TfL hits South Londoners with proposed bus cuts

15 October 2018

TfL’s plans to cut seven of Southwark’s bus routes will leave passengers of the 45, 48, 53, 171, 172 and 388 buses, dropped well short of their central London destinations. In addition to this, passengers of the RV1 bus will all have to make alternative plans, as TfL are threatening to cancel this service all together.

Southwark Council is opposed to TfL’s dramatically reduced service and Cllr Richard Livingstone, Cabinet Member for environment, transport management and air quality, said: “TfL’s cuts mean that many people in the south of London will be booted off their regular bus services at Elephant and Castle and Waterloo, as opposed to completing their journey into central London. People with disabilities and parents and carers with prams and pushchairs will be the worst hit, especially in the case of passengers of the RV1 route, which is the only service to cater for people with mobility concerns and is at risk of being cancelled all together.

“Southwark Council appeals to TfL to review its plans and start putting south London’s most vulnerable people first.”

The RV1 is the only step free bus on its route, this means that people who have trouble with mobility will be particularly badly affected if TfL decides to go through with its plans to remove the service. In addition to this, the RV1 is Southwark’s only emissions free bus; removing it will lead to more road traffic and worse air quality, along an already busy route.

Southwark Council calls on TfL to review the invalid dataset that it claims supports the removal of the RV1 bus route. The numbers TfL are using to justify this move were gathered at a time when the RV1 bus was rerouted and the service was cut by 50 per cent, due to works at London Bridge Station. This means TfL’s data can not provide a true reflection of the bus’s use and value to the community.

TfL’s plans to cut short and remove all of these bus routes will take away a direct and affordable means of getting into central London, for some of Southwark’s least affluent and most vulnerable residents. 

Page last updated: 15 October 2018