FOI request for bus revenue changes since the closure of Colindale station.
Request ID: FOI-1384-2425 Date published: 27 August 2024
You asked
FOI request for bus revenue changes since the closure of Colindale station.
Dear TFL,
Since Colindale Station closed. Please can you let me know the figures around revenue taken on bus routes 324, 204, 303, 113 and 125 for journeys in both directions between Colindale - Burnt Oak Station and Colindale - Hendon Central station?
Specifically, with Colindale station no longer open until December, I would like to know if TFL is making increased revenue from these methods that people are resorting to, to get to alternative stations to continue their journey via different tube stations.
I understand that the bus route 186 is being refunded and that the NL6 route has been put on as a free shuttle.
But for many people these routes are very inconvenient and people are taking alternative buses which are not free.
This is costing people more money on transport.
I do not believe that TFL should be getting increased revenue from Colindale customers who are being inconvenienced during this closure.
That seems very unfair.
We answered
TfL Ref: 1384-2425 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 31 July 2024 asking for information about bus revenue changes since the closure of Colindale station. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You specifically asked: Since Colindale Station closed, please can you let me know the figures around revenue taken on bus routes 324, 204, 303, 113 and 125 for journeys in both directions between Colindale - Burnt Oak Station and Colindale - Hendon Central station? Specifically, with Colindale station no longer open until December, I would like to know if TFL is making increased revenue from these methods that people are resorting to, to get to alternative stations to continue their journey via different tube stations. I understand that the bus route 186 is being refunded and that the NL6 route has been put on as a free shuttle. But for many people these routes are very inconvenient and people are taking alternative buses which are not free. This is costing people more money on transport. I do not believe that TFL should be getting increased revenue from Colindale customers who are being inconvenienced during this closure. The closure of Colindale station will result in an increase in capacity, with a new spacious ticket hall in addition to new lifts providing step-free access. To help mitigate this planned closure we have provided the NL6 bus service that operates between Colindale and Hendon Central stations – this service is free of charge to all customers. The service frequency of this service has recently been increased to provide a more reliable service, reduced wait times, and less crowding. We have also provided additional buses on the route 186 and those customers travelling this route between Mill Hill Broadway and Hendon Central stations continue to have their bus fares refunded automatically when using Contactless or Oyster cards and after touching in or out at one of these two stations throughout the duration of the works. Please see attached the data we hold on passenger numbers revenue changes for the routes you asked about. Please expand the columns where necessary to see the data. Some things to note are as follows:
These are route level figures i.e. not broken down by stop point. We don’t hold this data at the stop level. We have focused on Pay As You Go (PAYG) data because it is the only data we have on fares paid by route.
We have provided both the journey counts and revenue change from week to week, which should be informative.
We have also included an optional 'Total' tab to illustrate how the requested routes differ from the wider network.
Further information on the station closure and alternative routes is available on our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/colindale If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
