Free bus fares for a year announced for routes serving the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels
It’s a lucky day (or shall we say, year) for London’s bus users. Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that passengers who are set to take two routes through the Silvertown Tunnel will not have to pay for their journeys for a year.
Set to open on April 7, the new tunnel will connect Newham and Greenwich Peninsula. While drivers travelling through the tunnel will be charged, TfL is offering free bus journeys to offset the areas around the tunnel from being overwhelmed with traffic.
Not only that, but passengers of one bus route that serves the Blackwall Tunnel will also receive free journeys, as will another route that often carries late-night visitors of the O2 Arena.
Keep reading to learn more about the bus routes set to be free for a year.
Which bus routes are going to be free?
TfL has announced the following services serving the Silvertown Tunnel will be free:
SL4: A new seven-mile Superloop route arriving in April, which will run between Grove Park and Canary Wharf via the tunnel. Areas it will serve include Lea, Blackheath, Shooter’s Hill Road, Sun-in-the-Sands, Leamouth and East India.
129: An existing route from Lewisham that will terminate at a new housing development at Great Eastern Quay. After travelling through the new tunnel from North Greenwich, the bus will serve Pontoon Dock, London City Airport, Tollgate Road, Beckton and Gallions Reach.
Which Blackwall Tunnel bus will be free?
A TfL spokesperson has said that the 108, which runs through Blackwall Tunnel, will also be included in the free scheme, and that the concession will be applied for entire routes, not just the journey across the river.
To avoid confusion, it is only the 108 which is included in the concession. Other routes that pass through the Blackwall Tunnel, such as the 129 or the 199, will still need to pay a fare.
The spokesperson also confirmed that short, late-night trips between North Greenwich and Lewisham – which often carries passengers from the O2 Arena – will also qualify for free travel, in an attempt to clear the arena’s crowds faster after concerts and shows.
