Report Shows Sharp Fall in Local Bus Speeds
Down by nearly 9% in Hounslow Borough over last decade
Bus speeds are down in every part of London over the last ten years
November 7, 2024
A report by London TravelWatch on the state of bus services in the capital has revealed a significant fall in bus speeds in Hounslow Borough.
Over the last decade they have dropped by nearly 9%, the joint third highest reduction with Merton seeing the biggest fall at 10%
The average speed of buses in Hounslow is now 9.4mph compared to 8mph in Hammersmith & Fulham and 9.3mph in Ealing. Outer London boroughs tend to have higher average speeds than those closer to the centre.
Every borough in London has seen a fall with neighbouring Ealing down by over 7% and Hammersmith and Fulham dropping by 6%
Source: London TravelWatch
The capital’s independent transport watchdog is urging TfL to make widespread improvements to the capital’s bus service arguing that slow journey times , poor provision of information and the on-board experience can discourage passengers from using the bus. It wants the Mayor to set out how he plans to address these issues by the time of the next update of his transport strategy in summer 2025.
The report found that buses are London’s most accessible, affordable and city-wide form of public transport, used by 96% of respondents to its survey – higher than for any other mode of public transport or private vehicles.
Many said that a key advantage of using buses is that they are cheaper than other forms of transport. Previous London TravelWatch research had found that one third of all bus journeys are made by people in households earning less than £20,000 per year.
The watchdog wants the Mayor to go beyond the 25km of additional bus lanes due to be introduced in 2025 and extend the operation of existing ones. In addition, it wants existing ones to be maintained and not removed during the implementation of new road schemes.
It also wants to see a continuation of the development of other elements of bus priority, such as bus gates and removal of parking spaces in appropriate locations as well as more investigation as to how signal timing can increase bus speeds.
Michael Roberts, CEO of London TravelWatch, said, “Buses are a lifeline to many in the capital, particularly among those for whom affordability and accessibility are priorities. But with average speeds barely over 9mph, they are simply not getting passengers to where they need to be quickly enough and, while ridership is increasing post-Covid, it is still below that of a decade ago.
“If there is to be any chance of meeting the Mayor’s target for 80 percent of all trips in London to be made on foot, by bike or public transport by 2041, then bus services need urgent improvement. Just taking one extra bus trip, each month would make a significant difference.
“We want to see TfL working more closely with London boroughs to speed up the roll out of bus priority measures, thus improving journey times and protecting this vital service.”
We have contacted Hounslow Council for a comment on the reduction of bus speeds in the borough.
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