London bus lanes open up to essential services

Non-emergency ambulances, police cars and fire vehicles can use TfL bus lanes

London’s bus lanes have always been used by blue light ambulances when responding to an emergency, but now vehicles such as liveried NHS patient passenger transport vehicles will be able to use them too.

Transport for London (TfL) will be working closely with London Councils to encourage all London boroughs to adopt the same approach to bus lanes on borough roads over the next few months.

Non-emergency ambulances, police cars and fire vehicles will be able to use TfL bus lanes after a trial resulted in fewer missed hospital appointments.

The trial with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust saw reduced journey times and fewer missed appointments while having no negative impact on bus journey times.

The trial was set up to help people travel to appointments smoothly. More than 150 nonblue light patient transport vehicles were given access to over 25km of bus lanes in Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and Lewisham on the TfL road network (TLRN). The trial included bus lanes managed by Lambeth Council, It took place over 12 months from February 2022.

It was found that the number of missed NHS appointments fell by around 20% and saved the trust money, with no impact on bus journey times. The trial benefited patients who are unable to use public transport to attend appointments, reducing journey times and delays.

Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy and policy at TfL, said: “Bus lanes have a proven track record of speeding up journeys, and we’re delighted to see further benefits in this trial for Guy’s and St Thomas’ and thousands of its patients.

“We look forward now to more patients across the capital being able to get to their appointments on time and supporting the vital work of the other emergency services, be it a forensics van needing to get to a crime scene or London Fire Brigade equipment needing to be in the right place at the right time.”

There are more than 8,000 emergency service fleet vehicles that use London’s roads, meaning the Metropolitan Police Service, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service will benefit from less congestion and faster journey times, helping to provide a better service to all Londoners.

TfL hopes that outpatients who rely on patient transport at all the capital’s hospitals will now be less likely to miss appointments with knock on savings for the trusts themselves, and improved health outcomes for many patients.

TfL has brought in measures to reduce bus journey times, previously confirming that 85km of bus lanes on the capital’s busiest roads would be in operation 24-hours a day. As part of its