londoners in dire straits after bus route immortalised by rock giants faces cut

The bus network in central London could look different later this year if proposed changes go ahead (Picture: Getty Images)

Bus travel through London could be revamped,with one route carrying millions of people each year at risk of closure,while others could be reduced.

The London double-decker buses are an iconic part of life in the capital like the red phone boxes and Paddington Bear.

Bus route 19,which could be cut shorter,even featured on a song by the kings of ‘dad rock’ music,Dire Straits’ song Wild West End.

While loved by tourists,buses are like Marmite to locals who rely on them. And that relationship could get more testy if planned bus route changes go ahead.

Transport for London (TfL) is looking to rejig several bus routes after it has seen a drop in passenger demand on some legs while other sections are rammed.

Here is a roundup of how the central London bus routes might change in the new year,and why TfL wants to transform the network.

Buses 19 and 38

A map shows how bus routes 19 and 38 could change,and a new number 10 route (click to zoom) (Picture: Transport for London)

If the changes happen,route 19 between Finsbury Park and Battersea Bridge could be diverted to Victoria station instead.

Bus route 38 currently running between Clapton Pond and Victoria would be shortened to terminate at Holborn. Its frequency would be slashed from 6 minutes to every 10 minutes on Saturdays,and from 8 minutes to every 12 minutes on Sundays,early mornings and evenings.

However,bus route 19 would see its frequency increased on Sunday early mornings from every 15 minutes to 12 minutes.

Bus route 19 was namedropped in Dire Straits’ 1978 song Wild West End featuring a conductress on the bus (Picture: BSR Entertainment/Getty Images)

TfL said route 38 with two overlapping legs ‘no longer matches the demand patterns’ after demand has dropped at Victoria and between Hackney and Essex Road.

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