| 19, 38, and 349 ... 80, 93, 151, 154, 155, 163, 164 and 470. Posted by grahame at 17:25, 5th February 2026 |     |
After our - fury - at the breaking of the 205, another batch of routes may be in for re-organisation
from The Standard
TfL is planning to “simplify” its central London bus network – meaning an unspecified number of routes will be shortened or axed over the next three years, primarily to avoid overlapping services and to limit the number of empty buses.
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, admitted to the board: “Obviously, moving forward, we as an organisation need to find a way to make the bus subsidy lower.”
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, admitted to the board: “Obviously, moving forward, we as an organisation need to find a way to make the bus subsidy lower.”
I was - many years ago - a user of the 19 and 38; don't know the other routes. If developments like the Elizabeth Line and the turning of the Overground lines into metro-frequent routes have abstracted traffic from the buses, so reviewed might make sense. The lack of an appropriate decision on the 205, and the lack of any comment about passenger needs in the comment above, mean I am concerned. It could be that only a snippet of what Ms Mann said has been quoted - I certainly hope so.
| Re: 19, 38, and 349 ... 80, 93, 151, 154, 155, 163, 164 and 470. Posted by John D at 18:12, 5th February 2026 | |
There are too elements to this, TfL has a policy of electric buses, and built to non-standard TfL bus standard (the standard in EU rest of UK is apparently not acceptable to TfL). The cost of the charging infrastructure, and more expensive buses has pushed bus costs up.
They were aiming for 100% electric fleet by 2030 (mayor aspiration) or 2032-34 (dates seem to vary over time). However the latest Business plan (which was draft until ratified by today's TfL Board meeting) refers to target of 6000 electric buses by 2030 with no final cutover date.
The second element is fares revenue (which TfL Finance reports show is about 8% below budget for buses. Usage figures have fallen drastically (especially in central London where roads have been blocked for low traffic neighbourhoods, forcing cars and vans onto bus routes), causing congestion and slower buses. TfL have inadvertently made bus travel diabolically slow.
Of course in last few years, have seen extended East London line, extended DLR, Elizabeth line, improved signalling on Victoria, District, Circle, Met and H&C lines allowing higher frequencies. These alternatives are going to attract former bus passengers.
Pre-pandemic buses were losing around £1 - 1.5m per day, (and could be covered by a surplus on the tube), but in recent months bus losses has jumped to nearer £3.5m per day. Clearly London buses losing over £1bn a year (and rapidly rising) is not sustainable so cuts are inevitable.
