Request ID: FOI-0941-2223 Date published: 10 August 2022
You asked
Please note that in all questions, 1-5, we are asking for information regarding public transport services rather than school buses.
1. What was your overall spend on subsidised bus services in the following financial years? Please break the totals down by services that are partially subsidised and those that are fully subsidised.
i) 2017/18
ii) 2018/19
iii) 2019/20
iv) 2020/21
v) 2021/22
2. How many bus routes in the following financial years did you subsidise? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised.
i) 2017/18
ii) 2018/19
iii) 2019/20
iv) 2020/21
v) 2021/22
3a. How many subsidised bus routes have been closed in the following financial years? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised.
i) 2017/18
ii) 2018/19
iii) 2019/20
iv) 2020/21
v) 2021/22
3b. Please could you provide details of any routes that have been closed within answer 3a, including the number of the bus route, the bus provider and the names of the first and last bus stops.
4. In the following financial years, how many subsidised bus routes – not including those that have closed – saw either a reduction in vehicles operating the route or a reduction in hours of operation? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised.
i) 2017/18
ii) 2018/19
iii) 2019/20
iv) 2020/21
v) 2021/22
5. How many subsidised bus routes are currently under review with regards to their continuation? Please break the totals down by whether services are partially subsidised or fully subsidised.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-0941-2223
Thank you for your request received on 19 July 2022 asking for information about subsidised bus routes.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:
Please note that in all questions, 1-5, we are asking for information regarding public transport services rather than school buses.
1. What was your overall spend on subsidised bus services in the following financial years? Please break the totals down by services that are partially subsidised and those that are fully subsidised. i) 2017/18 ii) 2018/19 iii) 2019/20 iv) 2020/21 v) 2021/22
Please find the requested information in the table below:
£ms
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
Fares Income
1,450
1,473
1,427
707
1,119
Other Income
10
8
5
4
6
Bus Service Costs
(2,031)
(2,025)
(2,081)
(2,052)
(2,068)
Direct Bus Subsidy
(571)
(545)
(648)
(1,340)
(943)
Please note, Bus Service Costs are based on the contractual costs including ticket commission only. It excludes various other internal overheads to support the operation of the bus network.
2. How many bus routes in the following financial years did you subsidise? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised. i) 2017/18 ii) 2018/19 iii) 2019/20 iv) 2020/21 v) 2021/22
Please find the requested information in the table below:
Main Day routes
Night Services
School days only routes
Mobility Routes
2017/18
543
136
77
2
2018/19
543
136
72
2
2019/20
549
134
77
1
2020/21
547
117
71
1
2021/22
545
117
72
1
Please note the list of routes is by those that operated in that financial year, so if a route operated in only part of the year it has been counted.
• Main routes are those operating five or more days of the week with a regular service. • Night services include all routes operating at night and include the night element of a 24-hour service, so there may be some double counting with the day routes. However, we tend to cost them separately so given your question is about “subsidy” we believe this is the best way to present the numbers. It includes the weekend-only night services suspended in 2020/21 and 2021/22 as well as 7-nights a week services. • School days only services are only operated during the school term and are routes mainly provided for school pupils. • Mobility services only operate one or two days a week with occasional journey(s) • Temporary routes mainly run during diversions for road works are not induced. We are not able to provide a breakdown of whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised. The way revenue from capped fares and travelcards is allocated to a route is based on a complex algorithm derived from usage and average length of journeys on a route and so it is not the ‘actual’ revenue on a route.
3a. How many subsidised bus routes have been closed in the following financial years? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised. i) 2017/18 ii) 2018/19 iii) 2019/20 iv) 2020/21 v) 2021/22
From 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2022 there were 11 routes withdrawn on the TfL bus network. A breakdown by financial year is provided in the table below. Note: this excludes school routes.
Financial Year
Total Routes Withdrawn
2017/18
2
2018/19
4
2019/20
2
2020/21
2
2021/22
1
Total
11
3b. Please could you provide details of any routes that have been closed within answer 3a, including the number of the bus route, the bus provider and the names of the first and last bus stops.
The table below provides details on the start and end points of each route at the time of withdrawal, and the contracted operator.
Financial Year
Route
Route Description
Operator
Notes
2017/18
82
Victoria - North Finchley
Metroline
Route 13 restructured to cover route 82
2017/18
N13
Aldwych - North Finchley Bus Station
London Sovereign
Replaced by 24 hour service on restructured route 13
2018/19
10
King’s Cross – Hammersmith
London United
Route 390 restructured to cover many links, rest covered by route 9
2018/19
305
Kingsbury Circle – Edgware
Arriva London North
Restructuring of route 303 to cover old route 305
2018/19
965
Kingston, Sainsburys – Riverhill
London United Busways
Mobility route (ran just one return journey on two days a week)
2018/19
C2
Victoria/Oxford Circus – Parliament Hill Fields
Abellio London Limited
Route 88 was extended to cover virtually all of old route C2
2019/20
48
Walthamstow - London Bridge
Arriva London North Limited
Route covered by changes to routes 55 and 388
2019/20
RV1
Covent Garden – Tower Gateway
Tower Transit
Much of route little used, route 343 restructured to cover Tower Bridge links.
2020/21
391
Richmond Bus Station - Hammersmith Bus Station
London United
Route 110 extend to cover old route 391
2020/21
W10
Crews Hill, Rosewood Drive - Enfield Town
London General
This was wholly replaced by new route 456
2021/22
718
Morden Loop via Bishopsford Road
London General
This was a temporary route to cover a section of road affected by a diversion of route 118 due to long term roadworks
4. In the following financial years, how many subsidised bus routes – not including those that have closed – saw either a reduction in vehicles operating the route or a reduction in hours of operation? Please break the totals down by whether services were partially subsidised or fully subsidised. i) 2017/18 ii) 2018/19 iii) 2019/20 iv) 2020/21 v) 2021/22
From 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2022 there were 263 routes on the TfL bus network (not including those that were withdrawn) that underwent a reduction in service frequency and hours of operation. A further breakdown into frequency reduction and changes in the hours of operation is not possible as these changes are not categorised separately. A breakdown of the total by financial year is provided in the table below.
Financial Year
Routes with Frequency Reduction or Operating Hours Changed
2017/18
126
2018/19
38
2019/20
34
2020/21
5
2021/22
60
Total
263
5. How many subsidised bus routes are currently under review with regards to their continuation? Please break the totals down by whether services are partially subsidised or fully subsidised.
The Central London Bus Review is currently the subject of a consultation and proposes the withdrawal of 16 day routes and changing 45 others. On night routes, eight are proposed for withdrawal, four new ones are proposed to be introduced, 10 routes proposed to be changed, and four proposed to be renumbered without other changes. The bus routes proposed for changes or withdrawal are either well served by other routes already or would be after re-structuring other services as part of this proposal, meaning services would continue to more than meet demand and allow passengers to still make the same journeys, though with an additional interchange in some instances. As stated above, we are unable to break this down by whether the services are partially or fully subsidised.
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
