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While tube fares are slowly creeping up and Santander bike stands are already ransacked and left empty by 8am, surely, we don’t need more cuts to our bus routes?
Today, Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that cuts to tube and bus services are imminent after the government announced it would half TfL’s funding deal.
The future of London’s beloved bus network is in the hands of TfL, as they hold a six-week consultation that determines which networks will get the axe.
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has said the government has agreed to extend TfL’s current emergency status until July 13, after the allocated funding was about to run out. Shapps said that any long-term funding for TfL was unlikely unless the relationship between the government and TfL could be restored.
Approximately 78 bus routes are facing cutbacks, while 16 of the routes could be axed entirely.
Here are the bus routes under threat and yes, it's a long one..
4
Running between Archway station and Blackfriars station. Standout stops include St. Paul’s station, Finsbury Park station and Seven Sisters.
11/ N11
Serving stops between Fulham Town Hall and Apphold Street. Mega stops include Liverpool Street station, Charing Cross and Westminster Cathedral. Also endangered is the N11, the beloved beast of the night, that operates between midnight and 6am, running from Ealing Broadway Station right through to Liverpool Street.
12
The south east to central London route would be truly missed if axed. From Dulwich Library to Oxford Circus, this bus frequents at standout stops including Parliament Square and Piccadilly Circus. It also connects passengers to Overground stations such as Peckham Rye.
14
A joyful ride from Putney Heath to Russell Square. Noteworthy stops include Chelsea Football Club, South Kensington station and Green Park. Please, TfL, not this one!
16, N16
This bus takes a straight beeline down Edgware Road between Cricklewood and Victoria Bus Station. With views of Buckingham Palace on the way, the iconic bus route would be a real loss.
24
Runs between Grosvenor Road and Hampstead Heath. You can get from Camden Town to Tottenham Court Road, Victoria or Westminster. Basically anywhere.
31, N31
North to west. Camden to White City. Standout stops include Notting Hill Gate and Kilburn High Road Station. It has a night bus following the same route, which is also in danger of cuts.
45
From Clapham Park to Elephant and Castle, the 45 route stops at Denmark Hill, Loughborough Junction and Brixton.
72, N72
Dashing from Ealing and the north side of Hammersmith Bridge. East Acton Station, White City and Hammersmith are all along the way. The night bus is a hotspot for University students, including spots at Roehampton University and Queen Mary’s Hospital.
74, N74
Putney Exchange to Baker Street Station. Earls Court, South Kensington Station and Marble Arch are all along the way.
78
The beloved 78 runs from Shoreditch High Street to Nunhead. Stops include Liverpool Street, Aldgate and Peckham Rye.
242
The beast of the east. The number 242 runs between Homerton Hospital and Aldgate Station, stopping off at Dalston Junction, Hackney Central Station and Shoreditch High Street.
259
Edmonton Green Bus Station and King’s Cross Road. Special stops include Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Caledonian Road.
521
This commuter-friendly bus hits all the hotspots including Holborn, Monument, Mansion House and City Thameslink on its short journey between Waterloo Station and London Bridge. The route’s frequency was already halved in 2021 from 24 per hour to 12.
C3
From Clapham Junction Station through towards Earl’s Court, terminating at Warwick Road Tesco.
D7
Covering the Canary Wharf estate, the D7 runs from Poplar to Mile End Station, stopping at many DLR stations and the Isle of Dogs region.
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