South Newham Bus Changes

Between 20 January 2020 and 8 March 2020 we ran a consultation to understand your views on our proposals to increase the frequency of route 376, as well as changes to bus routes 101, 241, 262 and 325. We wanted to understand your views on how the changes could impact you. Thank you to those that took part in the consultation.

Our consultation report can be found in the 'Documents' section.

Overview

The Royal Docks area in south Newham is undergoing considerable changes. New housing developments, new employment opportunities, the opening of the Elizabeth line and other factors have led and will lead to changes in the way people travel by bus. To understand how the bus network might respond to these changes, we have undertaken a review of bus services in south Newham which has identified possible changes to some bus routes.

The review, which also proposes increasing the frequency of route 376, can be found here.

What is proposed and why?

Routes 101 and 262

It is proposed to:

• Curtail route 101 at Beckton Bus Station instead of Gallions Reach Shopping Park. It would continue to operate between Wanstead and Beckton Bus Station as frequently as every 12 minutes
• Curtail route 262 at Beckton Bus Station instead of East Beckton Sainsbury’s. It would continue to operate between Stratford and Beckton Bus Station as frequently as every 11 minutes

No changes would be made to route 366 which will continue to link Beckton Bus Station with Gallions Reach Shopping Park as frequently as every 10 minutes. It will therefore be possible to change from routes 101 and 262 onto route 366 at Beckton Bus Station to continue your journey.

To help passengers make changes as part of their journey, the Mayor introduced the Hopper fare in 2016. This has already helped millions of passengers make affordable bus journeys across London. The Hopper fare allows passengers to make multiple journeys within one hour at no extra cost.

The Gallions Reach area is served by routes 101, 262 and 366 (and route 325 at the northern end). These three routes provide up to 22 buses per hour. However, demand for buses in this area has gone down significantly, probably due to changing shopping habits. Only four buses per hour are required to meet demand at the busiest time.

Curtailing routes 101 and 262 while retaining route 366 will better match capacity with demand, allowing the resources saved to be used where demand is growing elsewhere on the network.

A map showing the proposed changes to routes 101 and 262 can be found in the 'Documents' section.

Route 241

It is proposed to:

• Extend route 241 from Custom House to Royal Wharf via Connaught Bridge and North Woolwich Road, increasing its frequency from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes during Sunday shopping hours and all evenings

The North Woolwich Road is undergoing significant change. Developments like Royal Wharf and future developments like Knights Road and Silvertown Quays are providing thousands of new housing and job opportunities. This means more demand for bus services in the area.

Following the previous Elizabeth Line bus consultation it was decided that route 241 be withdrawn between Canning Town (Hermit Road) and Custom House station and replaced by route 474 instead. This scheme is awaiting the Elizabeth Line opening before being implemented.

Extending the 241 to Royal Wharf will provide additional bus capacity to a growing part of the Royal Docks and provide new links to such destinations as the Elizabeth line and Plaistow.

As part of the Royal Wharf planning application, the developers agreed to design the development to allow bus access including a bus stand on Royal Crest Avenue. This would need to be delivered by the developer if the proposal goes ahead.

A map showing the proposed changes to route 241 can be found in the 'Documents' section.

Route 325

It is proposed to:

• Extend route 325 from Prince Regent DLR Station to Royal Albert Dock (RAD), increasing its frequency from every 12 minutes to every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, and from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes during Sunday shopping hours and all evenings
• Initially, the 325 would use the temporary routeing of Victoria Dock Road, Royal Albert Way and Beckton Park roundabout to a new stand within the RAD development until phase three of the development, when the western access from Lascars Avenue is completed. At that time, it would enter via Royal Albert roundabout and also serve Newham Council’s offices

The developer ABP is building a large new office development called Royal Albert Dock over several phases. Once complete, an estimated 13,000 people will work there. Together with the adjacent Newham Council offices and University of East London, it will become a major employment centre.

As part of the planning application, the developers agreed to make provision for bus services including a bus stand. This provision will be necessary if the proposal goes ahead.

As well as the proposed enhancements to the 325 it is also intended to increase the frequency of the 376. We will increase the frequency on route 376 from every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytimes. It is expected that further bus improvements will be required as the development completes and more people work there.

Maps showing the proposed changes to route 325 for both initial development stages and later development stages can be found in the 'Documents' section.

How will passengers be affected?

Passengers are expected to be benefit from the proposed changes to routes 241 and 325 as they will provide additional capacity, frequency and new direct travel opportunities.

Existing users of routes 101 and 262 will be required to change buses to complete their journey should the proposals be implemented. Interchange will be possible at a number of locations, but it is assumed it will mainly occur at Beckton bus station which has good facilities for passengers.

Impact on protected groups

We have undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA). The EqIA can be found in the 'Documents' section.