A key bus route serving North Greenwich and Queen Elizabeth Hospital is being reduced in frequency by Transport for London – but the council says it was not consulted and has protested about the decision.

The 486 service, which runs through Charlton, Woolwich Common and Shooters Hill to Bexleyheath, will be reduced from six buses per hour to five from February 21 – even though the service is often full to standing during rush hours.

It is the latest in a series of cuts to London’s bus services as transport bosses grapple with years of rising congestion and falling passenger numbers. Until 2019, the service ran up to every eight minutes. 

When the SL11 Superloop service was introduced last month, the 486 was one of the buses that passengers were advised to use in place of the 472, which was scrapped and replaced by the limited-stop bus.

people in front of a bus
Greenwich Council’s cabinet member for Calum O’Byrne Mulligan (left) with leader Anthony Okereke (right) backed the introduction of the SL11, but are less keen on the cut to the 486. Image: Transport for London

Greenwich Council supported the introduction of the Superloop service, but a spokesperson said that it believed reducing the 486 service was “a mistake”.

The council also protested in December after the 386, another bus serving Queen Elizabeth Hospital, was reduced from four to three buses an hour. Two other routes serving the hospital, the 178 and 291, also had their frequencies cut at the same time.

The Greenwich Wire reported rumours about the 486 service reduction last week, with TfL declining to confirm or deny whether it was happening. Last May a new contract was issued for the bus company Go-Ahead to run the 486, but with just 13 buses rather than 14 at present.

The service cut applies between 5.45am and 6.45pm on weekdays and 8.30am and 6.30pm on Saturdays, with no change to other times and Sundays.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Four buses serving the hospital have been cut back since November. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of public transport service planning said, “We review our services according to customer demand.

“The change in frequency allows us to operate the service efficiently to meet the current and expected demand during the busiest times and customers should see minimal impact to their journeys. The new timetable and revised frequency will allow buses more time to complete their journeys, which should increase reliability and match capacity closer to demand.”

“Feedback is important to us, and as with all bus changes, we will continue to keep the changes under review.”

TfL, which is chaired by the mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, does not have to consult on service reductions, and Greenwich Council said it was not asked about the change to the 486.

A spokesperson said: “We want to make Greenwich safer, easier and greener to get around and are committed to providing an attractive, accessible, healthy and sustainable transport network across the borough, including the best public transport options to meet demand.”

“We welcomed the recent introduction of the new SL11 Superloop express bus route linking Abbey Wood and North Greenwich via Woolwich and Thamesmead. Unfortunately, we were not consulted on the changes to the 486 and believe it is a mistake to reduce the service frequency – something we have raised with TfL.”

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