Transport for London makes improvements to bus route 308

• New links to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• Improved transport connections for the Clapton area

Transport for London has today announced improvements to route 308 providing passengers with more frequent services, new direct links to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with its host of waterways, parklands and world-class venues, as well as enhanced links for the Clapton area.  The service improvements will be introduced on Saturday 25 January.

Buses will be rerouted via Stratford City bus station and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - giving easy access to East Village, the new neighbourhood on the site of the former London 2012 Athletes Village.  This will give better access to a whole range of leisure facilities, including the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and the VeloPark.

The route will also be extended from its current terminus at Clapton Park to Lea Bridge Roundabout to provide better links for the Clapton area with Stratford. This will benefit passengers offering a wider choice of transport connections.

Frequency increased

To meet the expected increase in passenger demand there will be more buses operating on the route, with frequency increasing to every 12 minutes from every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes, and increasing to every 20 minutes from every 30 minutes during the evening and Sunday daytimes.

Following these changes buses will no longer serve part of Leyton Road, High Road (Leyton) and Ruckholt Road.  This means the service will no longer call at Leyton Underground station but will continue to serve Stratford providing passengers with a wide choice of transport connections.

John Barry, Head of Network Development for TfL, said: "These improvements provide new direct links to Westfield Stratford City, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and East Village.  Good bus links for these destinations are essential in helping ensure the 2012 legacy."

Customer satisfaction

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.

The north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Copper Box Arena opened to the public in July last year. From 5 April 2014, people will be able to explore more of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as the newly landscaped south of the Park opens to the public for the first time since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visitors will be able to enjoy beautiful parklands, fountains and waterways, world-class sporting venues, arts and events and children's play areas.