TfL is being accused of sabotaging its ‘lifeline’ local route to deter passengers and drop the service. Donna Mizzi reports
TfL is strongly suspected of planning to abandon dependent Wanstead and Woodford bus passengers from quieter roads to chase higher profits on busier routes. That’s the conclusion of rational local residents regarding the W14 (formerly the W12) – an old route used by many local residents with no easy access to any other bus or public transport.
Now, a year after the smooth-running W-bus services were plunged into turmoil by ultra-complex changes, they say the public transport body has failed to adequately improve glaring problems with the W14. That is despite massive outcries from residents, followed up by the local MP, two London Assembly members and Redbridge councillors. Calvin Bailey MP even took the matter to Parliament this year. And former QPR footballer Peter Hucker, who runs a vintage shop on Nightingale Lane, said: “It’s definitely sabotage; people can’t use it.” He was echoing the words of many other residents.
The W12, W13 and W14 were reorganised in September 2024, creating a multitude of problems. But it is the W14 bus, from Whipps Cross to Loughton, that is the most consistently abysmal, say local residents. It has been gradually reduced from a 15-minute to an hourly service that is rarely on time. Two-hour gaps have been common; occasionally, three. Apps often fail to work. Residents with mobility problems have used the bus to go out and been marooned, unable to get back home. Residents say their elderly neighbours cannot wait endlessly in severe weather and others can’t wait as they need reliable transport for work and appointments. Some residents call it the “ghost bus”, saying it’s often empty as it is too unreliable and no longer reaches useful locations. Residents are going back to using cars or having to depend on neighbours – if they can. Many hundreds of households on the Nightingale Estate, spanning Wanstead and South Woodford, and around Snaresbrook Road, say they want their proper service back.
Other major faults with the W14 include:
- It stops short of Whipps Cross Hospital.
- For a full year, the boarding point at the Whipps Cross Interchange has been unmarked and unsheltered with no seats. Calvin Bailey MP has now secured assurances that W14 boarding will be moved to a sheltered stop.
- It does not reach the supermarkets and top side of George Lane, South Woodford.
- Bus stop timetables and mini-maps omit the Nightingale Estate and Snaresbrook Road – again affecting use.
The new W14 was even redesigned to miss the most useful end of Wanstead High Street, but had to head in that direction because local councillors refused to move a traffic island. At first, passengers cried out as the bus passed three useful stops, failed to halt, and then dropped them half a mile away by Snaresbrook Tube. Gradually, TfL relented. However, TfL only agreed to stop the W14 at Woodbine Place, near Wanstead station, on 30 August, despite the bus driving past that vital stop for a year. But, still, the W14 only stops there one way – so many residents can get to the station, but not get back, or vice-versa. Again, the W14 is undermined.
A quick online survey posted by campaigners on the anniversary of the changes asked respondents to give star ratings for TfL. About 150 people responded in a week. The majority selected zero stars.
The new W12 route, which now takes a detour around Leytonstone, does provide a more frequent service along some stretches, but inconveniences others with its far longer, more congested journey to the hospital. Residents say any TfL boasts about the new system are outweighed by leaving many people with no usable services.
Meanwhile, the lack of a W14 at school start and finishing times means many Woodbridge High pupils rely on the W12 instead. But the W12 buses used were too small to take the volume of pupils, and incredibly, they have now been replaced with even smaller electric W12 buses. After some worrying crime incidents, school staff have highlighted safety dangers for pupils when they can’t catch the bus. This issue has been followed up by London Assembly member Keith Prince, who said he plans to take the deputy London Mayor to the school. Slow to respond, TfL is now due to carry out a survey.
TfL chair and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urging people to give up driving and use public transport instead. “But then, TfL takes away our buses,” say local residents.
What our elected representatives have done so far…
Calvin Bailey MP (Labour): Presented a parliamentary petition after inviting constituents to contact him. Numerous meetings with top TfL officials. Pushed for Woodbine Place stop and proper stop at Whipps Cross Interchange. Has demanded TfL provide its evidence on costings.
Keith Prince AM (Conservative): Arranged for bus route planners to join campaigners on a bus ride around the area last autumn. Lobbied TfL and London’s Deputy Mayor, and helped get the Woodbine Place stop reintroduced (one way). Followed up issues with elderly residents at Eagle Lodge, Snaresbrook, and Woodbridge High School. Raised questions to Sadiq Khan at the London Assembly.
Caroline Russell AM (Green Party): Called a meeting in Wanstead House to hear the issues. Has made the new director of buses aware. Plans to speak to campaigners to find best ways to pursue the issues.
Councillors Jo Blackman, Daniel Morgan-Thomas and Joe Hehir (Labour): Councillor Blackman states: “We have particular concerns about the adverse impact on hospital patients, schoolchildren, the vulnerable and elderly residents who relied on the W12 [now the W14] and believe that TfL’s over-reliance on data fails to take their needs adequately into account.” Redbridge Council Leader, Councillor Kam Rai, has also been involved in talks on the issue. Councillors opposed and showed concerns for bus changes, held a small Wanstead meeting, established the hospital did want the W14 within its grounds when TfL claimed it didn’t, and have spoken out in committee meetings. They liaised with the MP to achieve more stops by W14 in Wanstead.
But the big pivotal question was posed by another local councillor: “TfL won’t listen, so what can we do?” The answer may be pursuing much stronger controls over TfL, say campaigners.
To share your W-bus stories, email donnamizzi@btinternet.com
