Londoner found that the city’s slowest bus, the number 14, averaged just 5.7mph in 2025, and the average speed of buses in the City of London between was a mere 6.2mph. Some days, you’re often much better off walking. But for three lucky boroughs, things could soon start speeding up again. 

TfL has revealed that Haringey, Lewisham and Southwark will be getting up to £10 million over a four-year period to help them improves their buses. Each area hopes that the funding will help them improve reliability and slash their bus journey times by up to 30 percent.

The three boroughs were chosen following a competitive bidding process that was open to all of London’s boroughs. They’ll now work closely with TfL to plan their schemes and are expected to start putting them into practice in 2027. Their proposals include better management of roadworks to reduce delays, bus stop improvements to make them safer, more pleasant places to wait and street improvements to make it easier and safer to walk to stops. 

Lewisham Council called the funding a ‘gamechanger’ and revealed that it’ll focus on two ‘vital corridors’ – north to south through Grove Park to Greenwich and east to west through Sydenham towards Bromley and Southwark, upgrading bus stops, improving connections to stations and improving walking and cycling routes. Buses in the area currently travel at an average of 8.9mph. 

Over in Haringey, where the average bus speeds right now is 8.2mph, the council is planning to use the cash to ‘support the comprehensive regeneration of Wood Green, Tottenham and Green Lanes’.

Southwark council hasn’t revealed much about its plans but said that it’ll ‘[work] closely with our local community, Transport for London and neighbours to transform bus journeys in Southwark, as part of our wider Streets for People work to reclaim street space for community benefit’. At the moment, buses there drive at an average 8mph. 

ICYMI: seven major London bus routes will be hit by strikes in November 2025: routes and strike dates this weekend.

Drivers! The London Congestion Charge will increase in price next year for the first time since 2020

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