Boris Johnson saves Golders Green’s number 13 bus after call from Mike Freer
The number 13 bus. Picture: Polly Hancock. - Credit: Archant
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has stepped in to save the much-loved number 13 bus service which was set to be scrapped by Transport for London (TfL).
Boris Johnson (left) and Mike Freer. - Credit: Archant
Today, Mr Johnson announced the number 13 bus, which runs from Golders Green to Aldwych, in Westminster, would not be scrapped after speaking to Finchley and Golders Green Conservative parliamentary candidate Mike Freer about the community opposition to the plans.
TfL completed a public consultation last Friday on plans to scrap the number 13’s day and night services.
It had claimed “improved services on the Jubilee and Northern lines” have resulted in “some spare capacity on bus services along these corridors”,
But Mr Johnson’s intervention means the consultation has now been rendered meaningless.
Mr Freer, who served as Finchley and Golders Green MP in the last parliament, said: “I’ve already had a meeting with TfL and told them they were wrong and when Boris came to Golders Green recently I told him he needed to go back to the drawing board.
“He said he would be going back to the directors to see what the hell is going on. Clearly he’s not happy with what he has found.
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“The proposals have been dropped and the number 13 is going nowhere. I’m very happy about it. It’s always useful when you can get things done.
“Being an MP you don’t always get your own way but sometimes you can get a result like this. Under Boris’s mayoralty, the number 13 is going nowhere.”
Sarah Sackman, Labour parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, said: “This fantastic news is a tribute to the hundreds of people who sent in responses to the consultation and who signed the petition organised by Labour.
“We made it clear that axing the No 13 was not acceptable for Golders Green and Childs Hill residents.”
