Transport for London is spending £2million on a free ‘bike bus’ to shuttle cyclists under the River Thames when it opens a new road tunnel in three months’ time.
The Silvertown Tunnel in East London, which has been under construction since March 2021, will open on April 7 and connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula.
Car drivers will be charged up to £4 for each journey through the 0.9-mile (1.4km) route, with discounts for automatic payments and travelling at off-peak times.
And cyclists will be able to travel through on a ‘bike bus’ which will be operated by Stagecoach East London using three converted battery-electric single deckers.
TfL awarded the contract to the operator last September and will pay it £1,967,010 to run the bus after it was the only bidder for the tender, reported The Standard.
The contract is understood to be for three years, and the bus will be free for at least the first year – although only passengers with bikes will be allowed to board.
Cyclists cannot ride through the tunnel for safety reasons, but will be able to travel with their bike on the bus – running five times an hour daily, from 6.30am to 9.30pm.
However, TfL’s own consultation has found many cyclists are unlikely to use it – while concerns have been raised about the location of the stop on Greenwich Peninsula.
The Newham Portal entrance for the Silvertown Tunnel in East London, which opens in April
An artist’s impression showing how the Silvertown bike bus will accommodate adapted cycles
TfL’s map for the Silvertown Tunnel shows the ‘bike bus’ route and the stops on each side
London transport blogger Murky Depths described it as being in an area ‘extremely hostile and dangerous for cycling when approaching from much of Greenwich’.
TfL’s route map shows that the stop will be near a major roundabout intersection and will not link directly with any existing protected cycle routes.
Fears were also raised that the cyclists could be stuck on the bus until it reaches its stop on the Silvertown side near Royal Victoria Docklands Light Railway station.
Other critics have suggested cargo bikes, which are used by families to transport young children, will be too big to be accommodated by the bike bus.
There are also concerns that the bike bus will not be able to accommodate cargo bikes, including the large bikes used by many families as a way of transporting young children.
Karin Tearle, a former Green party candidate for the London Assembly, tweeted: ‘It looks to me like this cycle bus was an after-thought, a bit of PR to silence critics. Sadiq Khan says he wants us to use public transport and participate in active travel but this won’t be easy.’
A consultation run by TfL in 2023 on the bike bus asked respondents whether they would use a bike bus, the Cable Car or a combination of both to cross the Thames.
Out of the 684 respondents, some 225 people said they would use a bus while 140 would use the cable car – but 236 said they would not use either option.
| Vehicle type | Auto Pay off-peak charges | Auto Pay peak charges | Charges paid by phone or online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applies at all other times between 06:00-22:00, including weekends | Monday to Friday only Northbound 06:00-10:00 Southbound 16:00-19:00 | At all times | |
| Motorcycle, moped, motor tricycle | £1.50 | £2.50 | £2.50 |
| Cars and small van | £1.50 | £4.00 | £4.00 |
| Large van | £2.50 | £6.50 | £6.50 |
| Heavy goods vehicle | £5.00 | £10.00 | £10.00 |
The contract is believed to be for three years, and the bus will be free for at least the first year
The interior of the Silvertown Tunnel which has been under construction since March 2021
TfL said construction work and ‘rigorous testing’ of the Silvertown Tunnel are ‘sufficiently complete’ to enable it to set out a planned date for opening.
Transport bosses hope the tunnel will reduce severe congestion at the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.
The Blackwall Tunnel is currently free to use, but charges will apply for both the Silvertown or Blackwall Tunnels from April 7 between 6am and 10pm.
But climate activists have expressed concern about the new crossing’s impact on traffic and air pollution.
The Stop Silvertown Tunnel Traffic and Pollution said on X: ‘The £2million that will be wasted on a bike bus designed to fail is nothing compared to the £2.7billion spent on a tunnel claimed to reduce congestion and pollution that actually worsens both – so much so that TfL needs to institute a new toll on Blackwall just to restore the status quo.’
The most recent budget given by TfL for the project was £2.2billion.
The London Cycling Campaign tweeted: ‘The Silvertown Tunnel formula: Wrong crossing + wrong place + wrong mitigations = greenwashing.’
It claimed the bike shuttle ‘won’t help cargo bikes, adapted bikes, current riders (and) new riders’, adding: ‘River crossings for walkers and wheelers? Yes please. More roads for cars and lorries? No thanks.’
The Silvertown Tunnel project by TfL has included the construction of new cycleways
New footways have been constructed as part of the Silvertown Tunnel project in East London
Traffic queues on the A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich in August 2024
TfL previously claimed the buses would accommodate adapted cycles, but it is still not clear whether they will be able to take cargo bikes.
Transport bosses said they will ‘shortly begin to install the new shelters and cycle racks for the zero-emission cycle-shuttle service, which will have a bespoke design to support cyclists and distinguish them from the regular bus network’.
The service will ‘also have a unique look and feel to help distinguish it from the regular bus network’, with TfL adding that ‘this branding will be used on the buses, the stops and shelters, and on the wayfinding signs to raise awareness of the new service’.
It also said: ‘Maps showing local cycle routes will also be on display at shelters to help with journey planning and encourage further journeys by cycle.’
TfL is set to confirm the ‘final designs and how customers will be able to use the service in the coming weeks’.
Meanwhile, TfL said the charge for drivers to go through the tunnel will help manage traffic levels, repay construction costs and cover ongoing maintenance and operation fees.
Failure to pay the fee will result in a penalty charge notice (PCN) being issued for £180, reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan (pictured last month) is the chair of Transport for London
An aerial view of the north portal of the Silvertown Tunnel in East London under construction
The Silvertown Tunnel in East London will connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula
A number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital, and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles.
TfL said that once the tunnel is open, the number of buses able to cross the river in the area will increase from six to 21 an hour – which will be free to use for the first year.
The Silvertown Tunnel project is being delivered by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of private financial companies.
As of 2022, it had secured £1.2 billion of private finance to build, operate and maintain the tunnel.
TfL’s accounts indicate that TfL’s total repayments over a 25-year period could exceed £2billion.
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, said: ‘I’m pleased that we can now confirm that the Silvertown Tunnel will open on April 7 2025, following years of hard work and close collaboration between ourselves and Riverlinx Limited.
‘The tunnel is on track to open in the coming months and is a testament to brilliant and groundbreaking engineering.
‘The new tunnel, along with the initial user charges, discounts and exemptions, will support growth in the local area and provide new public transport connections across the river.
The tunnel boring machine in the launch chamber during construction in September 2022
An aerial view of the Newham worksite in September 2022 while the tunnel was being built
An image issued by TfL of the tunnel boring machine at Royal Docks in September 2022
‘These measures will also help manage traffic demand as well as the environmental impacts, and ensure the new tunnel delivers on its objectives of reducing traffic congestion and providing resilience at the Blackwall Tunnel, while ensuring we support local residents on low income, small businesses, sole traders and local charities.’
And Stagecoach London managing director Paul Lynch said: ‘We’re excited to be asked to operate the innovative and important Silvertown Tunnel cycle-shuttle service as part of the enhanced cross river public transport offering, and we’re busy making sure our specially converted zero emission buses will be ready in time.
‘We also hope to see the new tunnel ease traffic conditions for our other bus services in the area.’
John Hagan, chief executive of Riverlinx, added: ‘We are pleased to announce the opening date for the project. This represents the culmination of effort for the thousands of people that have worked on the project over the past five years.
‘I would especially like to recognise our CJV partners BAM, Ferrovial, and SK ecoplant. We at Riverlinx look forward to beginning the operations and maintenance phase and our continued partnership with TfL.’