 A Superloop branded bus onroute SL3 | |
| Parent | Transport for London |
|---|---|
| Founded | 15 July 2023 |
| Headquarters | London |
| Locale | Greater London |
| Service type | Express bus service |
| Routes |
|
Superloop is anexpress bus network inGreater London, England, that forms part of theLondon Buses network and connectsOuter London town centres, railway stations and transport hubs.
Orbital express bus routes were proposed in 2008 byMayor of LondonBoris Johnson, with further proposals by theLondon Assembly in 2017. The 'Superloop' concept was announced in 2023 by Johnson's successor,Sadiq Khan, consisting of renumbering and improvements to existing express bus routes and the introduction of new express bus routes.
Currently, seven Superloop routes operated by different companies form a long-distance orbital service around London, with four radial express services.[1]
The first service became operational on 15 July 2023. All ten of the first phase of routes are operational as of April 2025[update]. Bus stops served by Superloop routes have specific branding to differentiate.[2] A further ten Superloop routes are proposed in a second phase.
A network ofGreen Line limited stop orbital routes was established by theLondon Transport Executive from 1953.[3] Limited stop route X26 (now Superloop routeSL7) fromWest Croydon toHeathrow Airport is a remnant of that network.[4]
The2008 mayoral election manifesto of Boris Johnson promised to trial orbital express bus routes in the outer suburbs.[5] This led to an increase in frequency for the already existing X26 express bus route later that year.[6] The policy had been abandoned by Johnson by March 2010, citing "plenty of good studies now which suggest to me that the big investment in orbital bus routes does not actually deliver the improvements that are sometimes claimed" and there was no further expansion of the orbital network.[7][8]
Sadiq Khan became Mayor of London in 2016. In August 2017 theLondon Assembly Transport Committee called for more orbital and express bus routes in Outer London.[9] The idea was included in the Mayor's Transport Strategy published in March 2018, with two new indicative express corridors inNorth London and one inSouth London:[10]
In 2018 Transport for London began a policy of reducing bus services in inner London, where there had been a drop in passenger numbers, with plans to increase services in the outer suburbs.[11] Limited-stop route X140 from Harrow to Heathrow Airport was introduced in December 2019.[12] The new route was considered a success and expansion of the express bus network was included as a policy in the Bus action plan published by Transport for London in March 2022.[13]
The Superloop branded proposal for a network of express orbital bus routes was announced on 28 March 2023 at a cost of £6 million.[14][15]Transport for London noted that the proposals form part of improvements to transport in outer London in light of the expansion of theUltra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in August 2023.[16] The proposal was praised by theCampaign for Better Transport andHeathrow Airport Holdings,[16] howeverNick RogersAM of the Conservative Party called the proposal a "superflop" drawing attention to the "repacking of existing [bus] routes".[16]Caroline Pidgeon AM of the Liberal Democrats cautiously welcomed the proposals, following her previous campaigns for orbital bus services. Public consultations on the five entirely new routes that were announced took place between April and September 2023.[17]
On 28 April 2023 further details of the proposals were announced and a consultation opened for route X183.[18][19] On 9 June 2023 a consultation opened for route X34.[20][21]On 14 July 2023 it was announced that route SL8, a renumbering of existing route 607, would be the first to operate as part of the Superloop service from the following day.[22][23] The proposed route from Walthamstow to Royal Docks was revised to terminate at North Woolwich and, at the same time, the proposed route from Bexleyheath to Bromley was revised to terminate at Thamesmead.[24]
On 7 September 2023 it was announced that routesSL1 andSL10 would be introduced in autumn 2023. Two stops inSouth Chingford and two stops inMeridian Water were added to the route of SL1 following feedback to the public consultation.[25]
On 20 October 2023 it was announced that routes SL2 and SL3 would be introduced in spring 2024.[26] On 5 December 2023 it was announced that route SL5 would be introduced on 3 February 2024.[27] In March 2024, the first phase was completed, with an additional route SL4 introduced when theSilvertown Tunnel opened on 7 April 2025.[28]
In 2024,Transport for London released an update of how well the Superloop bus routes were doing. Routes SL1, SL5 and SL10 were performing well and/or better than the contractual minimum standards, with bus speeds in line with expected performance. Routes SL2 and SL3 continue to improve, routes SL6, SL8 and SL9 have not met performance standards, and route SL7 is susceptible to traffic conditions due to it being the longest bus route in London at 23.75 miles.[29]
During the2024 London mayoral election, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan proposed an additional 10 Superloop routes across London, as well as an express bus route viaOld Kent Road prior to construction of theBakerloo line extension taking place.[15]
Proposals for routes BL1 (Waterloo to Lewisham, connecting with the Bakerloo line), SL11 (Abbey Wood to North Greenwich, connecting with the SL3) and SL12 (Rainham to Gants Hill, connecting with the SL2) were announced in January 2025.[30] Route BL1 was introduced on 27 September 2025, being free for its first week of service.[31]
Superloop is part of theLondon Buses network, with the same fares as normal buses. It was introduced in stages, with routes 607, X26, X68 and X140 being renumbered SL8, SL7, SL6 and SL9 respectively.[16][32]
Superloop routes in the first phase have route numbers in the series SL1, SL2, SL3 up to SL10. The numbers are assigned clockwise around London from North Finchley. The numbers replace previous route identification and supplant the X series of route numbers that were used in the planning of routes X34 and X183 before they were renumbered to SL1 and SL10 respectively.[22]
As of April 2025[update], the operational Superloop routes are as follows:[32][33][34]
| Route Number | Colour | Type | Start | End | History | Introduced / renumbered | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL1 | Radial | London Waterloo station | Lewisham Shopping Centre | Public consultation 31 January–14 March 2025.[35] | 27 September 2025[31] | London General (Go-Ahead London) | |
| SL1 | Orbital | North Finchley bus station | Walthamstow bus station | Public consultation 9 June–21 July 2023 as X34. Introduced as SL1. | 9 December 2023 | Arriva London | |
| SL2 | Orbital | Walthamstow bus station | North Woolwich | Public consultation 21 July–4 September 2023.[36] | 2 March 2024[37] | Arriva London | |
| SL3 | Orbital | Thamesmead | Bromley North railway station | Public consultation 21 July–4 September 2023.[38] | 24 February 2024 | Selkent (Stagecoach London) | |
| SL4 | Radial | Grove Park | Westferry Circus | Originally proposed as part of theSilvertown Tunnel proposals as X239.[39] Introduced as SL4. | 7 April 2025[34] | Blue Triangle (Go-Ahead London) | |
| SL5 | Orbital | Bromley North railway station | Croydon town centre | Public consultation 21 July–4 September 2023.[40] | 3 February 2024 | Arriva London | |
| SL6[a] | Radial | Russell Square | West Croydon bus station | Operated asX68 since 27 October 1986 and renumbered SL6 in July 2023.[41][42] | 31 July 2023[41][42] | Arriva London | |
| SL7 | Orbital | West Croydon bus station | Heathrow Central bus station | Operated asX26 since April 2005 and renumbered SL7 in August 2023. Longest bus route in London. | 19 August 2023 | London General (Go-Ahead London) | |
| SL8 | Radial | Uxbridge tube station | White City bus station | Operated as607 since 21 July 1990 and renumbered SL8 in July 2023.[22][23] | 15 July 2023[22][23] | Metroline | |
| SL9 | Orbital | Heathrow Central bus station | Harrow bus station | Operated asX140 since 7 December 2019 and renumbered SL9 in August 2023. | 26 August 2023 | London Sovereign (First Bus London) | |
| SL10 | Orbital | Harrow bus station | North Finchley bus station | Public consultation 28 April–12 June 2023 as X183.[43] Introduced as SL10. | 25 November 2023 | London Sovereign (First Bus London) |
As of June 2025[update], the planned Superloop routes are as follows:[44]
| Route Number | Colour | Type | Start | End | History | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL11 | Radial | North Greenwich bus station | Abbey Wood railway station | Currently operated as route472. Public consultation 3 March–13 April 2025.[45] | To be introduced during early 2026.[45] | |
| SL12 | Orbital | Gants Hill tube station | Rainham | Public consultation 18 March 2025–23 May 2025.[46] | To be introduced during 2026.[46] | |
| SL13[44] | Orbital | Ealing Broadway station | Hendon | Public consultation 10 September–22 October 2025.[47] | ||
| SL14[44] | Radial | Stratford bus station | Chingford Hatch | Public consultation 25 September–5 November 2025.[48] | ||
| SL15[44] | Orbital | Clapham Junction railway station | Eltham railway station | Public consultation 20 October–30 November 2025.[49] |
I would have to be honest with you about that and say that I have seen plenty of good studies now which suggest to me that the big investment in orbital bus routes does not actually deliver the improvements that are sometimes claimed.
Route 607 becomes route SL8 - From Saturday 15 July 2023, route 607 is renumbered as route SL8 ... Route SL8 runs an express bus service between White City and Uxbridge, serving all the same stops as route 607.
Route X68 becomes route SL6 from 31 July 2023.
Route X183 becomes route SL10 - A new potential Superloop route would operate between Harrow and North Finchley.
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