Ten New Express Bus Routes Proposed by Mayor

'Superloop 2' plan forms part of Sadiq Khan's re-election bid

TfL says rebranding of existing routes has boosted passenger numbers

April 21, 2024

A new network of express buses, including some on orbital routes in west and south west London, is being proposed by the Mayor.

Sadiq Khan says he will double the number of Superloop services from 10 to 20 including the introduction of an inner ring route running along the North Circular and linking with another service between Richmond and Wimbledon via Roehampton.

One of the routes links Hendon to Ealing Broadway via Brent Cross and Hanger Lane. The map supplied by TfL appears to indicate that route would follow the A406 North Circular before turning onto the Uxbridge Road to get to Ealing Broadway Station.

This would connect with another Superloop service running from Ealing Broadway to Kingston. It is not clear whether this will involve a rebadging of the existing bus route 65 or if TfL intends to run an additional service along the North Circular to Chiswick Roundabout and then over Kew Bridge.

This part of the route will link with a service between Richmond and Wimbledon which it is assumed will run along the Upper Richmond Road before turning up Roehampton Lane.

In addition, a new Hounslow to Hammersmith service along the A4 (Great West Road) running through Brentford and Chiswick could be introduced. This would run parallel to the existing H91 route and no indication has been given about any possible impact on this service.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said it was too early to give more detail on the proposed routes adding, "The illustrative routes are where we think there could be the demand and where it would link with important town centres and services. "

Bassam Mahfouz, Labour candidate for Ealing and Hillingdon in the Greater London Assembly election described the Ealing Broadway to Kingston route as an express version of the 65 bus adding, "These proposed new express routes are absolute next-level game changers for
accessibility around west London. It will be transformative for people who want to travel for
work, shopping, leisure or meeting friends in this part of London with fast, regular, affordable
and accessible trips - it's a move that will be warmly welcomed by so many commuters as
well as attracting more people onto Superloop buses. It shows the difference that a Mayor
who uses, understands and will champion public transport can make."

Other routes being proposed by the Mayor as part of his re-election bid are:

Harrow to Barnet, via Edgware
Barnet to Stratford, via Enfield and Chingford
Leytonstone to South Havering, via Gants Hill and Romford
North Greenwich to Thamesmead, via Woolwich
‘Bakerloop line’: Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, via Old Kent Road and New Cross
Streatham to Eltham, via Tulse Hill and Lee

Map of local 'Superloop 2' routes. Picture: TfL

The new collection of routes, dubbed ‘Superloop 2’, will include the recently announced ‘Bakerloop’ service, designed to provide an alternative to the unfunded £10billion Bakerloo line Tube extension.

Mr Khan said, “The success of the Superloop is one of my proudest achievements as mayor, connecting Londoners to key locations in outer London and getting more people onto public transport. It has been nothing short of a game changer – making journeys quicker and more convenient…

“The proposed new routes will all be subject to consultation with Londoners, but I’ve asked Transport for London to start looking at how they could best serve key locations – whether popular town centres, other transport hubs or public services like hospitals.”

When the Superloop was first announced by the mayor last year, backed by £6million of funding, it was attacked by his Tory critics as “nothing more than a repackaging of existing routes and vague promises” and “a microscopic level of investment”.

Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall called the ‘Bakerloop’ route the “Blunderloop”, adding, “Instead of delivering the much needed Bakerloo line extension, Sadiq Khan has decided to settle for a bus.”

Mr Khan said he will “continue to make the case as strongly as ever” to the Government to fund the Tube extension.

Four of the original 10 Superloop routes were ‘re-badged’ existing services, albeit with increased frequencies and it is not yet clear whether any of the Superloop 2 routes will use existing services, but the mayor’s campaign team pointed out that even the re-badged routes have seen increased ridership. For example, the SL7 – which runs from Heathrow to West Croydon – saw a 56 per cent ridership rise between June and November following its rebrand and frequency boost.

The London mayoral election is on Thursday, May 2, along with elections for the London Assembly.

List of Candidates for London Mayor

Animal Welfare Party: Femy Amin
Independent: Count Binface
Liberal Democrats: Rob Blackie
Independent: Natalie Campbell
Reform UK: Howard Cox
Social Democratic Party: Amy Gallagher
Green Party: Zoë Garbett
Independent: Tarun Ghulati
Conservative Party: Susan Hall
Labour Party: Sadiq Khan
Independent: Andreas Michli
London Real Party: Brian Rose
Britain First: Nick Scanlon

Noah Vickers - Local Democracy Reporter