London’s intricate patchwork of public transport is set to welcome yet another piece, as TfL has just confirmed the arrival of a shiny new ‘Bakerloop’ bus route this autumn. The service will be known officially as the BL1 (but the Bakerloop between friends) and will run along the proposed (but unfortunately yet to be confirmed) Bakerloo Line extension route that’s been perched at the very top of every south Londoner’s wish-list for many years now.
The Bakerloop bus route
The Bakerloop service will run between Waterloo and Lewisham Town Centrepassing the likes of Elephant & Castle, Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, and New Cross Gate as it does so. These particular south-east London spots are notoriously poorly connected, and so although it doesn’t hold a candle to the prospect of an actual Bakerloo Line extension; the speedy new bus route is certainly a step ride in the right direction.
The confirmation of the new Bakerloop bus route comes following a public consultation, which – according to TfL – received a pretty positive response. There were 1298 responses in total. 23% of respondents saying that they’d use the route every day, and a whopping 82% of them saying that it would be a more convenient option. Unsurprisingly however, south-east Londoners are still making it clear that their preference would be to see the long-awaited extension of the Bakerloo Line come into fruition.
The Superloop bus network
The Bakerloop route will join the existing network of 10 speedy Superloop routes that are already whizzing around the city. The Superloop routes are express bus services that connect key outer London transport hubs with minimal stops along the way. There’s currently no exact launch date for the Bakerloop bus route, but when it does get up and running, there will be services every 12 minutes on Mondays-Saturdays, and every 15 minutes on Sundays.
Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacressaid on the news: “This must be just the beginning. With growing public support, we will continue to press for the Bakerloo Line upgrade and extension – a game-changing project that will mean faster journeys and new opportunities for our community as well as thousands of homes, jobs and economic growth unlocked for the UK.”
Find out more about the new Bakerloop bus route here.
