The squeaky wheel has finally got the grease in Rotherhithe after it was announced that buses on the much-maligned C10 bus route would soon be dramatically increased in frequency.
A cross-party campaign has been rewarded with a decision by Transport to London to run at least two more buses per hour on the overcrowded journey between Canada Water and Victoria stations – which once held the dubious honour of being the second-most complained about route in London.
Passengers currently wait ten minutes for a bus during peak time, twelve minutes during off-peak, and twenty minutes on evenings and Sundays. From October 10, these waits will be reduced to seven-and-a-half minutes, eight minutes and twelve minutes, respectively.
“It’s great news that the service has been improved,” Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle, who organised a 300-strong petition to TfL demanding improvement while a councillor, told the News.
“This is one of these campaigns where people had a genuine concern. We got involved and made sure we kept the pressure on. It wasn’t just about a petition, there was a lot of work and people involved, and great that it’s been a success.”
Former MP Simon Hughes, who once invited the then-TfL Head of Surface Transport David Brown to take a trip with him on the criticised route, also welcomed the news.
He said: “It was great to lead the campaign with my councillor friends which led to the new C10 service some years ago. It is great that it has become so popular, and it is great that London Buses have now responded to the public and Liberal Democrat and Labour calls to increase the frequency of the service.”