The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will go ahead with plans to change the number 11 bus route, which links Fulham and Liverpool Street via Parliament Square.
The route is to be restructured, with the eastern section diverted south of the river to Waterloo, on April 29. The change would come into force a week before King Charles’s coronation.
Greg Hands, the MP for Chelsea and Fulham and Tory party chairman, said: “Curtailing the number 11 bus route is public transport and cultural vandalism from Mayor Khan.
“It’s been the iconic London route for 117 years, taking Londoners and visitors between the city’s great attractions, including Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s and the King’s Road.
“To chop this just a week before hundreds of thousands come to London for the coronation shows our mayor has lost his way completely.”
In November, Khan partially U-turned on controversial plans to axe numerous bus routes across London after a massive backlash from passengers.
Transport for London (TfL) announced it would get rid of only three bus routes following a consultation that attracted more than 20,000 replies.
Key central London routes, including the 4, 12, 14, 24 and 74, were under threat.
But some routes will be altered to “ensure a continued reliable bus network in central and inner London”.
The Mayor decided to save all but three routes — the 11, 16 and 521 — and reduce or curtail the length of 15 others, including the 3, 6, 23, 26, 59, 77 and 133, by drawing an extra £25 million a year from City Hall reserves.
In June, TfL warned central London buses could be reduced by a fifth as it tried to balance the books following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Which bus routes are being axed?
The routes being axed are:
- 11 (Fulham Broadway/Liverpool St)
- 16 (Victoria/Cricklewood)
- 521 (London Bridge/Waterloo)
But confusingly, the numbers 11 and 16 will still be seen on the front of buses, as the routes 507 (Waterloo/York Road) and 332 (Brent Park/Paddington) will be renumbered 11 and 16 respectively.
Which bus routes are being saved?
The following routes will be saved without alteration:
- 4
- 12
- 14
- 24
- 31
- 45
- 72
- 74
- 78
- 242
- 349
- C3
- D7
- N31
- N72
- N74
- N242
Which bus routes are being altered?
Proposed changes to the following routes will still go ahead:
- 3
- 6
- 11
- 23
- 26
- 59
- 77
- 133
- 211
- C10
- N26
