Town hall warns disabled and elderly to be hit hardest by TfL cuts

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

Disabled and elderly Londoners could be hit hardest by bus cuts, it has been warned.

Bosses at Hammersmith and Fulham council are concerned some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents will be left isolated at home if changes are introduced to bus routes in the area.

Transport for London (TfL) is proposing to change 15 bus routes within Hammersmith and Fulham and the C3, 11, 14, 72 and 74 buses could be scrapped. The 23, 27, 49, 272, 283, 328 and 414 could all be rerouted.

As many as 20 per cent of Hammersmith and Fulham residents are Freedom Pass holders on these routes.

Londoners who are aged over 66 or have a disability are allowed to use the pass to travel for free on the bus, and the council fears the cuts would put barriers up and stop people from getting out of their homes and enjoying London.

Elderly and disabled residents could face longer waits at bus stops in the cold and have to walk further to catch other routes or make more interchanges.

Fifty two per cent of disabled Londoners do not have household access to a car and depend on methods of transport like the bus to get around.

There are also fears that key routes to Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals will be disrupted.

The council has also pointed out that more than a third of bus journeys are made by Londoners with a household income of less than £20,000.

The council has asked the government to provide more funding for Transport for London (TfL) to make sure bus routes are not slashed. It has also made a formal objection to bus changes.

Hammersmith and Fulham deputy leader, councillor Ben Coleman, said: “It is worrying that the Government is requiring TfL to make cuts to services. Londoners shouldn’t have to pay for Covid by losing their buses.

“Journeys will become more difficult and some people may turn to cars, costing them more and making our streets more polluted. We urge the government to provide funding lost during Covid and urge TfL to think again.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and decisions on bus routes and frequencies are a matter for him and TfL.

“Over the past two years, we have provided more than £6 billion to ensure London’s transport system kept running throughout the pandemic – and the latest settlement, agreed by the Mayor, protects it against lost revenue as well as supporting £3.6 billion worth of major projects.”

Geoff Hobbs, director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL, said: “The consultation has now closed and we thank all those who have shared their views with us on the proposals.

“As with all our consultations, we will take into account all public and stakeholder responses, along with the latest ridership data, before reaching any final decisions.

“We carried out a full equality impact assessment as part of the proposals, which looked at the impact on vulnerable groups. This will be updated to reflect feedback from around 20,000 responses we received.”

Pictured top: The number 11 bus stuck in traffic (Picture: Jacob Phillips)