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For most Londoners, shouting ‘Thanks driver!’ at the end of a bus journey is as much a part of our daily routine as brushing our teeth or moaning about the price of a house. In fact, Londoners might cease to exist without the polite chit-chat that comes with boarding a bus.
So it will come as a relief to many in north London to hear that TfL has come to the rescue of eight bus routes that were set to be scrapped.
Due to funding issues, earlier this week Sullivan Buses said it was being forced to stop operating the 217, 298, 299, 327, 389, 399, 549 and W9 routes, which all run in north London. This was despite the operator’s contract not being set to expire until next year.
Swooping in to save the day, on Monday (August 5) TfL announced that it had found a new operator for the bus routes, which is expected to restore a full timetable on all of the routes besides the 217, 298 and 299 – which are currently running on a reduced service.
The new schedule will mean the 217 will instead run every 18 minutes instead of 12, while the 298 will come every half an hour and the 299 will arrive every 20 minutes. Besides that, it’s business as usual on the rest of the routes.
London by bus with Time Out
Elsewhere in London bus news, a brand-new service will link Stamford Hill and Golders Green, London’s ‘Boris Buses’ are being taken off the roads and the capital is getting a brand-new fleet of entirely electric double-decker buses.
ICYMI: World Car-Free day is coming to London this September.
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