Southwark’s Labour councillors have spoken out against “devastating” cuts to south London bus services proposed by the capital’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.
The cuts, which would see the 12, 45, 78 and 521 scrapped completely and others reduced or changed, were put forward by Khan and Transport for London (TfL) in response to pressure from the Conservative central government to save money.
A petition shared online by council leader Kieron Williams, along with several other Labour councillors, demands that the government give more money to TfL so it can run the bus services properly.
The routes at risk are:
- The 78, which runs from Nunhead and Peckham through Bermondsey, over Tower Bridge to Liverpool Street
- The 521, which runs from Waterloo to London Bridge, via Holborn and the City of London
- The 45, which runs from Streatham through Camberwell and Walworth to Elephant and Castle
- The 12, which runs 24 hours from Dulwich through Peckham, Camberwell, Walworth and Elephant and Castle into Westminster
The Labour petition adds: “The 12, 45, 78 and 521 provide essential routes for Southwark residents without access to the tube or overground. It is vital that the most vulnerable passengers and those on the lowest incomes can get to work, school or access key services across the borough and beyond. An efficient public transport system is also vital to cleaning up the borough’s air, ensuring that residents have a viable alternative to car use…
“It will have a devastating impact on areas such as Camberwell, Peckham and Dulwich on the number 12 route. The loss of the 45 route will impact on areas of Walworth with the lowest levels of car ownership in Southwark. On the 78 route it will impact and isolate areas of Nunhead, South Bermondsey and along the Old Kent Road. For the most vulnerable living and visiting London Bridge and St George’s that rely on the 521 route, the cuts will be badly felt.”
The proposed cuts to London buses including 4 key routes in Southwark are short-sighted and we will be resisting in no uncertain terms. Say NO to the Tories @grantshapps levelling-down, anti-climate action, anti-housing, anti-equalities plan for London & sign petition below ?? https://t.co/2k0yCGTkEB
— Cllr Helen Dennis (@helendennis80) June 1, 2022
TfL has said that the 388, which currently terminates at London Bridge, would be extended through Bermondsey to Peckham to pick up the slack left if the 78 bus were scrapped. But it would not be go as far south as Nunhead terminating instead at Peckham bus garage.
Nothing has been decided yet and TfL is consulting on the changes over the next six weeks. Some 78 bus routes out of a total 620 are at risk of either being cut altogether or reduced.
Other possible changes floated by TfL include:
- The 53, which currently runs from Plumstead to Elephant and Castle, would terminate at the Elephant instead of going onto Lambeth North
- The 43, which currently runs from Old Street to London Bridge, would terminate at Liverpool Street instead
- The 47, which currently runs from Lewisham, through Surrey Quays and Bermondsey into the City and Shoreditch, would terminate at London Bridge instead, meaning commuters wanting to get to the City or Shoreditch would have to change at Tooley Street onto the 388.
- The 343, which runs from New Cross, through Peckham, Elephant and Castle and London Bridge onto Aldgate, would stop at Tower Bridge instead
- The 133, which runs from Elephant and Castle through Borough to London Bridge and onto Liverpool Street, would go to St Paul’s instead
- The 171, which would terminate at Elephant and Castle instead of Lambeth Road
- The C10, which runs between Canada Water and Victoria via Westminster Bridge Road, would instead go via Waterloo Road and York Road
Southwark’s Liberal Democrats also criticised the proposed cuts and changes to routes, unsurprisingly making Khan the target of their ire rather than the Conservative government.
Lib Dem leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Sadiq Khan is failing South London and it is clear that his Labour colleagues in this part of the capital are unable to make him listen to our residents. More bus cuts, a delayed Bakerloo line extension, and pushing ahead with the unpopular and polluting Silvertown Tunnel shows that he does not care about people living south of the river.
“Their brand-spanking-new Elizabeth Line is a fantastic addition to London, but it does little to immediately help South London residents who are already struggling with the cost-of-living-crisis. We know we have been put to the bottom of Sadiq’s list.
“Sadiq Khan and Labour talk a good game on sustainable transport and the climate emergency, but when it comes to it they are not delivering. Sadiq cut the RV1, London’s first zero-emission hydrogen bus, which served some of the capital’s most polluted districts. We deserve better from our Mayor”
London’s deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance said: “No one wants to see reductions to our bus network, but TFL is having to consider these changes because of the savings demanded by the government as part of the emergency funding deals during the pandemic.
“TfL has looked carefully at the routes affected in order to reduce the impact on passengers as much as possible. Routes changed are ones where there are very similar existing services or where passengers would make use of the Mayor’s ‘Hopper’ fare to reach their destination.”
London’s transport agency has been told to reduce its bus network by the national government as a condition of the bailout, which has seen £5 billion poured into TfL coffers so far. TfL’s finances suffered hugely due to reduced ridership in the pandemic. The bus network was subsidised by the Tube before the pandemic, and bus ridership was already declining before lockdowns. With bus ridership still only at around 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and Tube passenger levels even lower, this subsidy is now unfeasible.
Have your say on the proposals here.
A lot of people have spoken about this saying this is mad to do that ,as lots of people does use the 78 but route to get to work and home but also most people know the buses drivers and build a relationship with them and got to know each other for a long time and it would be a shame to lose the 78 bus route as so many people rely on that route ,so just because the new Elizabeth line as just open does that give the to end the 78 but route I don’t think so .