One year on from improvements to route 5, more buses to be added at the busiest times
"Route 5 is the one of the busiest routes in London and demand for its services continues to grow. We added extra capacity last year - to give our passengers the best possible service and we're now adding more so that we can continue to cater for this growth in demand"
John Barry
Head of Network Development for buses, TfL

Local bus services in the east London area are to get a further boost as Transport for London (TfL) again introduces additional buses on route 5, which will provide extra capacity to meet increased passenger demand during the busiest commuter peaks and at school finishing times.

The route, which operates between Romford Market and Canning Town via Barking and East Ham will see more capacity from Monday 16 March:

  • Two additional journeys to run from Becontree Heath Bus Station to Canning Town in the morning rush hour;
  • Two additional journeys to run from Becontree Heath Bus Station (opposite All Saints School & Technology College) to Canning Town at school finishing times;
  • Two additional journeys to run from Canning Town to Romford in the evening rush hour.

John Barry, TfL's Head of Network Development for buses, said:

'Route 5 is the one of the busiest routes in London and demand for its services continues to grow. We added extra capacity last year - to give our passengers the best possible service and we're now adding more so that we can continue to cater for this growth in demand.'

This service change is part of TfL's management and development of a network that comprises of around 700 routes across Greater London, operated by 7,600 buses at peak times, carrying more than 2.4 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.

Since TfL was formed in 2000 it has invested strongly in London's bus network - resulting in a 69 per cent increase in passenger numbers. London Buses now carry more than 2.4 billion passengers a year, which equates to half of all bus journeys made in England. In recognition of the continued need to invest in bus services - with a increase in demand from the city's rapidly growing population - TfL's latest Business Plan has dedicated around £500m to improve the network over the period from 2015/16 to 2020/21.

This will include funding for over 500 extra buses, which will create capacity for an extra 2.9 million customer journeys each week. There is also an additional £200m which will be invested in supporting the reliability of the bus network at a local level with bus priority schemes. A further £25m will be used to fund customer-focused bus driver training to improve customer service.

 

Notes to Editors:

  • Route 5 is operated by Stagecoach.
  • Route 5 runs with 9 buses per hour at most times, and up to 16 buses per hour during the busiest peak.