The London Assembly Transport Committee wants Transport for London (TfL) to make bus travel a priority in its future plans for transport in the capital. The Committee’s report ‘Bus Services in London’[1] will be discussed tomorrow at a City Hall bus seminar and TfL has agreed to take account of any comments and suggestions made.
The Mayor of London and TfL declared 2014 the ‘Year of the Bus’. Six and a half million journeys are made every day by bus, more than twice the number of tube journeys. However, there will be a projected 167 million more journeys made by 2022 - and there are no planned announcements for major expansion of the bus service to meet this increasing demand.
The Committee made nine recommendations to TfL, after a survey of over 1,000 bus users. The survey found that frustrated commuters wanted overcrowding addressed, better engagement, more transparency and consultation, better route planning, fairer fares and environmentally friendly vehicles.
Recommendations included in the report ask TfL and the Mayor to:
· Publish a long-term strategy for the development of the bus network to address rising demand.
· Devise a measure for determining ‘bus busyness’, set annual performance targets and report on these twice a year.
· Publish a schedule for the roll-out of more environmentally friendly bus vehicles including electric buses.
· Devise a new approach to future bus service consultations, including more targeted interaction with passengers and allow local councils to have more say on bus services.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director for Surface Transport, senior TfL staff, London Councils and London Travelwatch will attend the Bus Seminar tomorrow.
The Bus Seminar will take place on Wednesday, 19 February from 2pm in London’s Living Room, 9th floor of City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA).
Media are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed via webcast after the event.
Notes to editors
1. Bus Services in London Report 2013 (attached)
2. More information on the Committee’s investigation into bus services in London.
3. London Assembly Transport Committee
4. Valerie Shawcross AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview. See contact details below.
5. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.