Buses on route 444 will now run every 12 minutes

Local bus services in the Wood Green, Edmonton and Chingford areas are to get a boost from this Saturday (7 March), as Transport for London (TfL) increases the frequency of route 444 to provide extra capacity to meet rising passenger demand.

The route, which operates between Turnpike Lane and Chingford via North Middlesex Hospital, Silver Street and Angel Road, will see frequencies increased from a bus every 15 minutes to every 12 minutes during Mondays to Saturdays. The service will also see an increase in frequency during Sunday shopping hours from a bus every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes.

John Barry, TfL's Head of Network Development for buses, said: `Route 444 has seen an increase in passenger numbers. We are now increasing the frequency by 25 per cent - meeting not only current demand but allowing for future growth too.

This service change is part of TfL's management and development of a network that comprises of around 700 routes across Greater London, operated by 7,600 buses at peak times, carrying more than 2.4 billion passengers every year. TfL keeps the network under regular review, working with the London boroughs and other partners to help ensure that services can respond to London's changing travel needs.

Since TfL was formed in 2000 it has invested strongly in London's bus network - resulting in a 69 per cent increase in passenger numbers. London Buses now carry more than 2.4 billion passengers a year, which equates to half of all bus journeys made in England. In recognition of the continued need to invest in bus services - with a increase in demand from the city's rapidly growing population - TfL's latest Business Plan has dedicated around £500m to improve the network over the period from 2015/16 to 2020/21. This will include funding for over 500 extra buses, which will create capacity for an extra 2.9 million customer journeys each week. There is also an additional £200m which will be invested in supporting the reliability of the bus network at a local level with bus priority schemes. A further £25m will be used to fund customer-focused bus driver training to improve customer service

Notes to Editors:

  • Route 444 will be operated by Tower Transit from Saturday 7 March..