Sadiq Khan's move to bring some London buses back into public ownership for the first time in 30 years has triggered a heated political row.
Leftwing Labour MPs and union bosses hailed the creation of Buses for London, which initially will run a fleet of 100 vehicles. But the Conservatives accused the London Mayor of being driven by political ideology rather than the practical impact on bus users with the new public ownership scheme which has been drawn up with the giant Unite union.
Transport for London (TfL) currently contracts bus services to eight privately-owned operators across the capital's almost 700 bus routes.
New publicly-owned bus company
City Hall believes the new publicly-owned bus company will give TfL greater control over how services are run and improve them for passengers.
Announcing the move, Lord Khan said: “London’s iconic red buses are a vital lifeline for many people, which I’m committed to supporting.
“Sometimes that means taking bold new approaches, so that our world-leading transport network can deliver even more for all those who rely on it.”
Political reactions
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, the Leftwing Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, strongly backed the Mayor’s move. He stressed: “This is a massive step forward and will lay the foundations for the return of buses to public ownership, in which the service is run not for profit to line the pockets of shareholders but to serve the needs of Londoners.”
Unite’s General Secretary Sharon Graham posted on X: “For too long bus workers have been subjected to intolerable working conditions and passengers have experienced worsening services while bus firms and their shareholders rake in huge profits. “@unitetheunion will now be doing everything possible to ensure that Buses for London provides well-paid, unionised jobs with excellent conditions.”
Ealing Central and Acton Labour MP Rupa Huq messaged: “Great news: buses in London coming under public ownership. Well done @SadiqKhan.”
But Shadow Minister for London Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, condemned the Mayor, saying: “Khan’s move to nationalise London buses is born purely from ideology, not practicality.
“We are yet to see any clear evidence that this costly upheaval will provide better services or value for money for the taxpayer.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden added: “The real question is why is TfL taking more financial risk with full state control, rather than sticking with the broadly popular concession model that works, when TfL is already under huge financial pressure.”
Rollout and future plans
The Route 6, which runs between Willesden and Victoria Station, will be the first service to be operated by Buses for London when it launches in late 2027. Four more routes will be announced over the coming year, to start operating from 2028.
A review will then be carried out into their performance and a decision made on whether to roll out publicly-owned buses more widely across the city. The Park Royal Depot in west London will be the operational base for Buses for London and it will initially run around 100 zero-emission buses.
The bus announcement comes after the Labour Government started taking rail services back into public ownership. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool that Avanti West Coast train services would be nationalised from March next year.
However, Andy Burnham has warned that services on publicly-run South Western Railway, and those on rail companies still in the private sector, must improve after a summer of disruption, partly due to the heatwaves.
London buses were last in public ownership on any significant scale in the mid 1990s. East Thames Buses, a small arm’s length subsidiary of TfL operated between 1999 and 2009 after a bus company failed. It was eventually sold to Go-Ahead London.
