Call to save Hackney buses as thousands sign petition

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said he is "furious" that Transport for London (TfL) is having to consider reducing the bus network due to a shortfall in government funding.

TfL consulted in August on reducing or cutting various bus routes.

In Hackney cuts include removing route 242 completely and replacing it with the 135, which would remove a direct link from Hackney to Aldgate Station.

Hackney mayor Philip Glanville spoke at County Hall on November 11, saying: "Thanks to our community campaign calling on the Conservative government to better fund TfL and our vital bus routes, 5,000 Hackney residents signed our petition calling on them to take action, which we handed in to No 10 Downing Street addressed to the prime minister."

He continued: "Once again, Hackney residents have been ignored by the Conservatives. So today, we handed in a letter to Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling on him to step in and save our buses.

"One in four residents rely on buses to get around Hackney - an inner-London borough with no tube stations. Without vital bus routes like the 236 and the 242 which TfL consulted on cutting, our residents will be cut off and worse off."

Hackney Mayor, Philip Glanville, with Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (Image: Hackney Labour)

Other routes affected by the proposed changes include routes 476, 56, 277, 254 and 26.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: "The mayor is furious on behalf of Londoners that TfL is having to consider reducing the bus network by 4 per cent because of the conditions attached by the government to the funding deal."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "This government has committed over £6 billion to secure the long-term future of London's transport network.

"The funding settlement agreed with Transport for London this summer matches the mayor of London's own pre-pandemic spending plans and will support the delivery of major projects to boost travel across the capital."

London's deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, said: "TfL has looked carefully at the routes affected in order to reduce the impact on passengers as much as possible.

"Routes changed are ones where there are very similar existing services or where passengers would make use of the Mayor's 'hopper' fare to reach their destination."

Cllr Mete Coban, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "It's a travesty that London is the only major Western capital city that receives no government grant to fund public transport.

"But our most vulnerable residents rely on these services as an affordable and sustainable way to get around. Without them, our roads will be more polluted and congested, while our residents have to fork out for more expensive forms of transport.

"That's why Hackney Labour has been campaignning hard with local residents' support to save these vital bus routes."

The petition to save Hackney's buses can be found at www.change.org/p/save-hackney-s-buses. Signatures were also collected via street stalls, email and social media.