Transport bosses are planning to overall the capital’s night bus routes to meet expected shifts in demand when the new Night Tube service launches in September.
Seventeen routes will see their frequency cut while a further 20 daytime routes would be extended to run through the night.
The proposals are subject to a public consultation and follow what Transport for London describes as “detailed analysis” of Oyster card data and passenger surveys.
Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “The introduction of the Night Tube will see journey times for customers cut by an average of 20 minutes, with some reduced by more than an hour.
“At the same time, night buses will continue to run frequently across London complementing Night Tube services, giving passengers more choice.
“Our proposals include the introduction of up to 20 brand new suburban night bus services that will expand the transport network in outer London.”
London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon said TfL and the Mayor should wait until “the night tube service has been up and running for a few months” before cutting back any existing routes.
She commented: “Some new and more frequent night bus routes are very welcome. However reducing the frequency of any night bus routes on Friday and Saturday nights should only be based on hard evidence, not mere speculation of what might eventually take place.
“The time to start any consultation on cutting any services should only be after the night tube service has been up and running for a few months. It is simply wrong for the consultation on such changes to night buses to commence months before the night tube has even started.
“We should also not pretend that the night tube will be a clear substitute for every night time bus user, for example all London buses are fully accessible but sadly that is not the case with most tube stations.”
The public consultation, which runs from today until 1 July, is available online at tfl.gov.uk.
