One year ago TfL launched the SL8, the very first route to carry the Superloop branding. New data shows the average increase in passengers on all Superloop corridors (including parallel routes) since the June 2023 baseline is 11 per cent, nine per cent higher than the network average. Increasing numbers of customers are seeing the benefits of the game-changing network of express bus services, with new Superloop services adding more than six million bus kilometres per year to the capital’s network, above the four million originally forecast. The Superloop network connects people using it with 310 other bus routes, 49 rail stations and 23 rail lines, improving outer London’s connectivity.
The SL8 route, which runs between Uxbridge and White City, was the first of four existing routes to be renumbered over the summer last year to provide customers with an instantly recognisable express bus service in outer London. The route has the highest average weekday demand of all Superloop routes as patronage increased by 18 per cent between June 2023 and May 2024. Improvements on the SL8 included a change to the timetable with improved frequencies and expanded operating hours to provide more early morning and evening services, as well as USB charging and new priority seating.
The Superloop network is helping to increase bus patronage around London. The SL7, which launched on 19 August 2023 and replaced the previous X26 route between West Croydon and Heathrow Airport, saw the largest increase in Superloop patronage between June 2023 and May 2024, with there being a 91 per cent increase in journeys as a result of the doubling in service frequency. Once the change in patronage on parallel routes was taken into account, corridor demand increased by 21 per cent. Patronage on the SL6 route from Russell Square to West Croydon also increased by 20 per cent in the same period. Furthermore, growth on the five most recent routes to launch, SL1, SL2, SL3, SL5 and SL10 was 16 per cent higher in May than June 2023 in terms of average weekday corridor demand.
Bus ridership continues to grow across the network with 1.86 billion bus journeys made in 2023/2024. More than 95 per cent of Londoners live within 400 metres of a bus stop, with buses being the most accessible, sustainable and affordable form of public transport. The Superloop connects town centres, hospitals, schools and transport hubs and other key locations across outer London. Early ridership figures show that almost half of all Superloop journeys involve an interchange with another mode of public transport, showing the important role it is already playing in outer London’s connectivity. Alongside the daily cap, the Mayor’s Hopper Fare means customers can take unlimited journeys within an hour for just £1.75, saving Londoners money on multi-route journeys, and encouraging more sustainable travel.
