A new operator has been found after a bus company suddenly withdrew eight TfL services.
Sullivan Buses, which runs the 217, 298, 299, 327, 389, 399, 549 and W9 bus routes, said on Friday it had “reluctantly” decided to stop the services due to “decreasing income” from TfL.
But TfL quickly resolved the issue, announcing that a replacement had been found for Sullivan days later. However, in an update on X, TfL announced that a full service was planned on the 327, 389, 399, 549, and W9 while a reduced service will be carried out on the 217, 298 and 299, according to the London Evening Standard.
Sullivan explained in the X post that pressures on TfL’s funding “had a direct impact on our decision.”
The company said: “Unfortunately, the remuneration for providing TfL’s services has not kept pace with the increasing costs of service delivery. In addition, financial penalties as a result of an increase in traffic congestion post Covid, has further impacted on the viability of our TfL contracts.”
Sullivan said it met with TfL in June where it was “unable to agree a way forward”, with TfL requesting “a date for our business to hand back all contracts”.
Sullivan also said that at the time of the meeting, TfL owed it more than £130,000 which TfL had initially offered to repay “in installments”.
(Pic – Alamar)
