80 bus routes across London may be axed or severely cut as the government continues to demand TfL cuts – sign our petition to stop them!
Unlike many other transport authorities across the UK struggling financially after the pandemic decimated passenger revenue, the government has forced Transport for London (TfL) to agree short-term funding deals, each with punishing cuts attached.
The result? Huge cuts to services Westminster residents rely on. We’re calling on Transport Minister Grant Shapps to stop playing games with our lives, properly support TfL and protect our bus routes.
Help us out now by signing our petition!
Transport for London is running a consultation about the goverment’s-demanded cuts, which would remove around 250 buses, with 78 routes cut and 16 routes axed altogether – the largest cuts for decades.
The 11, 12, 14, 16, 24, 31, 74, N11, N16, N31 and N74 are among the routes in Westminster where cuts are being considered. All are routes residents rely on to get to work, to see family and friends, to access services or to do their shopping. Other routes will be reduced massively, with residents in Lancaster Gate losing the 205, the 113 abandoning Edgware Road, and the 23 switching from Hammersmith to Aldwych.
And despite TfL’s attempts to keep cuts to overlapping routes, the government’s demands for £400m in cuts and a reduction in the overall bus network by 4% mean that some roads will see their buses disappear altogether.
As we face a Conservative cost of living crisis, cutting the most affordable transport option will hurt people already struggling.
Labour Leader of Westminster Council Adam Hug said:
“I am deeply concerned that the Government’s failure to properly fund Transport for London while we recover from the pandemic may have a real impact on our vital bus network. Buses are a transport lifeline for so many, particularly during this unprecedented squeeze on the cost of living. What’s important now is we study the detail of what is being proposed and how it will impact journeys across Westminster. Local people know best how these changes may affect them. It’s very important that as many people as possible get involved with the consultation, and as the Council we will be supporting them to ensure their views are clearly heard by central Government, TfL, and the Mayor’s office.”
This isn’t happening in isolation. Bus services across the country have been hugely cut over the last decade, with over a quarter of all services cut.