Can you tell me why the frequency of the 466 was increased recently? Many buses are nearly empty between Purley and Caterham on the Hill and between Shirley and Addington where the 466 does the same route as the 130. This is a waste of resources that could be put to far better use elsewhere.

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TfL Ref: 3714-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 1 March 2020 asking for information about bus route 466.

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 asked:

Can you tell me why the frequency of the 466 was increased recently? Many buses are nearly empty between Purley and Caterham on the Hill and between Shirley and Addington where the 466 does the same route as the 130. This is a waste of resources that could be put to far better use elsewhere.

We plan capacity to match demand at the busiest point on all our bus routes.  The 466 had been operating every 10 minutes prior to the frequency increase.  It was identified that it needed to operate every 8 minutes at the following location, direction and times:

Southbound from East Croydon to South Croydon, Swan and Sugar Loaf between 07:15 and 08:30

Northbound in Purley between 1600 and 1700

Increasing the frequency in all periods offers passenger benefits away from these time periods and locations through reduced average wait times.  A business case was developed to ensure that the resources deployed represented overall value for money before a decision was made.  This balances costs against passenger benefits and expected revenue.  Because there is significant demand for the 466, following suitable diligence and scrutiny it was deemed that increasing frequency on the 466 was a good use of public money.

Operating this level of service even where demand is lower allows us to retain a simple network and ensures passengers can have consistent journey options available throughout the day. 

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

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