Residents in the Lavender Fields area of Merton will get a bus service for the first time from this weekend, Saturday 12 April, as route S1 is extended from Mitcham to serve the area. 

The route will now operate between Banstead and Lavender Fields via Sutton, St Helier and Mitcham.

The changes have been made to route S1 in response to local residents' requests and have been made possible by collaborative working between Transport for London (TfL) and Merton Council.

In Mitcham the route will now run via Cranmer Road to reach Cricket Green, then via Mitcham town centre, London Road and Victoria Road to the new Lavender Fields terminus. 

It will no longer serve Upper Green East and Commonside West, though routes 264, 270 and 355 will continue to do so.

This enhancement follows on from an increase in frequency last November, which saw services increase by a third from three to four buses an hour. 

The route will continue to be served by single deck buses.

John Barry, Head of Network Development for TfL, said: `Residents in the Lavender Fields area have been calling for improved transport links.

`We have listened and by working closely with Merton Council have been able to deliver this new bus link.'

This service improvement is part of TfL's management and development of a network that comprises around 700 routes across Greater London operated by 7,600 buses at peak times, carrying more than 2.3 billion passengers every year. 

TfL keeps the network under regular review, working with the London boroughs and other partners to help ensure that services can respond to London's changing travel needs. 

Demand and reliability is monitored very closely and regular changes are made to schedules and routes as a result. 

Bus service levels in London have increased by over 40 per cent since the formation of TfL in 2000 and reliability and customer satisfaction are at the highest levels since records began.