Save Our Buses55 (SOB)

April 1997 - 55 bus restored to Lea Bridge Road, East London after a relentless Save Our Buses campaign. SOB's fight for better public transport continues....

[Save Our Buses55 (SOB) @SOBSave55]

Axing routes 38 & 55 from Lea Bridge Road was a shock.
Save Our Buses criticised lost West End links & reduced frequencies.
Chronic traffic congestion led to the cuts.
Restoring a decent service would depend on bus priority.
It was integral to campaign success!

[London TravelWatch @LonTravelWatch]

@TfL Here's just some ways that we can help to make buses in London better #FreeTheBus https://t.co/7QWz3x7sT7

[NFBUK @NFBUK]

@GranadaReports Where will this leave blind people if @AndyBurnhamGM gets into @10DowningStreet ? We know they will be left behind at the bus stop, just like @Keir_Starmer is doing right now. We wonder what @wesstreeting will do if he became PM 🤔.

[Michael Dnes @MichaelDnes1]

Odd quirk in this - this is the slowest figure since modern records began in 2013/14. But ...
- Londoners today make 20% fewer trips than they did then
- Central area traffic is down 18% and inner London down 3%

What's slowing the buses?

[Vincent Stops @VincentStops]

@MichaelDnes1 Over the last decade motor capacity has been reduced without reducing the traffic.

[Westminster City Council Leader @Leader_WCC]

A pledge on design from the Oxford Street Development Corporation chief, but - if pedestrianisation goes ahead - there are significant details missing. What about step free access & bus routes? Where's the bold vision? All feels a bit like a Temu plan.
https://t.co/hT5ssDN8Un

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

🚈 Transport for London is consulting on extending the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside and the River Thames, with funding support and opening expected in the early 2030s.
Consultation closes 16 July 2026.
https://t.co/OHKkMn6qH9

[John Stewart @JohnJohnStewart]

@stendec6 The answer I believe in a city like London is investment in cheaper and more convenient public transport

[Vincent Stops @VincentStops]

This is all down to the @MayorOfLondon’s policies. Both Mayor Johnson and Khan have focussed almost entirely on cycling, which makes up only 2-3% of all trips. How mad is that!

[Cllr. Keith Prince A.M. @KeithPrinceAM]

Tomorrow at the London Assembly, I will propose that the Assembly calls on the Mayor and TfL to implement the Bus Drivers Bill of Rights.

I urge AMs of all political colours to support this to apply more pressure and make sure our frontline staff are properly protected.

[Save Our Buses55 (SOB) @SOBSave55]

September 1968 - Route 48 first hit Waltham Forest's roads, keeping City & London Bridge connections. It replaced the 35 bus which started in 1911.
Axing the 48 in 2019 ended historic, 108 year, direct public transport links, without replacement.
Transport Failing London.

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

@SOBSave55 A bus stop notice from 1990 announcing the modifications to London Transport's bus routes 38, 48 and 55 and launching route 56.

And to mention that route 55 was taken over by Kentish Bus by using Leyland Olympian (Northern Counties Palatine bodywork) in cream and maroon livery.

[Save Our Buses55 (SOB) @SOBSave55]

@CLondoner92 I remember this poster well. It heralded the start of Save Our Buses(SOB). Our aim was to restore a West End service to Lea Bridge Road.
Campaign Success came April 1997.
Route 55 was extended to Leyton, Bakers Arms. Operated by maroon & cream Kentish Buses back then!

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

@SOBSave55 https://t.co/5RGkgOtuZs
Here's a photo of two Kentish Bus Leyland Olympians in their cream and maroon livery, taken in 1997. 😁

[NFBUK @NFBUK]

@BBCLeeds Absolutely this happened at a floating bus stop in Leeds. These are not safe designs at all. https://t.co/pSFVGpo4Yu

[Visit Camberwell #AnalyseTrafficOrigin With #ANPR @visitcamberwell]

This is the best explanation for bus service cuts. Congestion caused by LTNs and by cycle lanes replacing bus lanes.

[Vincent Stops @VincentStops]

If you thought London’s bus services couldn’t get any slower, you were wrong. Another all time low. The reason - no one in London government cares enough and all the lobbying is done by cyclists. @LonTravelWatch

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

Mid Cornwall Metro Newquay–Par journeys up 25% in first week vs 2025; Saturdays +50% and 726 extra trips. Great Western Railway boosted services and restored London–Newquay trains. £57m upgrade improves infrastructure; phase 2 next year.
https://t.co/sUdn0ehGhk

[Tom Kearney @comadad]

Why’s @BBC merely rebroadcasting TfL PR? Does @TfL’s ‘new’ Bus Safety Standard include functioning A/C in the Bus Drivers’ cab? ICYMI @itvlondon has actually been INVESTIGATING Unsafe Driver Working Conditions that affect Bus Safety Performance https://t.co/2d2uZ0QHJ6

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

Transport for London consultation report on Thamesmead bus lanes walking and cycling upgrades shows support from 381 responses, with plans proceeding after feedback aiming for delivery by early 2029 alongside regeneration and improved connectivity.
https://t.co/iDU1NAoeoH

[CLondoner92 @CLondoner92]

Good News and Bad News for the Electric Bus Industry: Over 400 New Electric Bus Orders Placed with Wrightbus
https://t.co/MRAaOjgCfs