London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Nov 29, 2025

Mayor in new row over planned cuts to ‘iconic’ bus routes

Mayor in new row over planned cuts to ‘iconic’ bus routes

Sadiq Khan initially proposed axing 22 routes and reducing the frequency or length of almost 60 more but performed a partial U-turn and saved all but three
Sadiq Khan was on Wednesday caught in a new row over bus cuts as MPs urged him to reconsider changes to “iconic” routes.

The mayor has come under renewed pressure over the imminent axing of the 11 and the re-routing of the 211 and 26 to save money and “more closely match” passenger demand.

The 11 route, which has linked Fulham and Liverpool Street via Chelsea and Bank since 1906, is due to be abolished from early next year.

The 211, which links Hammersmith and Waterloo, is to be rerouted to end at Battersea Power Station — meaning it will no longer serve Victoria, Westminster and St Thomas’s Hospital.

The 26 from Hackney will no longer go south of the river to Waterloo but will be redirected along the Strand and Whitehall to Victoria.

Nickie Aiken, Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, said the changes to the 211 would result in her constituents losing a direct link to five hospitals — Charing Cross, Chelsea & Westminster, Royal Marsden, Royal Brompton and St Thomas’s.

She said residents were paying the price for the Mayor’s “poor financial management of TfL” and faced having to change buses or a longer walk.

“They will pay a big price for Sadiq Khan’s long-term transport failings,” she said. “He’s had £6 billion in handouts over the last couple of years - more than any other city or region. It’s a mind-boggling sum and he still can’t provide Londoners with the buses they need to attend medical appointments or visit loved ones in hospital.”

Tony Devenish, a Tory member of the London Assembly, pleaded with Mr Khan at Mayor’s Question Time to save the 211 and “iconic” 11.

He said a Transport for London consultation this summer found 90 per cent support for saving the 11 and 92 per cent support for the 211.

He requested a meeting between the mayor and Ms Aiken and fellow Tory MPs Felicity Buchan and Greg Hands. “We would love to save these buses still,” he told Mr Khan.

Mr Khan said only 22 per cent of the mileage cuts first proposed by TfL were being implemented after he decided to user £25m a year of City Hall reserves to keep more buses running.

This meant that only four out of 16 neighbourhoods across London would suffer cuts, he said.

He had initially proposed axing 22 routes and reducing the frequency or length of almost 60 more but performed a partial U-turn and saved all but three - the 11, 16 and 521 - and curtailed 15 other routes.

In Chelsea, he said the 14, 74 and C3 were being saved while route 507, which currently links Waterloo and Victoria stations, would be extended via Chelsea to Fulham Broadway and renumbered 11.

Mr Khan said he would save the buses if the Government provided extra funding. “There is still time to save those buses if the Government steps up,” he said.

“What I would say to those three MPs is: they have got a direct route to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the [Transport] Secretary. If the Government wants to give us the money we deserve... I would be more than willing to make those changes.”

TfL said about seven per cent of passengers using the routes would have to changes buses to complete their journey. It said the new 11 would serve St Thomas’s hospital.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
×