TfL Announce Withdrawal Of 347 Bus Route That Runs From Romford Station To Ockendon.

“It’s disappointing that, due to the Mayor and TfL’s intransigence, we have not been able to save this route however I will engage with Havering Council to see whether they may make applications to TfL for funding to support improvements to the accessibility of the alternative bus stops on Front Lane.”

In an email to Julia Lopez, the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch & Upminster, TfL have confirmed that the service will be withdrawn from the middle of January. The last day which the route will run is Friday 17 January.

The decision to scrap the route comes despite Mayor Khan’s promise to bolster bus services in outer London Boroughs like Havering to help compensate for the expansion of ULEZ in 2023.

The route, which runs from Romford Station to South Ockenden, serves a number of communities in the constituency, including Harold Hill, Harold Wood, Cranham, Upminster and North Ockenden.

In their email TfL have recognised that:

“the withdrawal of route 347 may negatively impact some people with disability, age and other accessibility needs exacerbating that impact.”

The news comes following the initial announcement in August earlier this year, in which TfL informed Mrs Lopez that they were likely to withdraw the service.

Following the news, Mrs Lopez sought views from residents in an attempt to save the route from being scrapped. She submitted both residents’ and her own objections to the withdrawal, citing particular concerns about residents on the Cathedral Estate suffering from poor connectivity and accessibility when accessing alternative services.

Despite raising these objections, TfL made the decision to withdraw the route at a later date – now revealed to be Friday 17 January.

Commenting on the withdrawal, Mrs Lopez said:

“I’m incredibly disappointed that the 347 will be withdrawn in the New Year. It did not need to be this way. When the Mayor originally consulted on changes to the former 346, 347 and 497 routes it was possible to preserve this route while merging the 497 route with the former 346, which would have provided the Harold Wood – Upminster link the Mayor sought without severing residents in the Cathedral Estate and Clay Tye Road from London’s bus services.

“It’s disappointing that, due to the Mayor and TfL’s intransigence, we have not been able to save this route however I will engage with Havering Council to see whether they may make applications to TfL for funding to support improvements to the accessibility of the alternative bus stops on Front Lane.”

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