Passenger numbers on some of the bus routes that could be cut under Transport for London (TfL) plans to save costs are much higher than before the pandemic, according to new figures.
In one week in May this year, 70,940 people used the 78 bus, which goes from Nunhead through much of north Southwark to Shoreditch – a 27 per cent increase on the same week in 2019, when 56,068 people used the route.
Some 4,742 people used the N12, the night time version of the 12 bus, which goes through Dulwich, Camberwell and the Elephant, in the same week. That is 35 per cent higher than the equivalent week in 2022.
TfL proposals have argued that Southwark bus usage was at around 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. While this is the general figure, these new, more detailed figures show the high level of ridership on certain routes like the 78 and the N12, which was previously not public.
The figures, which were released following a freedom of information request by Southwark’s Liberal Democrats, come as TfL’s ten-week public consultation on the bus cuts comes to a close this Sunday (August 7).
The 12 and the N12 will be replaced by an altered version of the 148, which runs 24 hours. But TfL admitted at a Southwark Council meeting last month that cutting routes will mean buses run less frequently.
With such a high level of usage on the N12, the Lib Dems argue that leaving people waiting could compromise people’s safety.
Lib Dem leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Southwark bus usage is 80% of pre-Covid levels as residents are now regularly relying on our buses again. Across London, it’s regularly close to 90% usage. Sadiq is damaging our Covid recovery.
“The figures, which the Liberal Democrats have obtained, show Sadiq Khan’s cuts are going to make Londoners less safe. This data makes it clear how many key workers, women, LGBTQ+ and vulnerable people rely on our night buses (where passenger numbers have recovered most strongly). The removal of route 12 will leave many struggling to access work and central London.”
Despite the high usage of the 78 and the N12, not all routes reached the same level as in 2019. The daytime 12 route was at 83 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the same week in May, and has been as low as 53 per cent.
The 45 bus route, which goes through Clapham, Brixton and Camberwell to Elephant and Castle, has been down at 45 per cent even of pre-pandemic levels even in May this year.
The news comes as TfL continues to negotiate a funding agreement with central government. A condition of that agreement has been to find £400 million in savings as part of an effort to plug a billion-pound gap in its budget. The buses would save around £35 million, TfL has previously said.
The consultation period runs out on August 7. Take part here.
Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL, said:?“TfL’s reliance on passenger fares for the majority of its income means the effect of the pandemic on its finances has been devastating, requiring Government support to keep public transport in London operating. The Government set a number of conditions before it would provide emergency funding to enable TfL to keep operating, including requiring us to produce a plan to set out how we would achieve significant financial savings. This plan included reducing the extent of our bus network.
“Ridership levels on routes in this consultation, including those in Southwark, are not matching the recovery we are seeing in other parts of London. Usage was also falling in the years from 2014 prior to the pandemic. We have carefully studied our network in order to only propose changes to areas that are well served by other routes already or would be after re-structuring other routes as part of this proposal. We have always adjusted the network to reflect our changing city, but the devastating impact of the pandemic on our finances and the Government’s conditions have now required a more significant review. As with all our consultations, we will take into account all public and stakeholder responses, as well as the latest ridership data, before reaching any final decisions.”