A major expansion of outer London's bus network, the Superloop, would be made up of limited-stop express bus routes around outer London.
- The Mayor has already committed to an increase of over one million kilometres in outer London ahead of the expansion of the lifesaving ULEZ in August
- The Superloop has been made possible by the extra £6m provided by the Mayor of London for even more improvements in outer London bus services
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, yesterday (Tuesday 28 March) announced plans for a network of limited-stop express bus routes that circle the entire capital - connecting outer London town centres, railway stations, hospitals and transport hubs, faster.
The Superloop will provide quicker journey times, with the Mayor of London providing £6m funding as an initial catalyst to improvements to outer London orbital bus services. It is proposed to be introduced in stages with some routes that would become part of the Superloop now in operation, providing quick links across outer London. This includes the X140 connecting Heathrow and Harrow, and a more frequent route X26 connecting Heathrow and West Croydon. The next new part of the outer London bus network will be the route linking Harrow with North Finchley, subject to consultation. TfL is working with the relevant boroughs on initial proposals for this next section and will consult on the route in the coming months.
Following that, views will be sought on future sections of the orbital network. These proposed future sections include a limited-stop express link between North Finchley and Walthamstow and between Walthamstow and the Royal Docks via Ilford. Links are also proposed between Bexleyheath, Bromley and Croydon. Some of the benefits of the proposed Superloop will be realised later this year, with the X26 doubling in frequency so that buses run every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes.
TfL data shows that the most recently introduced limited-stop express route, the X140, delivered a 10-15 per cent increase in weekday demand and that frequencies at the busiest stops served by the 140 was increased. Surveys found that customers had increased satisfaction with their journey times and nearly four in five said they would use the X140 more often.
The Superloop brand is designed to work with the iconic London Buses brand by using a new Roundel and bus livery to ensure clear identification of the new service, but still recognisable as part of the London Buses network. The new branding will also feature on maps, timetables and other pieces of customer information.
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