At a glance
• £10m each for Haringey, Lewisham and Southwark to speed up buses and reverse declining passenger numbers
• Schemes will target congestion “hotspots,” reduce roadworks and could cut bus journey times by up to 30%
• Improvements will focus on key corridors and regeneration areas (e.g., Tottenham, Wood Green, Grove Park–Greenwich)
Three London boroughs will each receive £10m for projects designed to speed up buses and halt the dramatic decline in the number of passengers.
Haringey, Lewisham and Southwark have won the cash from Transport for London in a “Mini Holland”-style competition that encouraged boroughs to propose innovative ideas to tackle road congestion.
This is likely to see junctions remodelled and traffic lights rephased to give buses priority over other traffic at key “hotspot” locations, with the overall aim of speeding up journey times by up to 30 per cent.
The competition has echoes of the £100m offered by TfL a decade ago to boroughs willing to introduce Dutch-style protected cycle lanes to encourage cycling – a competition won by Waltham Forest, Enfield and Kingston.
Under the “better bus partnerships” programme, Haringey, Lewisham and Southwark will each receive up to £10 million over an expected four-year period for borough-led schemes to help transform bus performance, improving journey times and reliability.
TfL is well aware that the increasing delays suffered on many routes – often due to higher overall traffic volumes - is acting as a disincentive to use the bus.
Alternative forms of transport such as e-bikes and Uber minicab rides have also been a factor.
Passenger numbers have fallen by 15 per cent since before the pandemic. There were 170.6m bus journeys in London in October 2019. By October this year, this had fallen to 144.9m for the month.
Schemes being proposed by the winning boroughs include:
• New bus priority measures to improve journey times
• Better management of roadworks to reduce delays to buses
• Bus stop improvements to make them more pleasant places where it’s safer to wait and easier to change modes of transport
• Street improvements to make it easier and safer to walk to bus stops and stations
TfL hopes that the projects, which will undergo detailed review and consultation next year, will be delivered from 2027.
Eighteen out of the 33 London boroughs made bids for the cash, with eight being shortlisted.
The three wining boroughs all have tens of thousands of residents who do not own a car.
Lorna Murphy, TfL's director of buses, said: "I am delighted that we can work together with London boroughs to invest in bus priority and bus infrastructure."
James McAsh, Southwark council's cabinet member for streets, said: “Good bus services are vital in our borough where most households don’t have a car, and we’re excited to be part of the Better Bus Partnership.”
Lewisham’s plan is to focus on two key bus corridors - north to south through Grove Park to Greenwich and east to west through Sydenham towards Bromley and Southwark.
Louise Krupski, Lewisham’s cabinet member for transport, said: “We are thrilled to receive this crucial funding support from Transport for London. We are committed to making bus travel quicker, easier and more reliable for everyone.
“Almost half of our households do not own a car, so buses are a lifeline for many residents, especially in the south of the borough where there are fewer train connections and higher levels of deprivation.
“This really is a gamechanger. It will allow us to improve bus priority on key routes and make changing between buses and other transport easier.
“We are upgrading bus stops, connecting better with stations and also improving walking and cycling routes where we can to make them safer and more pleasant, whilst reducing delays on roads.”
Mike Hakata, Haringey’s cabinet member for transport, said more deprived areas such as Tottenham and Wood Green stood to benefit from better bus services.
"We are delighted to have secured this major funding, which provides a significant opportunity to expand on the bold measures we're already taking to make bus travel safer, quicker and more reliable,” he said.
“This isn't just about moving from A to B - this programme will support the comprehensive regeneration of Wood Green, Tottenham and Green Lanes as thriving metropolitan centres and sustainable, safe, attractive neighbourhoods that will enable growth in jobs, services and affordable housing.
"We'll engage with our communities to see how they'd like to improve bus travel in their area."
