Request ID: FOI-0318-2425 Date published: 22 May 2024
You asked
Hi Alison, thanks for investigating further and coming back to me? As I suspected, the reason the K2 service didn?t serve Chessington to Hook for over an hour was because the operator didn?t want them sitting in traffic; I presume this was in order to meet targets?. It?s understandable managers wouldn?t want to keep sending busses into a congested area, however the key word here is ?service?. Is there a service-level agreement with this operator and route? If so, please can you send it to me. Can you advise if there are any penalties relating to this? I expect there are penalties for running fewer busses than timetabled or running late, what about penalties for abandoning passengers along a route where there are no other bus services, none whatsoever? A situation made far worse by successive drivers telling us the next service would continue to Hook. I?m really not happy about this? Partly because of the pain and inconvenience caused to me on the day, but more because my 85-year-old mother in law uses this route regularly and I?ll be livid if the same thing happens to her and she?s abandoned in the middle of nowhere, without anywhere to sit and without any information. I?d like to know what tfl is going to do about this situation, it?s not good enough for an operator to curtail more than 6 services in succession. Thanks again
We answered
Our ref: FOI-0318-2425/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 24 April 2024 asking for information about bus performance.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.
Is there a service-level agreement with this operator and route? All routes have a contractual minimum performance standard for performance and also mileage performance is monitored. This information is published here: Buses performance data - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)
In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act we are not obliged to provide you with the information as it is accessible to you elsewhere.
I expect there are penalties for running fewer buses than timetabled or running late, what about penalties for abandoning passengers along a route where there are no other bus services, none whatsoever? – This would be caught up in the mileage deductions as above, however I understand our Customer Services are investigating your concerns and will be replying separately to you.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
