Sadiq Khan has pledged to bring in a “Bakerloop” express bus service between Lewisham and the Elephant & Castle if he is re-elected as London’s mayor next month.

The bus route would follow the proposed Bakerloo Line extension to Lewisham, with stops at Burgess Park, Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate, running alongside the existing 21 and 53 services. 

Khan’s pledge follows the the launch of the Superloop fast buses in outer London, including the SL3 link from Thamesmead to Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Bromley, and the SL5 from from Bromley to Croydon.

The final service in the “loop”, the SL2 from North Woolwich to Walthamstow, launched last month. The mayor’s campaign team said demand on the new buses was 15 per cent above the network average, while passenger numbers on the West Croydon-Heathrow SL7 went up by 56 per cent in the three months after it was doubled in frequency and rebranded. 

City Hall has been pushing for a Bakerloo extension for some years, but the government has so far declined to fund the route – even though Lewisham town centre is already undergoing major redevelopment and housing is beginning to replace the retail parks on Old Kent Road.

Bakerloop route map
The planned route from the Elephant to Lewisham. Credit: London Labour

The Labour mayor’s aides said that the new bus “will help kickstart housing development in the area, while work on the tube extension is progressed”.

He said: “The new Superloop services have been a huge success in outer London so far, and if I’m re-elected the new Bakerloop Express will help Londoners get between Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road, New Cross and Lewisham much quicker and more easily.

“I continue to make the case as strongly as ever that we need the Bakerloo line Tube extension to get underway as soon as possible, and TfL are lobbying ministers about the funding the project needs. In the meantime I’m determined that we do all we can to provide the very best service across south London.”

Route SL3 at Thamesmead
The first set of Superloop buses have been a success, Khan said. Credit: The Greenwich Wire

Labour’s Len Duvall, who is standing to serve a seventh term as London Assembly member for Greenwich & Lewisham, said: “This new service is another example of Labour in power working to improve transport connections across London, making access from Lewisham to Lambeth faster and smoother.”

The election will be on May 2, with results announced two days later. More details at londonelects.org.uk.