Transport for London (TfL) has admitted that some of its Superloop bus routes have encountered issues as Sadiq Khan plans to roll out more. Officials say road works, problems with buses and traffic have meant services are not performing as well as they should.
On one route, bosses even plan to reduce its length to improve reliability. It comes after the Mayor of London announced in April that he plans to introduce a second phase of the project – Superloop 2.
The new proposals have been issued along with a draft map that includes several new suggested routes. These include the Bakerloop, whish is set to travel between Elephant and Castle and Lewisham as residents wait for the Bakerloo Underground line to be extended.
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All routes will be subject to consultation, but initial plans include exploring routes including:
- Harrow to Barnet via Edgware
- South Havering to Leytonstone via Romford
- Hounslow to Hammersmith
- Streatham to Eltham via Catford
- Ealing to Kingston via Richmond
Problems with routes
TfL committee documents state that the existing SL1, SL5 and SL10 are ‘performing well and better than the contractual minimum standard with bus speeds in line with expected performance’. The SL2, meanwhile, ‘continues to improve’ and recent reliability was ‘better than the minimum contractual performance standard’.
The SL3 ‘continues to improve’ since its introduction on February 24, 2024. But, papers added: “In addition to disruption caused by roadworks there were some initial challenges with the vehicles used on the route.
“These are largely now overcome and performance is improving. TfL continue to work with the operator to improve vehicle reliability.”
The SL6 operates 12 return peak journeys during Monday to Friday through inner and central areas of London, and runs as a limited stop service on a portion of its route. Officials say: “The route is not currently meeting performance standards due to disruption that has been caused by roadworks on the stopping section of the route.
“We are working with the operator on revising how this route is monitored and run to ensure that it better reflects actual passenger experience.”
The SL7 is currently the longest route operating in London. TfL says it is therefore ‘susceptible to traffic conditions as it travels through key town centres and shopping hubs in Outer London’. Documents state: “If permitted, we would seek to consult on reducing the length of the route to improve reliability.”
They add: “[The] SL8 has not met the minimum performance standard due to roadworks on the route since launch. A scheme to improve its reliability is in progress and will be implemented by time of publication. This scheme adds additional resource into the schedule to ensure that it is better matched to prevailing road conditions. We required the performance of the route to be monitored for a period of time beforemaking any decisions on a scheme.”
In addition, the SL9 has ‘not met its minimum performance standard’. However, bosses add, a scheme to improve reliability was implemented in June 2024 and is being monitored. Papers add: “This scheme was in part implemented to redistribute running time with the schedule to ensure that it is better matched to prevailing road conditions since its launch.”
How ridership has changed
Between June 2023 and May 2024, TfL’s bus network demand grew by two percent. Here is how much it has risen on each Superloop route:
- SL6 – 20 per cent
- SL7 – 91 per cent (as a result of the doubling in service frequency combined with the Superloop launch). TfL says, once the change in patronage on parallel routes was taken into account, corridor demand increased by 21 per cent
- SL8 – 18 per cent
- SL9 – two per cent
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SL10,SL1, SL5, SL3 and SL2 – 16 per cent higher than the overall London bus network
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