Sadiq Khan has promised Londoners a 'Bakerloop' express bus service, should he be reelected as Mayor of London in May.
While a Bakerloo line tube extension to Lewisham probably will happen at some point, estimates for its completion date are now as late as 2040 — aka don't hold your breath.
Khan — who is hoping to become the first Mayor of London to be elected three times — has now vowed to open up an express bus route tracing the would-be tube line, which would call at Elephant & Castle, Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate and Lewisham only.
NEW: All aboard the Bakerloop!
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) April 2, 2024
If I’m re-elected - a new Express bus will help Londoners get between Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road, New Cross & Lewisham much more quickly.
The new Superloop has been a huge success - & this route will mirror the proposed tube extension. pic.twitter.com/AYooJclaOR
At time of writing (2 April 2024) the Bakerloop is little more than a catchy name in a tweet: there aren't any details as yet on when the service might start up, or how long it would take to get between stops. (Currently, buses from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham take 40-45 minutes, and often involve a change.) However, Khan has said the proposed route would help Londoners get between Elephant & Castle, Old Kent Road, New Cross and Lewisham "much more quickly."
The announcement follows a pretty successful roll-out of the Superloop, an orbital express bus route linking up various parts of outer London. With this bold, easily parrot-able, branding, Khan certainly knows what he's doing in the run-up to the election.
Assuming the Bakerloop did run for 15ish years, that would surely make it one of the world's longest-running replacement bus services. Then again, is it possible to replace something that doesn't yet exist?
