Transport correspondent JEREMY CLACKSON reports on the continuing confusion at TfL HQ over where they’ve placed their own bus stops in Croydon town centre
Not so OK KK: new bus stop arrangements have confused TfL staff as well as passengers
Almost a month since Transport for London shuffled its bus stops in Croydon town centre, and there remains confusion and some chaos over which routes stop where in the area around Katharine Street and along Park Lane.
And the confusion is not just with bus passengers looking to make the right connection, but with TfL officials dealing with the many questions arising from the poorly implemented new arrangements.
One transport worker has described the responses he has had from TfL as “complete drivel”.
Inside Croydon reported last month on the changes, which TfL said would be implemented on Saturday January 13, with stops being moved around St George’s Walk and the High Street. Passengers quickly identified issues with the two, separate “spider maps” issued by TfL to illustrate the bus routes and stops – with several routes through the town centre omitted from one or other of the official guide maps.
The changes implemented last month have removed bus stops from Katharine Street, outside the Town Hall, but they have done nothing to resolve the disconnect in several bus routes. Since route changes were made four years ago, these now often require passengers from the south of the borough to make at least one change of buses to travel north of the town centre, for instance if they are visiting Mayday Hospital.
After nearly a month of the revised arrangements, the TfL bus stops are still showing incorrect and contradictory information. The introduction of new, SuperLoop routes does not appear to have assisted in bringing any clarity to the situation.
All clear?: the information at several town centre bus stops is contradictory or just plain wrong
One frustrated transport worker posted a question to TfL on social media.
“The stops in St George’s Walk, Croydon, are still wrong,” they wrote.
“Someone has put a sticker and timetable for the SL5 on stop KM,” they noted, days before the route went “live” on Saturday.
“Stop KK still has the sticker and timetable for the 455, but it stops in Park Lane.”
Another regular bus passenger who uses routes through Croydon town centre told Inside Croydon, “It’s like someone has been given a set of route numbers and shuffled their cards before placing them on stops completely at random.”
By last Friday, a formal complaint had been raised over the matter by the diligent transport worker.
“Bus stops in Croydon town centre are still wrong,” they posted. “KD is showing 166 and 407. KC is showing 119 and 312. Those four routes now stop in St George’s Walk. Tomorrow is three weeks since the changes, it’s about time you got it right.”
The operator of TfL’s Twitter account, perhaps aware of the potential for damage to their organisation’s credibility were they to be shown to be incapable of knowing where their own bus routes are supposed to stop, opted to resort to direct messages to the complainant.
Complete drivel: the direct message response from TfL on Feb 2, who appear to have forgotten that the stop changes were implemented on Jan 13
That, though, backfired, because the complainant, who calls himself “Andy the Bus” (he’s a part-time rail replacement bus driver, real name Andy Gray), posted the response that they got from TfL, which they described as “complete drivel”.
TfL had tried to claim that the bus stop changes were “imminent”. This was on February 2 – 20 days after TfL had implemented its changes on January 13.
“Stops are still showing incorrect information,” our dedicated bus stop-watcher wrote.
One of the latest examples is: “The 312 is now stopping at KM in St George’s Walk, the stop nearest Park Street. If it is still showing on the stop in Park Lane, then that is wrong as well.”
Another bus passenger noted: “To stop at both would be impossible.”
There’s been complete radio silence from TfL’s comms team ever since…
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
