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he first Superloop bus route will launch on Saturday, Sadiq Khan has announced.
Buses on the limited-stop 607 between Uxbridge and White City will be rebranded – in the Superloop “retro” colours and roundel – as SL8.
Three other existing routes – the X140 and the X26 that both serve Heathrow and the X68, which links Croydon and Russell Square – will be also be renumbered and rebranded as Superloop routes this summer.
The Superloop network will have 10 routes – seven orbital outer London sections and three “spokes” connecting to central London.
Subject to consultation, five of the six new routes are due to be launched by next Spring, a month before the mayoral elections, leaving the proposed X239 to become the SL4 when the Silvertown tunnel opens in 2025.
Superloop bus stop: the service will have retro branding
/ Ross LydallMr Khan, who is introducing the Superloop to offer a public transport alternative to drivers forced out of their cars by the imminent Ulez expansion, said: “The proposed Superloop will be a game-changer for travel around outer London, delivering quicker links to transport hubs, town centres, schools and hospitals.
“These new routes will help tackle our city’s toxic air and build a better, greener and cleaner London for all.”
The Superloop routes are being numbered sequentially clockwise, from SL1 (North Finchley to Walthamstow) to SL10 (Harrow to North Finchley).
Consultations will launch on SL2, SL3 and SL5 this month. The Superloop will increase the size of the London bus network by one per cent.
The buses will have branded seat moquettes, USB charging points and better on-board route information. Superloop trips will cost the same as a conventional London bus – £1.75.
However, Tory critics have dubbed the initiative the “Superflop”, claiming it will do little to mitigate the impact of the Greater London Ulez, which is due to start on August 29, subject to a ruling from the High Court.
There is also concern about some of the proposed routes, with suburban areas such as Havering and Chingford being left out of the network.
Louise Cheeseman, director of buses at TfL, said: “The newly numbered and branded SL8 will provide people in outer London an instantly recognisable express bus route.”
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