Consultation update 19 October 2021
Between 5 July and 30 July 2021 we held a public consultation on a proposal to extend school bus route 633 from its current end point at Beddington Church in Wallington, to South Lodge Avenue in Pollards Hill. As part of our proposal we aimed to address issues related to space on board route 463, and to reduce bus waiting times for customers during busy school travel times.
We received 36 responses to the consultation. Thank you to those who took part. Overall, 88% of respondents considered the proposal would have a positive impact. Please see our consultation summary report in the ‘Documents’ section for further details including our response to issues that were raised.
After careful consideration of feedback received, we have decided to proceed with our proposal to extend school bus route 633 to Pollards Hill. We would like to introduce the route extension during the current 2021/2022 school year.
The start date is subject to confirmation of funding, and coordination with landowners related to some light tree pruning required on Recreation Way. This is required before a double deck vehicle can safely operate on this part of the route.
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Our proposal
Young people in the Pollards Hill area travelling towards Wallington are, at times, unable to board the first 463 bus service to get to and from school or college.
We want to address issues related to space on board the 463 bus, and to reduce bus waiting times for customers during busy school travel times.
We have developed a proposal to extend school bus route 633 from its current end point at Beddington Church in Wallington, to South Lodge Avenue in Pollards Hill. It is hoped that this would enable more young people travelling to school and college to use route 633 and therefore free up space on route 463.
We are now holding a public consultation on our proposals, running from 5 July to 30 July 2021, and you can find details of how to take part below.
Bus route 633 currently operates four journeys each day on term-time weekdays.
There are two journeys each morning and two journeys each afternoon, using double deck buses. Its role is to provide some additional capacity, by duplicating route 463 between Coulsdon and Wallington.
Under our proposal, the 633 route would duplicate the 463 route in its entirety, except it would not serve the ASDA Wallington Superstore.
While there are no plans to increase the frequency of route 633 as part of this proposal, should we decide to proceed, new departure times would be introduced from South Lodge Avenue in Pollards Hill.
Bus route 463 is a single deck vehicle. Some of the roads on its route between Beddington Church and South Lodge Lane have not been previously used by a double deck bus. These are Meopham Road, Woodstock Way, Grove Road, Tamworth Lane, Windmill Road and Manor Lane.
We have carried out a bus route test to check the suitability of these roads to accommodate a double deck vehicle. We found that while no new infrastructure would be required on these roads, some light tree pruning may need to take place to ensure a larger vehicle could operate safely. A map showing the proposed changes can be found in the 'documents' section.
Equalities Impact Assessment
We have undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA). The EqIA examines what impact (positive or negative) the proposed route change may have on customers with characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.
We consider the impacts of bus service change proposals on equality groups throughout the planning process ensuring, where possible, effective mitigations are in place where no viable alternative is available. The EqIA can be found in the ‘documents’ section.
What’s next?
This proposal is subject to the outcome of our consultation. Should we decide we will proceed with our plan, the route 633 extension could potentially be in place during the autumn term of the 2021/2022 school year.
Have your say
We are running a public consultation about this proposal. The consultation is open from Monday 5 July 2021 to Friday 30 July 2021.
Please share your views by taking part in our online survey. It should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete.
To take part you will need to register with your email address. Your details will be kept secure and only used, with your permission, to update you about the outcome of the consultation and our next steps.
If you prefer not to complete the survey, then please submit your response to us in writing to Haveyoursay@tfl.gov.uk or FREEPOST TFL HAVE YOUR SAY - 633 bus (no stamp needed).
