Sadiq Khan blasted over ‘bonkers’ scheme โalmost nobody is usingโ | Politics | News
Sir Sadiq Khan has been told to scrap a “bonkers” scheme that “almost nobody” is using. The Silvertown Tunnel underneath the River Thames opened last year in east London. Commuters on bicycles can use a shuttle bus between the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Victoria station, but critics suggest it is not being used enough to justify a running cost of ยฃ2million a year.
Reform UK London Assembly Member Alex Wilson has told the Mayor of London, who is also Chair of Transport for London (TfL), to get rid of the service. He told The Express: “Under the word ‘waste’ in the dictionary should be a photograph of the Silvertown Cycle Shuttle. The GLA funnels ยฃ2million per year into it, which equates to an eye-watering ยฃ43 per passenger. Sadiq Khan and TfL know about how bonkers this scheme is because I regularly remind them. Itโs high time it was cancelled for good.”
The bus costs ยฃ5,000 a day and often runs with no one onboard, taking as few as 51 cyclists per day through the Silvertown Tunnel, our sister site MyLondon reported.
This is the equivalent to over ยฃ100 per passenger.
TfL is compelled to run the service until 2028 as per requirements from the Department for Transport (DfT).
A TfL spokesperson said:โThe cycle shuttle offers a safe and convenient way for cyclists to cross the river between Silvertown and North Greenwich. Cyclists have already made thousands of journeys using this new free service, which transports around 100-130 cyclists across the river on a typical weekday – similar to the number of cyclists who use the Woolwich Ferry and significantly higher than the London Cable Car.โ
TfL says typically between 100 and 130 trips were made every weekday on the service from April to October 2025, with an expected dip in demand seen over the winter in January 2026 owing to poor weather conditions for cycling.
It is understood that officials are currently exploring the opportunity to allow pedestrians to use the service.
The Express contacted Sir Sadiq for comment.
Sir Sadiq said in July last year: “As has been widely reported, cycling is not possible through the Silvertown Tunnel and therefore Transport for London (TfL) has provided a Cycle Shuttle Service to safely allow cyclists to cross the river at this location.
“The Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Shuttle has been operating for three months and Iโm pleased to see steady use and TfL receiving some positive feedback so far. TfL continues to raise awareness and promote the service through its marketing campaigns, we hope that as people become more aware of the service and how they can incorporate it into their journeys, more cyclists will use this service.
“The Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Shuttle responds to a Development Consent Order planning condition. TfL has committed to keeping it under review over the longer-term to ensure that this innovative new service can develop as TfL learn how customers use it.”
