Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been accused of “slashing public transport with one hand and pushing people out of their cars with the other”, as data reveals that almost 700,000 bus journeys were cut by Transport for London (TfL) between 2022 and 2023, says Harrow Online.
Statistics uncovered through a Freedom of Information request by Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, show that TfL had 685,557 fewer scheduled bus journeys in 2023, compared with 2022, representing a reduction in journeys of 1.9 per cent over the two years.
A mayoral spokesman said that Mr Khan had “done everything in his powers to protect bus services across the capital, despite punitive funding conditions from the Tory government”.
Ms Olney said: “The Mayor promised he would get London moving, but instead, he’s cutting infrastructure in boroughs such as Richmond, Kingston, Merton and Sutton piece by piece. [He] can’t keep slashing public transport with one hand and pushing people out of their cars with the other, he needs to provide a reliable alternative to those living in the outer boroughs.
“It’s not just Sadiq Khan though,” Ms Olney added. “Conservative ministers have turned TfL’s funding into a political football, forcing cuts to essential services and delaying support until the last possible moment.”
(Picture – Martin Lee/Dreamstime)
