London bus mileage reduced by 22 million kilometers over six years, figures show

The number of miles covered by London’s bus services was reduced by 22 million miles between 2017 and 2023, new figures reveal.

The number of miles traveled by buses fell from a peak of 304 million miles in 2017 to 282 million miles (453.8 million kilometers) last year, according to statistics shared by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, said the withdrawal showed London Mayor Sadiq Khan “didn’t care about London’s suburbs”.

The Mayor’s Office blamed the cuts on “punitive funding conditions from central government”, but the DfT said that claim was “false” and that Transport for London (TfL) had received £6.6 billion since 2020. It added that it had provided funding.

Data from the DfT’s annual bus statistics report reveals that bus miles traveled in the capital region fell by 10 million miles (16 million km) between 2022 and 2023.

It says 1,403 buses have been taken out of service since 2017, and TfL’s fleet has fallen from 10,191 to 8,788, a drop of almost 14%.

Mr Olney said: “These figures are further evidence that the Mayor doesn’t care about London’s suburbs, only his profits.”

She also accused the Conservative government of “turning our trains and buses into political footballs”.

The Liberal Democrats said the cuts would be particularly harmful to communities outside London, which are highly reliant on bus services.

Mr Khan’s spokesman said he had “done everything” to protect bus services from central government funding cuts.

She highlighted TfL’s Superloop network, which aims to “transform travel” as well as improve connectivity in suburban areas.

“Due to government budget cuts and the requirements of recent short-term funding agreements, some bus routes have been cut in recent years,” she added.

“Nonetheless, Mr Sadiq stepped in and provided an extra £25m each year to save the majority of bus routes proposed for cuts in central London and inner city areas in 2022.”

The DfT said in a statement: “These claims are false.

“The Government has provided more than £6.6 billion of support to TfL since 2020, and the funding is sufficient to maintain services and invest in the future of the network.

“Transport for London is devolved and we need the Mayor to explain how services are delivered in the capital and how those decisions are funded.”