London’s new Bakerloop express bus route is now officially scheduled to begin service this autumn following positive feedback during a recent consultation.
The new service, which is set to operate every 12 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes and every 15 minutes during Sundays, evenings and early mornings, will run between Waterloo, Elephant & Castle and Lewisham via Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate, Lewisham station and Lewisham town centre, mirroring the proposed Bakerloo Tube line extension from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham.
The Bakerloop project follows the the success of the city’s Superloop network, a 138-kilometre express bus service introduced in July 2023 that has added over six million kilometres annually to London’s transport network and seen an 11% average increase in passenger use since inception (9% higher than the network average).
A consultation into the introduction of the BL1 Bakerloop line route was launched earlier this year, with the majority of received feedback from both residents and local stakeholders being largely positive. Respondents stated that they felt the new route would be more convenient (82%), result in quicker overall bus journeys (79%) and be used between a few days and every day per week (55%).
Following consideration of received feedback, the route is set to be implemented with a modification in Lewisham town centre, with the proposed stop at Station Road towards Waterloo removed to allow for a quicker, more direct route.
Geoff Hobbs, TfL's Director of Public Transport Service Planning, said:It is great to see support for the 'Bakerloop' express bus running between Waterloo and Lewisham which would enable us to improve public transport connectivity and capacity between southeast London and central London by delivering some of the same benefits that the Bakerloo line extension would.
We know from the success of the Superloop that express bus services are providing a hugely valuable way for Londoners to travel and from the feedback we received, we expect some passengers currently using other bus routes will take their journeys on the BL1 instead. As part of our continual review of the bus network, we will monitor all bus services so that they accurately reflect customer demand in the area. We will now progress work on launching this express bus route so that customers can start using it by autumn 2025.
Transport for London (TfL) has stated that it is currently at work on plans to further expand the existing Superloop network with an additional three routes, including a new SL13 service between Ealing Broadway and Hendon, a new SL14 service between Stratford bus station and Chingford Hatch and a new SL15 service travelling between Clapham Junction and Eltham station. Consultations for these new routes will begin in Autumn 2025.
Two express routes project extensions are already in progress, with consultations recently having closed for proposals for routes SL11 between Abbey Wood and North Greenwhich and SL12 between Rainham, Ferry Lane and Gants Hill. These two new routes would allow for an interchange with existing Superloop services, enabling the SL11 to connect with the SL3 at Abbey Wood and Thamesmead, and the SL12 connecting with the SL2 at Gants Hill.
TfL has also stated that development plans for the Bakerloo line extension are still ongoing, with the Bakerloop service expected to be part-funded by Southwark Council through Section 106 funding from development in the area.
Dr. Polyvios Polyviou, Programme Director for Transport at BusinessLDN, said:The launch of the Bakerloop promises to bring much-needed new transport links to underserved Londoners as we await delivery of a Bakerloo line extension. Improvements to bus services remain essential, especially in outer London, and long-term funding certainty for TfL is critical to ensure reliable, affordable transport across the capital.
Wednesday's Spending Review is the Chancellor's opportunity to give TfL this certainty while backing a long-awaited extension to the Bakerloo Line, unlocking sites for thousands of homes, creating jobs around the UK, and spurring billions of pounds in new economic activity in the process.
