Julia Lopez MP has written to Mayor Khan calling on TfL to increase capacity on the 499 route at peak times in Harold Hill. The letter comes following concerns raised by parents that their children are regularly unable to board the service due to overcrowding, often missing the start of the school day and having a knock on effect on their education.
At the start of the school year, Mrs Lopez was contacted by a constituent outlining challenges faced by her granddaughter who was frequently unable to board the 499 service to and from school due to overcrowding.
After hearing of these concerns, Mrs Lopez wrote to TfL asking when they last surveyed the route, and if they hadn’t done so recently, if they could do so again. Following the letter, TfL agreed to conduct a new survey of the route to better understand use levels.
As part of the survey, Mrs Lopez gathered feedback from parents and those who use the route to submit to Mayor Khan and TfL. Mrs Lopez has said that the survey represents “an important chance to improve Harold Hill bus services”.
In their feedback, residents reported being passed by as many as three services before being able to board. This has led to parents and families having to make various adjustments to their daily lives to deal with this issue.
Many parents reported needing to drive their children to school, while other pupils reported needing to leave an hour to make the 30 minute journey.
The route at present is mostly served by single-decker buses, while there are some double-decker buses around school times. However, feedback from residents has made clear that the current arrangements don’t match demand.
Whilst the issue has mostly affected school children, thanks in part to the route serving five local schools, one disabled resident also reported giving up using the service before 9am due to overcrowding.
In the letter, Mrs Lopez also raises concerns that London’s outer-boroughs such as Havering are not receiving their fair share of the Capital’s resources, especially when it comes to public transport.
This comes following Mayor Khan’s 2022 pledge to bolster public transport in boroughs such as Havering. The pledge was made in response to concerns about the Mayor’s 2023 ULEZ expansion.
In spite of the pledge, Mrs Lopez points to Havering’s omission from the new Superloop and the recent withdrawal of the 347 bus service as evidence of the Mayor’s lack of commitment to Havering.
In addition to her points in relation to the 499 service, Mrs Lopez has also raised concerns on behalf of residents relating to the 193, 174 and 496 routes which serve a number of local schools also, requesting surveys be undertaken on those services too.
