TfL to reduce services on yet another south east London bus route
TfL look set to cut back the number of buses operating on another bus route serving south east London with the 229 to see service reductions.
According to a report before Bexley Council the 229 route serving Thamesmead and Queen Mary hospital in Sidcup. It states “from Saturday 24 January buses will operate every 12 minutes instead of every 10 minutes between 06:00 and 20:00 on weekdays and 08:10 and 19:20 on
Saturdays”.
On the face of it not a great deal perhaps, but it’s the latest chipping away at bus frequencies in south east London with a large number of routes reduced just before Christmas including those serving thousands of forthcoming homes in areas such as Kidbrooke as well as Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.
This latest service reduction will also ccur on the same day as the 472 route is cut entirely for the SL11, which will sail past some stops across Thamesmead reducing bus numbers towards Abbey Wood station for rail service. One such site is at South Thamesmead when hundreds more homes are now completing at Southmere Village phase two.
Both existing and forthcoming south Thamesmead residents will not only see a reduction in the 229 but the complete removal of 472 services.
The B11 has seen a slight boost but as anyone who knows about Thamesmead can tell you, it takes a slow, circulatory and long-winded route to reach Abbey Wood station. The 244 saw welcome double-deckers but its frequency wasn’t boosted.
Improving the town’s transport
It all makes claims from TfL about wanting to help improve transport and accessibility for those in Thamesmead via the DLR plan all the more odd. The DLR is only set to only serve the north of the town ensuring minimal benefit for thousands of homes elsewhere in the area which will be no closer to the DLR than existing rail services at Abbey Wood and Woolwich.
And even before any DLR we see substantial bus cuts for many across the town towards nearby stations. They’ve never answered why this area is the only part of the capital which will see an entire popular and high frequency bus route cut for a replacement Superloop. Every other Superloop introduced has supplemented existing services.
Of course the 472 simply mirroring the SL11 would make little sense but it could have been retained with the route altered to serve major new housing developments such as in west Thamesmead where almost 2,000 homes are rising. It wasn’t.
To the west of the route a retained 472 could have changed to restore the lost link between Charlton and Lewisham removed when the 180 was altered. Again, many new homes are rising on that stretch which it would assist.
Council support
While TfL were considering changes Greenwich Council supported the forthcoming abolition of the busy 472 for replacement by the SL11 despite it ensuring a reduction in services for new homes and a college in Plumstead plus a major council estate rebuild and housing increase in Woolwich.
Only one councillor from the ruling Labour party raised concerns during consultation. In contrast both Labour and Tory in neighbouring Bexley raised a number of issues.
Will Greenwich Council and the ruling party have anything to say about the latest 229 reduction? They were silent about various bus cuts serving QE Hospital in Woolwich just before Christmas.
If it was a Mayor of a different party they may be a bit more vocal but as it is, silence and even support for bus cuts reigns.
Good afternoon,
I hope this message finds everyone well.
I am writing to raise concerns about Bus Route 229, which is well known for running late on a daily basis. The service is unreliable almost 24/7, causing significant inconvenience for passengers who depend on it to get to work, school, and other commitments on time.
Instead of reducing the service further, the focus should be on improving it. What passengers need is a more reliable and punctual service, not cuts that make an already poor situation worse.
I strongly urge you to consider investing in better scheduling and management for Route 229 so that it runs on time and meets the needs of the community it serves.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Moses,
As this is a local news Blog it is unlikely to be viewed by the relevant TfL ‘managers’.
It might be worth [also] sending your concerns directly to TfL.👇
https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/contact-us-about-buses
Breakdowns can currently be a reason for current poor punctuality. The route will introduce brand new electric buses in a few months time so that, in the absence of traffic delays, the route should run more effectively.
I agree Plumstead Resident people must send their concerns about bus services to TFL.. I do not know about Bexley Council but Greenwich Council and Local MP”s often back the cuts to bus services and do nothing to support the people fighting the cuts to services.
With so many new developments in both Bexley and Greenwich Boroughs with thousands of new residents moving on to these new developments ii think cuts to llocal bus services are not acceptable and I urge everyone to contact TFL using tbe li k provided by Plumstead Resident.
There is a rumour 486 may see a slight setvice reduction in February by one bus an hour. Route 485 serves Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Which has already seen cuts to routes 178 291 and 386 serving the Hospital.
Yes, the 486 is losing a bus pushing frequency back from every 10 minutes to 12 minutes from 21 February when the contract renews. Electric buses are also due this year on that route.
Morning, can’t believe this is happening love my 472 bus , building all these apartments, for people, and then cut the buses stupid, no sense
Agreed, no common sense. I use this bus at early hours on Saturdays(3am) going to work. Is there replacement for that??? Obviously is ok for councils cutting services when they have cars, or company paying for the transport! But what about those who rely only on public transport? Money grabbers!!! There’s no improvement only degrading the services. Use your common sense!!!
Night bus 472.
I agree people must complain to TFL about bus cuts including frequency reductions.
To me it shows TFL simply do not care about passengers.
Reducing frequencies on routes serving Hospitals is simply not acceptable. Patients need to get tp appointments, hospital staff need to get to work and visitors rely on bus services to visit their relatives and friends.
Why not add more extra bus routes or even to expand the Superloop to areas in around London that do want a better convenient public transport and are further away from a tube station or railway station.
There are places that could qualify to have a Superloop including Ruislip, Enfield, Walthamstow, Bexleyheath, Biggin Hill, Croydon, Sutton, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Richmond, Hounslow and Heathrow Airport.
I live on a road on which only the 229 serves. Since the 469 route was removed entirely it’s been an absolute nightmare getting home. Despite TFL advertising that the 229 will come every 12 minutes this rarely ever happens. I’m often left waiting 20+ minutes for a bus. When it does eventually arrive you’ll be often see two buses in a short space of time arrive too.