A report by London TravelWatch, the capital’s independent transport watchdog, is urging widespread improvements to the capital’s bus service, including helping to speed up routes and keeping fares low
The next stop: Superloop routes are commended in London TravelWatch’s report
London TravelWatch said London’s bus network is “lifeline” to millions of Londoners, but it needs “urgent improvement” to tackle a long-term decline in passengers and delays to journeys resulting from a city-wide average speed of just 9mph.
Buses are the most commonly used form of public transport in London, with an average of 4.6million journeys a day. London’s £1.75 bus fare is the lowest in the country.
The report, published today, said that slow journey times, a lack of journey information and a poor “on-board experience” discouraged many from using the bus.
Average bus speeds range from 8.1mph in inner London to 10.3mph in outer London. Bus speeds were lower in every borough in 2023-2024 compared with 10 years ago.
In Croydon, according to the report, the average speed of a bus is 10.4mph.
In Sutton, it is 10.8mph. In Bromley, 12mph. But in Lambeth, buses on average travel at 8.1mph.
The report calls for more bus lanes and stronger enforcement of existing lanes.
Above average: outside the congested centre of the city, the average speed of buses improves, though not by very much
London TravelWatch surveyed more than 1,500 Londoners to compile their report, which found that slow journey times were the most frequent barrier to using buses more regularly.
TravelWatch said widespread improvements were needed to win back passengers to have any hope of hitting Mayor Sadiq Khan’s target of 80% of journeys being walked, cycled or made by public transport by 2041. The figure currently stands at 64.2%.
Michael Roberts, the chief executive of London TravelWatch, said: “Buses are a lifeline to many in the capital, particularly among those for whom affordability and accessibility are priorities.
“But with average speeds barely over 9mph, they are simply not getting passengers to where they need to be quickly enough and, while ridership is increasing post-covid, it is still below that of a decade ago.
“If there is to be any chance of meeting the Mayor’s target for 80% of all trips in London to be made on foot, by bike or public transport by 2041, then bus services need urgent improvement. Just taking one extra bus trip each month would make a significant difference.
“We want to see TfL working more closely with London boroughs to speed up the roll-out of bus priority measures, thus improving journey times and protecting this vital service.”
The report, called The next stop: Making London’s buses better called on TfL to set out in detail how it plans to address these issues by the time of the next update of the Mayor’s transport strategy, in summer 2025.
The report makes five key recommendations to help get London’s bus services back on track. These are:
Improve bus operations: This includes measures to reduce bus journey times, such as more bus lanes, and increasing and better enforcing bus lane operating hours
Enhance passenger information and communications: This includes increasing the number of countdown screens and improving their reliability
Improve the overall experience for bus passengers: This includes ensuring that waiting for and travelling on a bus is safer, more secure and more comfortable
Strengthen collaboration between boroughs and TfL: TfL should set out what a meaningful programme of engagement with London boroughs looks like
Continue to promote innovation: TfL should set out the full range of current initiatives for encouraging new ideas on how to improve bus services and identify further areas of innovation
- 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
It would be a good start in Croydon, if you didn’t have to stand in the rain to wait for a bus.
Investment in buses is vital. For those of us who don’t live anywhere near the train, tube, or tram networks they are the only affordable way to get around.
We need more buses, with low fares, and our bus shelters back for a start!
Perhaps TfL should take over the provision of bus shelters from Councils.
Bus services should run at least every 15 minutes. Operating services at half-hourly, or one every 45 minutes (eg the 359) does nothing to encourage people to use them.
TfL does now provide bus shelters in 31 out of 32 London boroughs, including, since this year, Croydon.
Buses would travel faster in Croydon if parking restrictions were enforced. London Road in West Croydon is essentially a single carriageway/lane most of the day with buses having to pause in the gaps between parked cars for vehicles coming the other way to pass. Some cars are routinely parked all day, every day, to the extent that I recognise them. Clearly their owners are confident that they will never be ticketed.