PETITION CALLS FOR 235 BUS TO BE UPGRADED TO A DOUBLE-DECKER
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Wed, Feb 19, 2025
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The London bus route so busy that children and the elderly ‘compete’ to get on
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West London commuters have called on Transport for London (TfL) to increase the capacity for a local bus route. Passengers claimed that the 235 service can get so busy that children and elderly people often ‘compete’ with each other to get on the bus, with some buses skipping stops altogether
Locals have started a petition that calls on TfL to upgrade the single-deck bus route into a double-decker service. Lib Dem Assembly Member Gareth Roberts presented the petition to the London Assembly at a City Hall meeting on Thursday, February 13.
The representative for Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston said at the meeting: “Starting from Sunbury village, the journey quickly becomes a competition to board the bus with both children and the elderly, among others, failing to do so because the buses reach maximum capacity too quickly.”
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He added: “There is particularly an issue with capacity between Sunbury and Hounslow with buses often skipping stops.” The campaign has received over 500 signatures from passengers. The route runs from Sunbury village to Brentford and passes through areas such as Feltham and Hounslow.
TfL passenger figures show that 5.3 million journeys were recorded on the 235 route from April 2023 to April 2024. Usage of the route has seen a net increase over the past few years, with 4.6m journeys for the 2022/23 financial year and 3.7m across 2021 and 2022.
The number of passengers seen on the route has also been noted as being significantly higher than single-deck buses seen on routes running throughout Zone 1, such as the 507 and 521. Rosie Trew, TfL’s Head of Bus Service Delivery, told MyLondon that the transport authority was aware that buses are an important lifeline for millions of Londoners and that TfL was determined to ensure that people can rely on the capital’s bus network.
She added: “Feedback is hugely important to us to help understand local issues. We continue to explore with the borough how we can ensure the bus network is fit for purpose and meets demand for bus services in the Feltham and Hounslow area, while also providing value for money for Londoners.”
Have a story you want to share? Email joseph.coughlan@reachplc.com.
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Passengers are calling on TfL to take action because they claim the bus can be so busy it sometimes skips stops altogether
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TfL is bringing back Routemaster ‘hold tight’ bells on London buses
Listen out for a new ‘ding ding’ sound being trialled on London buses as part of a Transport for London safety initiative
In February and March, some bus routes across London will be bringing back an original safety measure from the capital’s old Routemaster buses.
To stop passengers from taking a tumble, a bell will ring twice to let them know that the bus will depart soon and remind them to ‘hold on tight’. The classic AEC Routemaster double-decker buses no longer operate on bus routes in London, but these bells will be a nostalgic nod to the iconic vehicles.
TfL’s safety research team found that passengers are injured on buses primarily by ‘slips, trips and falls’, so it’s coming up with ideas to combat this. While serious passenger injuries on London buses have fallen from 91 injuries in 2022 to 76 in 2024, TfL is trying to find ways to get this number down even more.
The Routemaster bus ‘dings’ will also be accompanied by a trial of seat counters to let passengers know whether it is worth heading upstairs on double-decker buses and help reduce overcrowding on the lower level. The upstairs seat counters will be trialled sometime later this year, though TfL has not confirmed which bus routes will be trialling either the bells or the counters.
The safety research team and the new measures are part of the Mayor of London’s ‘Bus Action Plan’, which aims to provide ‘an attractive, zero-emission bus service for all Londoners’ intended to be completed by 2030. If you’re keen to find out more, you can read the safety report and action plan here and here, respectively.
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