Waltham Abbey residents want Chingford bus service back
TFL says services are allocated based on customer demand
Waltham Abbey locals are calling for London buses to return to the town. The stretch between Waltham Abbey and Chingford was once frequently served seven days a week by London bus route 242, with buses every 10 to 30 minutes from early mornings to late evenings.
On a Sunday, the final bus from Chingford Station to Waltham Abbey would leave as late as 12.10am. Now, not a single bus provides a service between Waltham Abbey and Chingford.
It’s a situation that has annoyed resident Nancy Legg who bemoans a lack of direct links between Waltham Abbey and Chingford. She said: “I want the buses back. You can’t get one. You cannot get to Chingford.”
She added: “I can’t out to see my family in Chingford. My kids live up there at the moment, but I can’t get to see them.” Another resident said. “It’s a good idea. They used to come up and down Sun Street.”
However another person isn’t keen on the idea. They said: “We’ve got plenty of buses around here we don’t need any more.”
More than 3,300 people have signed a petition calling for the return of TfL services to the town.
Dr Neil Hudson, Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, has also urged the Government to work with Transport for London (TfL), the Mayor of London and Essex County Council to reinstate TfL bus services in Waltham Abbey. He argues Waltham Abbey is a commuter town without a train or tube station, making reliable bus services essential.
He adds it is an “unacceptable situation” that not a single bus operates between Waltham Abbey and Chingford. He also made the point the stretch was once served seven days a week by the 242, with buses every 10 to 30 minutes from early morning until late evening. But that since the ULEZ expansion in August 2023, many drivers must now pay to enter Chingford.
Fares on the limited services that do operate are also significantly higher. On TfL services, an adult fare is £1.75 with unlimited bus travel for an hour, and children aged 11 to 15 travel free with a Zip Oyster photocard. In contrast, a single adult ticket from Waltham Abbey to Loughton Station costs around £4, and around £3 to Waltham Cross where people can connect to TfL services.
Another resident said: “To get from here to Waltham Cross costs about three quid – that’s way more expensive than an Oyster card. But they haven’t got half the custom that TFL have got. From here sometimes you’re lucky if there’s three or four people on the bus. That’s where it differs.
“I’ve lived here for now enough a year now and it’ll be a waste of their time putting their products into this area – it will cost more money driving around here in the long run.
There are arguments as well around the difficulties youngsters and their parents getting them to school. Local young people have also highlighted the issue, with pupils at King Harold Academy telling Dr Hudson that transport difficulties affect their choices for post‑16 education.
One parent said: “It would be interesting because my daughter‘s just started school in Cheshunt. And we can’t get her to school on the buses. All over parents are upset about that there aren’t enough local buses.”
Resident Anna Sciara said: “I think that they ought to be brought back. You can’t walk to Waltham Cross so you do need it. If there was an option to take the red bus to London, I believe we’d take the red bus over the train any day.”
Speaking in parliament Dr Hudson said residents in Waltham Abbey have no access to the tube at all and have been left with a limited bus network since Transport for London withdrew services.
He also added that young people are unable to get to the next stage in their education, and residents are struggling to get into London.
He added: “Waltham Abbey has been left behind for far too long. With ULEZ placing additional financial pressure on local people, restoring TfL bus services is a necessity.
“I will continue to press the Government, TfL, the Mayor of London and Essex County Council until Waltham Abbey gets the fair, reliable and affordable transport network it deserves.”
A statement from petition authors said: “At present, not a single bus provides a service between Waltham Abbey and neighbouring Chingford – two adjacent towns just ten minutes apart by car, separated by nothing more than an invisible administrative line. This is simply unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to continue.
“We call on Transport for London to restore a frequent, daily London Buses link between Waltham Abbey and neighbouring Chingford by extending route 215 (which currently terminates at the Lee Valley Campsite on Sewardstone Road – just within the Waltham Abbey boundary), and route 379 (which also terminates on Sewardstone Road), to at least Waltham Abbey Town Centre.
“Both routes are needed, and both routes should be extended – each offers a different, vital connection, and together they would finally reconnect our town to the wider TfL network in full.”
Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s Director of Public Transport Planning, said: “As London’s transport authority, our priority is providing a comprehensive and reliable bus service across the whole of London, allocating services to areas based on customer demand with the resources we have. There are nine bus routes operating under contract to TfL between Greater London and Waltham Cross, Loughton or Debden for onward travel in Essex. These complement the public transport services outside London that are provided by commercial bus operators and local councils.”
A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “Supporting a good bus network for residents is very important to us. We are always open to discussing new routes and arrangements with Transport for London.”