Our Ref:          FOI-2745-1718

Thank you for your request received on 28 December 2017 asking for information about route 106.

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 hold some of the information you require.

TfL Buses regularly reviews the bus network to ensure that the right level of bus capacity is being provided according to passenger demand. A review of capacity and demand on route 106 was undertaken in Summer 2017 which showed that there had been a general decrease in demand over the last couple of years from around 19,400 weekday trips in 2014/15 to 17,700 weekday trips in 2016/17. This represents a 9% decrease in weekday usage. Surveys using both Oyster card and manual loading counts were also used to understand existing demand which showed that the existing frequency of service could be reduced to 6 buses per hour (bph) which would still be generally sufficient to meet demand as shown below. Furthermore, the new service also includes the operation of two additional peak hour journeys in the AM peak towards Finsbury Park to ensure that sufficient capacity was provided at the busiest point on the route. This means that 8 bph would operate between 0730 and 0830 at Finsbury Park which was identified as one of the busiest points (also observed in the table below).

Route Location Direction Time Buses Arrive BPH Reg Depart BPH Reg Survey Date
106 Finsbury Park Interchange NB 07:45 7 410 5.9 0 0.0 06/03/17
106 Queens Drive NB 08:30 8 443 6.3 391 5.6 14/11/16
106 Finsbury Park, Blackstock Road SB 17:30 9 342 4.9 390 5.6 23/09/19
106 City & Islington College SB 16:50 10 319 4.6 296 4.2 28/04/17

Route 106 still retains its existing routeing, meaning that all passengers, including those who are elderly or are disabled will still have access to the service whether it is the only service they have access to, or have access to alternative travel options, albeit with a slightly lower frequency of service.

Where TfL Buses intends to reduce the frequency of a bus service, there is no statutory requirement to formally consult. This is different to altering the structure, extending or withdrawing a bus service which does require TfL Buses into undertake a formal consultation with the affect boroughs and other stakeholders.

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
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]