Mayor of London Sadiq Khan sets out long-term vision to improve bus services to hospitals in the capital

Sadiq Khan aims to add new routes and links, while also changing existing ones, in order to help patients and staff in an attempt to improve bus services to hospitals which are "vital for Londoners".

The Mayor of London, whose priorities have been set out following a review of bus services to more than 40 hospitals and specialist healthcare centres across the capital, has set out priority improvements for seven hospitals to benefit patients, visitors and staff.

Changes are already under way as links to Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, Epsom Hospital and Queen’s Hospital in Romford are being delievered.

New links to Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton and Whittington Hospital in Highgate are also in the offing, while the frequency of services to Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup has already been increased as part of this work.

Further potential changes includes improvements to services to 32 hospitals, including new links to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge, Kingston Hospital the and Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

The mayor said: “Our bus services are lifelines to the tens of thousands of patients, staff and visitors who use them every single day to get to London’s hospitals.

"We’re committed to making these journeys as affordable, convenient and easy to make as possible, so that we can not only help existing passengers but also open up these services to help many more Londoners.

"We’re now working closely with hospitals and councils to deliver these improvements as soon as we possibly can.”

Councillor Julian Bell, chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, said: “London boroughs play an important role in designing and improving transport networks and we have long recognised that a London-wide review of hospital bus services would be valuable.

"We welcome TfL’s [Transport for London] review and will look at its recommendations closely.

"We are keen for TfL to be an active player in any future review of hospitals or healthcare services so that transport needs can be assessed as plans are created, not after work has been completed.

"This also applies to any new developments or any changes in land use given the current pressure to build more homes in London.”

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