A new express electric bus service called the Bakerloop will launch in London this Saturday, 27 September, with passengers able to travel for free on the route during its first week.
The BL1 will connect Waterloo and Lewisham, running through Elephant & Castle, Burgess Park, Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. It mirrors the proposed Bakerloo line extension, designed to improve transport links in parts of south London that don’t currently have direct Tube access.
The buses will run every 12 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, and every 15 minutes on Sundays, evenings and early mornings. All vehicles will be fully electric, with USB chargers and improved seating.
To mark the launch, journeys will be free for the first week. Passengers will still need to touch in with their cards, but they won’t be charged.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m proud to unveil the Bakerloop – a brand-new, express electric bus service linking communities from Waterloo to Lewisham.
“A Bakerloo line extension will take years to build, and I don’t want to wait any longer to improve transport connections for Londoners. That’s why I’ve introduced the Bakerloop now – a faster, greener service, building on the success of the Superloop, that delivers the links people need immediately.”
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s Director of Buses, added: “We’re excited to be welcoming customers onto the brand-new express BL1 bus connecting Waterloo and Lewisham with faster and more direct journeys. To celebrate its launch, all bus rides on the BL1 will be completely free for customers in the first week, so we encourage everyone to take advantage of this offer.”
The service follows strong support in a public consultation, where 82% of people said the route would be more convenient and 79% said it would be faster than existing bus services.
Southwark Council has contributed more than £5 million in funding for the service, drawn from local developer contributions.
Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham, said: “The launch of the new Bakerloop express bus is a welcome and exciting development for south east London, and we’re pleased to see the Mayor investing in our local transport network. By following part of the proposed extension route, it brings to life the vision of the Bakerloo Line Extension – offering the promise of faster, greener and more direct journeys for everyone.”
The BL1 adds to London’s growing Superloop express bus network, which is set to expand further in 2026 with new services including SL11, SL12, SL13 and SL14.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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