FAQs

These new express routes are designed to minimise the number of stops and journey time, while maximising access to the route by serving interchanges with other bus and rail routes, and key attractors such as town centres.

We think the stops proposed for the SL5 would give people more transport options to move between key locations in Bromley and Croydon. It connects town centres, schools and transport hubs with a quicker and more direct bus service than existing routes, and would encourage more sustainable journeys in outer London.

We think we are proposing the right stops where there is the most demand for more transport options, however we want your feedback on whether these are the right places for a new limited stop route.

We have designed our proposals to provide quicker journey times by stopping less frequently.

The SL5 would run with:

• Buses every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday, and
• Buses every 15 minutes on evenings and Sundays
• It would be timetabled to run at similar times as a regular day service would

We are not proposing any changes to the frequency of the existing bus route.

Our aim is that the SL5 could be operating by Spring 2024. This is dependent on the outcome of this consultation, and further feasibility and commercial terms.  

We are still reviewing what type of bus would run on the proposed Superloop routes, as this can depend on any restrictions on roads, for example bridges or low tree branches. We are aware of restrictions on the route of the SL5 which may mean we would have to run single decker buses in order to run the express service we are proposing. The type of bus would be confirmed before the route starts running.

We are proposing to introduce the Superloop, which would be made up of express bus routes that circle the entire capital, connecting key outer London town centres, stations and transport hubs.

The Superloop would be designed to provide quicker journey times with routes stopping less frequently, while serving key places such as town centres, hospitals, schools and transport interchanges.

Express bus services in London are generally routes that skip stops to speed up passenger journey times. The express bus services we operate generally stop as little as possible while maximising connectivity when they do by serving the busiest bus stops along the route such as town centres, and interchanges with other bus routes and rail lines.

Yes, normal bus fares will apply on the Superloop. Freedom and concessionary passes will also be valid, subject to the usual restrictions.

The Mayor has asked us to propose a system of express bus routes that would create an orbital link across outer London, known as the Superloop. The network is currently in development, but routes could serve Barnet, Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hillingdon, Greenwich, Kensington & Chelsea (100 metres to nearest Superloop route SL8) Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Richmond, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Westminster. Route SL7, which links Heathrow and West Croydon, also operates through North Cheam and Worcester Park with bus stops that are a short distance from the London Borough of Merton. While route X26 does not stop in the London Borough of Hounslow, it does stop at Hatton Cross station which is 100 metres from the borough boundary.

Route SL4 will also form part of the Superloop and will start operating in 2025 when the Silvertown Tunnel opens. Route X239 will run between Canary Wharf and Grove Park via Blackheath and Lee, running non-stop between Leamouth and Sun in the Sands (Greenwich).