The reliability of London’s bus service is the best since records began, Transport for London announced today.
Investment in bus priority, more buses, better management of services, and the congestion-charging scheme are bringing shorter wait times and faster journeys to London. The new figures show year on year improvements for the number of journeys made by bus; reduced delays due to traffic and lack of staff and more regular services.
London’s bus service is now the most reliable since performance figures were first collated more than a quarter of a century ago, in 1977.
The return of the route supervisor to the bus network has also helped to reduce waiting times. The men and women in garages and out on the street who make sure buses run reliably have doubled in strength over the last two years to nearly 1000.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said:
“London’s buses are a transport success story the capital can once again be proud of."
“Buses are carrying millions more passengers than this time last year, and extra resources, proper management and the use of bus lanes and transport police ensures passengers get a first class service with buses turning up reliably.”
Reflecting the improved performance customer satisfaction also remained high for this period.
A new campaign “Faster through the mighty metropolis” hits the streets from Monday reminding passengers that services are becoming quicker.
London Buses Director of Performance Clare Kavanagh said:
“I’m delighted that we are at last cracking long waits for bus passengers. Better management and adequate resources means more bus reliability and shorter travel time for all. The improvement can be seen across the city and at all times of the day and night”.
London Transport Users Committee Chair Suzannah May said:
“This is great news for passengers. We hate long waits at bus stops and slow journeys. These figures show that things are really improving.
“I’m delighted that the bus is at last becoming a really attractive transport option for people moving around London.”
The performance of individual bus routes by borough are published on the TfL website
