North London TfL bus routes saved from the axe

Vital services such as the 168 in Hampstead, 24 in South End Green, 31 crossing Swiss Cottage and the number 4 serving Tufnell Park were due to be axed - along with others across the city.

The 214 in Highgate and 88 in Parliament Hill were among services to be re-routed, but will now remain unchanged.

Transport for London (TfL) launched a consultation to "reshape the central and inner London bus network" earlier this year, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was in a long-running dispute with the government over funding. A settlement has since been reached.

Following more than 20,000 responses and campaigns by residents and councils, the mayor has announced additional funding of around £25m, meaning the majority of routes have been saved.

Only three bus routes out of TfL’s 620 total network will go - 332, 507 and 521.

A total of 53 routes will no longer be withdrawn or affected.

214 bus serving Highgate to Kings Cross and beyond will no longer be re-routed (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Camden councillor Sian Berry (Green, Highgate) tweeted: "Delighted to see the mayor has been forced to listen to Londoners’ concerns about bus cuts. 18 out of 22 bus routes have been saved - thanks to everyone who made their voice heard, this is the direct impact you have had."

TfL said 22% of the service changes consulted on will go ahead, routes which are "all in areas with numerous alternative public transport options and in areas where following the changes there will be enough capacity on buses to meet demand". 

Impacted services are the 3, 6, 11, 23, 26, 59, 77, 133, 211, C10 and N26. 

Of the 21,528 responses to the consultation 21,247 were from members of the public and 281 were from stakeholders.

The 24 bus received 1,609 comments, the 31 1,147 and the number 4 1,391 comments.

"Generally, the feedback received was negative and largely opposed the proposals
put forward," said TfL's consultation report. 

Key concerns included accessibility, personal safety, convenience such as longer journey times, additional interchanges, and increased travel expenses. 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The strength of feeling across the capital was clear to me, and I was adamant that I would explore every avenue available to me to save as many buses as possible.

“This will mean tough decisions elsewhere, but I am very pleased that the vast majority of bus routes proposed to be cut due to the government’s funding conditions can now be saved. 

“Buses sit at the heart of the capital’s transport network and have a key role to play as we continue building a better, greener and fairer city for all Londoners.”

Joanna Davidson, CEO for London TravelWatch, said: "It’s vital that we protect services as we know that in London more people travel by bus than any other mode of transport.

"Cuts to bus routes would have disproportionately affected lower paid and disabled Londoners – so it’s really positive news that many of these proposals have been shelved based on our recommendations.

"We will review the bus report in full and feed back any final suggestions to the Mayor and TfL."