Superloop route SL5 between Bromley and Croydon sees double decker buses enter service

London’s only single decker Superloop route is now seeing double deck buses enter service.

Route SL5 between Bromley and Croydon commenced last year with single deckers due to low-hanging trees. Trees have now been cut back and the first double decker buses are finally in service.

At the moment of writing five of eight vehicles out on the route today are higher capacity vehicles.

The route runs from Bromley North station via Bromley South then onto Eden Park station and towards Croydon town centre. Trees on South Eden Park Road had limited services to small capacity vehicles when the route launched in 2024.

Buses now starting to enter services are the same model as those now running on the SL4 route. Electric, power points and get this, even ok to travel on in hot weather.

The Adjacent SL3 route between Bromley and Thamesmead is also now seeing electric double deckers replacing the New Routemasters which only plied their trade for little over a year on the route.

They begun entering service back in May. Whilst being electric they aren’t the Chinese BYDs running on SL4 and now the SL5.

In recent months TfL revealed the most popular Superloop routes as well as which areas saw the biggest changes on other routes once a Superloop commenced. Route SL3 saw the biggest rise in passengers using routes running alongside the new Superloop between Thamesmead and Bromley.

Despite that TfL now seek to entirely cut the 472 route which also services Thamesmead and the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood – except for late night services – and replace with the SL11.