• Route X140 will be renumbered as the SL9 from Saturday 26 August
  • The rebranded service will serve the same places and stops as route X140 and connects Harrow and Heathrow Central
  • The SL9 is the fourth bus route to become part of the Superloop express bus network
  • Entire loop of the Superloop to be in service by Spring 2024 subject to consultation

Route X140 between Harrow and Heathrow Central will be renumbered SL9 and rebranded to become part of the Superloop from Saturday 26 August, offering customers an instantly recognisable express bus service in west London. This route will also feature other improvements, including improved customer information, renaming of some stops to better reflect their location, and from Saturday, the route will be a fully zero emission route. There will also be USB charging points on all buses. This is part of TfL and the Mayor's plans for Superloop, a transformative network of express bus services in outer London to strengthen and improve public transport options and maximise the benefits of the London-wide ULEZ expansion.

Buses on the SL9 route will call at the same stops as the X140, but some of the bus stop names have changed to better reflect their locations, such as Willow Tree Lane, which is now Yeading Lane / Willow Tree Lane.

More than 95 per cent of Londoners live within 400 metres of a bus stop, and thanks to the Mayor's Hopper fare, customers can take unlimited journeys within an hour for just £1.75.

Data from the X140 shows that over 40 per cent of users of the route have interchanged from another bus, showing the benefits of the Hopper Fare and the wider benefits provided by the Superloop.

Last month, as he welcomed the first Superloop bus to the road, the Mayor confirmed that the full loop will be complete by Spring 2024, subject to consultation and with the exception of route SL4, which will start when the Silvertown tunnel opens in 2025.

Consultations are still open for the SL2, the SL3 and the SL5 and TfL is asking Londoners local to the area to let them know how the Superloop could best serve them by responding to the consultations online at www.haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance said: "It's great to see more Superloop buses on the streets of London, and I'm excited for the SL9 to join them from Saturday. The Superloop is delivering more frequent and longer running bus services, with the express services circling the city, providing quicker links between transport hubs, town centres, schools and hospitals and offering Londoners even stronger alternatives to private car use, helping us to build a better, greener London for everyone."

Louise Cheeseman, Director of Buses at TfL said: "The newly renumbered and branded SL9 will ensure people in outer London have an instantly recognisable express bus route, helping to make it easier to choose a sustainable way to travel. Buses are the most accessible, available and affordable form of public transport connecting outer London's network to town centres, hospitals, schools and transport hubs. We'll continue to work on our further plans for the Superloop to make it even easier for people travel around outer London."

Nigel Wood, Chief Operating Officer at RAPT, said: "We are delighted to be a key part of TfL's Superloop express bus network, bringing sustainable transport solutions to local residents and visitors to London."

Sophie Chapman, Heathrow's Surface Access Director, said: "We are delighted to work with TfL on these route improvements. Sustainable and affordable travel options to the airport are very important for our colleagues as well as airline passengers, but these journeys will also benefit others in the local community too. This improvement is one of many delivered as part of Heathrow's Sustainable Travel Zone, and we continue to work with TfL to deliver vital connectivity in and around London."

On Saturday 19 August, route X26 was rebranded as the SL7, with the frequency of the service doubling to every 15 minutes as part of its introduction to the Superloop network. The SL8, was also extended to provide more early morning and evening services. From Saturday 26 August, customers in outer London are also able to take advantage of other improved bus services including:

  • Route 123 will be a 24-hour service, seven days a week travelling between Wood Green Station and Ilford
  • Route 158 will be a 24-hour service, seven-days-a-week travelling between Stratford Bus Station and Chingford Mount
  • Route 86 travelling between Stratford Bus Station and Romford Station will see its frequency increased on Sundays. It will run every 8-9 minutes instead of every 10 minutes during the day
  • Route 141 travelling between London Bridge and Palmers Green will see its frequency increase. It will run every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes in the evening every day of the week, and all day on Sundays buses run every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes. There will be changes to the times of the first buses on Sundays with services running earlier
  • Routes 79 (which runs between Alperton Sainsbury's and Edgware station) and 83 (which runs between Alperton station and Golders Green station) will be extended, following a consultation that took place earlier this year. Route 79 will be extended to Stonebridge Park station via Mount Pleasant and Beresford Avenue. Route 83 will also be extended from its current terminus at Alperton station to Alperton Sainsbury's via Ealing Road, replacing route 79 between these points

TfL is working to ensure customers are informed of the changes, with branded posters and timetables being placed at bus stops and bus stations plus updated spider maps. Regular users of the routes have received two emails ahead of the changes taking place.

For more information about the proposed Superloop express bus network, please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/outer-london-transport#on-this-page-1 and https://www.london.gov.uk/superloop-buses-launched-networks-full-loop-be-service-spring-2024-subject-consultation

Notes to editors

  • The SL9 service connects Harrow and Heathrow Central and will run every 12 minutes from Monday to Saturday and Sunday running every 15 mins
  • Customers have been informed of the changes with branded posters and timetables being placed at bus stops and bus stations plus updated spider maps. Regular users of the routes have received two emails ahead of the changes taking place
  • SL9 bus stop name changes are as follows:
    • Willow Tree Lane to Yeading Lane / Willow Tree Lane
    • Manor Lane to Harlington High Street / Sipson Lane (North)
    • Manse Close to Harlington High Street / Sipson Lane (South)
    • Station Parade to Northolt Park Station
    • Hayes Town to Hayes Town Centre
    • The Grapes to Hayes / The Grapes
    • Tangmere Gardens to Yeading / Tangmere Gardens
    • Dilston Close to Yeading / Dilston Close
  • Routes 123 and 158 used to have a weekend-only night service, but they were suspended in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic alongside the Night Tube services which they connected to. We have now reviewed both routes and identified demand for night services on all nights of the week. Buses will run every 30 minutes throughout the night, between the times of the current last and first, offering connections with the Night Tube service at weekends and other Night Bus services throughout the week. Both routes will continue to serve the same stops as now, and frequencies at other times will not change
  • Route 86 will run every 8-9 minutes instead of every 10 minutes during the day on Sundays. There are no changes to the frequency at any other time or first and last buses on any day of the week
  • Route 141 will have its evening frequency increased on all days of the week running every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes. Buses will also run more frequently all day on Sunday with buses running every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes. There will be changes to the times of the first buses on Sundays with services running earlier. There are no changes to the frequency at any other time
  • TfL keeps the bus network under constant review to ensure service levels are in line with demand and will monitor these changes once they have been introduced. The flexible nature of the bus network means changes can be made at relatively short notice if required. Customers of the affected routes will be notified by email ahead of the changes and bus stop publicity will be updated. Customers are encouraged to check their journeys using the planning tools on TfL's website or the TfL Go app
  • TfL continues to deliver the Bus Action Plan, which aims to increase the number of customers choosing to travel by bus across London by making bus travel better, faster and greener