Transport for London (TfL) has launched a fresh round of public consultations on proposed changes to bus services across the capital, with some routes facing complete withdrawal and others set to be significantly altered. The changes could affect thousands of daily passengers.
TfL says the proposals are designed to improve connections and better match passenger demand. However, some residents could lose direct links to destinations they currently reach without changing buses.
Londoners have six weeks to respond through TfL’s consultation process, while proposals from an earlier round of route reviews are also being assessed.
Routes proposed for withdrawal or extension
The 415 bus could be scrapped as the 333 is extended. TfL has proposed extending the 333 from Elephant & Castle to Old Kent Road (Tesco), via the route of the current 415. The 415 currently operates between Old Kent Road (Tesco) and Tulse Hill station, while the 333 operates between Tooting Broadway Station and Elephant & Castle.
The extension of the 333 would see the route continue onto New Kent Road at Elephant & Castle, introducing new direct links on the route between Old Kent Road and Stockwell, Streatham and Tooting. The withdrawal of the 415 would mean some passengers may lose direct links to some destinations. People travelling between Old Kent Road and destinations between Oval and Brixton and between Brixton and Tulse Hill would need to change between buses in future.
Restructure of C3, 74 and 430
TfL has proposed restructuring the routes C3, 74 and the 430, which would see the C3 withdrawn and the 74 continue to provide a service along the C3’s route. The 74 would no longer run between Putney and Earl’s Court, but would be extended to Clapham Junction.
Subject to the outcome of the consultation, TfL would also make some changes to the frequencies. The 74 would run every 12 minutes instead of every 20 minutes on Sunday mornings, and the 430 would run every 12 minutes on all days of the week. The N74 would remain unchanged.
Isle of Dogs and other changes
With demand for bus services falling in the area, TfL has proposed withdrawing the D7 and restructuring the 135, 277 and D6 to ensure most journeys can still be taken. The SL4 would be re-routed to serve the new Wood Wharf development, while the D3 and D8 would continue unchanged.
TfL has also proposed changing the route of the 149 and withdrawing the 67 completely. The northern terminus of the 149 would change from Edmonton Green to Wood Green, while it would still terminate at London Bridge at its southern end. New direct links between Wood Green and London Bridge would be introduced, providing new direct access between areas in Haringey, Hackney and the City of London, such as Hoxton, Shoreditch, Bishopsgate and Liverpool Street Station. The new routeing of the 149 would retain all connections currently provided by the 67 between Wood Green and Dalston Junction, with the exception of Dalston Junction Bus Station.
The 42 currently operates between East Dulwich Sainsbury's and Liverpool Street and would change to terminate south of Tower Bridge on Tooley Street, standing at Queen Elizabeth Street. Passengers would need to change buses to the 78 to continue their journeys, with the 78 covering the same route as the 42 between Tower Bridge Road (Grange Road) and Liverpool Street. As part of the changes, it is proposed that the 42 would increase frequency to a bus every 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes during early mornings, and to every 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes during the evening.
The restructure of the 106, 253 and 254 routes would see the 254 withdrawn and the 106 extended to serve Aldgate bus station. This would also see an increase in frequency of the 253 and the 106, while the N253 would remain unchanged.
