Southwark’s buses have been saved after Mayor Sadiq Khan announced he was pulling back on controversial plans to axe bus routes across London.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that only three bus routes across the capital will be scrapped, meaning Southwark’s 12, 45, 78 and N133 buses will be protected.
One change will mean the 521 route is serviced by the 133 and 59 routes, with the council vowing to ensure TfL helps people affected by these plans.
Council urges Mayor to save Southwark’s “lifeline” buses
Cllr Catherine Rose, Cabinet Member for Parks, Streets and Cleaner Air, said: “It’s fantastic news that Southwark’s buses will be saved from cuts. They are essential to life in Southwark because we have no underground service to most parts of our borough, meaning that people need the buses.”
Earlier this month, she and council leader Kieron Williams urged Mayor Khan to consider the vulnerable residents who rely on bus services.
Their pleas came after months of protests, which have seen councillors, unions and the public unite in vocal opposition to the cuts.
Cllr Rose said: “Buses are a lifeline for those with accessibility needs, and for those who simply have no other means of affordable transport, particularly in this current cost of living crisis. That’s why it is so important that the Mayor has listened to our campaign and has saved our bus services.”
London Overground strike on November 26 suspended
The cuts were originally planned because TfL faced a funding shortfall after failing to secure enough money from the government.
But Sadiq Khan said the consultation on the cuts, which received over 20,000 replies, showed “the strength of feeling across the capital”.
He added that cutting fewer services “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”.
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