FURIOUS bus drivers and passengers will march the route of the 24 bus to Trafalgar Square on Saturday in protest against cuts to services.

The demo, leaving Harrington Square in Mornington Crescent at 11am, is being organised by the union Unite.

Plans to cut Camden bus services – including the 31 from Camden Town to White City – put “politics over the old lady in the street”, said union reps.

Jim Hart, a Unite shop steward at the 24 bus garage in Battersea, said: “There are 16 routes that will be cut across London. But the 24 is particularly significant. It’s what people use for everything: their shopping, doctors appointments, trips to the West End, first dates, good times and bad.

“We had a meeting in parliament and I told MPs that if the 24 was a building, it would be listed and preserved for history. Instead TfL are talking about stopping it altogether. It’s part of London’s fabric and London’s history.”

Unite rep Jim Hart

Mr Hart, 61, added: “We had 150,000 people sign our petition to save services, and I have spent time on the 24, giving leaflets out and it’s clear how much people love it.

“This isn’t about drivers, we have a driver shortage as it is, so we won’t lose staff. It’s about our passengers.

“I spoke to one old lady who uses it to get to Sainsbury’s in Pimlico, but there will be others like her. This is a decision being taken because of politics over the old lady in the street. Without her bus, how will she get her shopping?”

Transport for London says it has been forced into making savings as wrangling continue over its funding from the Department for Transport.

TfL suffered huge losses during the Covid pandemic when passenger numbers collapsed.

A consultation has closed on the changes and if current plans go ahead, the 24 route, from South End Green to the banks of the Thames in Pimlico, would be replaced by a re-routed 88 service.

The new 88 service would also be less regular than the 24. The 31 could be replaced with the 189 which would run as far as Swiss Cottage, rather than straight through to White City. From there, passengers wanting to carry on to west London could catch the 113 from Swiss Cottage.

GP surgeries along the 31 route have told the New Journal they are concerned about the impact on patients.

Other groups to raise concerns about the loss of the 24 include a body that represents West End theatres and the Age UK charity for the elderly.

Camden’s transport chief, Adam Harrison, has written to TfL raising concerns about capacity. He said he fears that the length of the 88 route could see longer waits, services being ended earlier and overcrowding.

“The 24 route is currently running at 99 per cent capacity compared to its January 2020 levels. “It’s very popular and does not reflect the purported fall in ridership on the bus network. It’s already recovered from the effects of the pandemic,” he said.

Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of public transport service planning said:“The consultation has now closed and we thank all those who have shared their views with us on the proposals. As with all our consultations, we will take into account all public and stakeholder responses, along with the latest ridership data, before reaching any final decisions.

“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on TfL’s finances, requiring Government support to keep public transport in London operating. The Government set a number of conditions before it would provide emergency funding, including reducing the extent of our bus network.

“This is why a long-term, sustainable funding deal for TfL is so important, and we are in active discussion with the Government about the draft funding proposal. Every other major transport system around the world receives central Government funding, and London needs the same if it is to have a transport network that can continue to support homes, jobs, opportunities and economic growth.”