Politics
Camberwell Secures £4.5M for 12 New Peak-Hour Bus Services by 2027
Camberwell residents on routes serving Denmark Hill and Camberwell Green stand to gain two extended bus lanes and 12 additional peak-hour services from 2027 onward under the bill's funding formula.
How we reported this
The Statewide Public Transport Enhancement Bill, passed by the legislature on 15 June 2026, directs £4.5 million directly to Camberwell for bus lane construction and service increases. This amount exceeds the £3.2 million granted to Lewisham and the £2.8 million set for Peckham under the same per-capita and ridership criteria.
The measure responds to updated 2025 ridership data from Transport for London showing a 19 percent rise in daily boardings at Camberwell stations since 2022. The legislation requires local authorities to match 10 percent of state funds with existing council budgets, a threshold Camberwell already meets through its 2026-27 transport reserve.
Direct effects on daily travel
Residents who use the 45 and 171 bus routes will see dedicated lanes added along Camberwell Road and Denmark Hill by the end of 2027. The bill also funds 12 extra weekday departures between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., shortening average journey times to central London by an estimated eight minutes according to the Department for Transport modelling released with the legislation.
Households without cars, which make up 42 percent of Camberwell addresses per the 2021 census, stand to benefit most from the added capacity. The same modelling projects 1,800 fewer car trips per weekday once the new lanes open, based on current modal share figures.
Implementation begins with procurement notices issued by the council in September 2026. Full service changes are scheduled for the December 2027 timetable, after which the state will conduct a two-year review of ridership and cost recovery before releasing the next round of allocations.