New Bakerloop Express Bus Connects Waterloo to Lewisham

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London's getting a new express 'Bakerloop' bus this autumn - but is it just a band-aid for what southeast London really needs?

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The BL1 route will zip between Waterloo and Lewisham, passing through Elephant & Castle and Old Kent Road - areas that have waited years for better transport.

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Double-decker buses will run every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes during evenings and Sundays, from 5am to 12:30am daily.

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Public feedback shows massive support with 82% saying it'll be more convenient and 79% expecting faster journeys - but will traffic jams on Old Kent Road slow it down?

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Part of TfL's successful Superloop network, the Bakerloop follows the exact path of the proposed-but-unfunded Bakerloo Line tube extension.

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Southwark Council is helping pay for the service using money from local development projects, with Go-Ahead London Central set to operate starting September 27.

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While TfL wants to use electric buses, they admit this might not happen at launch - despite London's push for cleaner transport and existing 2,000 zero-emission buses.

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The Bakerloop is changing more than just travel times - it's building the economic case for the full Bakerloo Line extension by showing demand in this underserved area.

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The service will actually increase total bus capacity on Old Kent Road from 58 to 60 buses per hour at peak times, even with reduced service on the parallel route 453.

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Could this express bus be the stepping stone southeast London needs to finally get its long-awaited tube extension? Only time will tell.

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