‘I rode Superloop Ealing to Uxbridge and passengers are still divided over prices’
revolutionary ‘Superloop’ buses were announced by London Mayor Sadiq Kahn last March.
Each route strives to connect towns in outer London to commercial travel hubs across the city, strengthening connections between areas and boosting people’s faith in public transport.
The Superloop concept is branded by Transport for London (TfL) as “a network of 10 express bus routes”.
It boasts a wide range of buses covering key areas including Canary Wharf, Croydon, Harrow and North Finchley.
Certain journeys such as West Croydon to Heathrow Airport or Uxbridge to White City are priced at just £1.75, making them more financially viable than the train or Tube for many Londoners.
One of many routes driven by buses in the multicoloured fleet orbiting the capital is the SL8, stretching from White City to Uxbridge.
One of the few ‘express’ routes among those available under the Superloop branding, the route is a revamped evolution of the 607 bus.
Though it calls at all the same places as its older counterpart, the SL8 distinguishes itself from its ancestor by having updated names for many of the bus stops to make them easier for passengers to locate.
The introduction of specific stops such as ‘ Shepherd’s Bush Green’, ‘Adelaide Grove’ and ‘Acton Central Station’ have brought an unprecedented ease to commuting in West London.
Riders will also be able to transfer onto the SL9 Superloop once the bus reaches Hayes, progressing onward to Northolt, Harrow or even into Heathrow.
A major access point to the route is Ealing Broadway Station, with many disembarking the Underground and venturing to Uxbridge from this point.
The nine-and-a-half-mile journey should ordinarily only take around 25 minutes by car, but peak pandemonium travel hours may see commuters spending double that time on the road.
For this reason, I was optimistic a bus route marketed as an ‘express’ journey would be smooth sailing when I myself boarded the SL8 on
Windsor Road in central Ealing.
Instantly, I was captivated by how quickly the red and white vehicle turned up at Stop K – I had barely had time to take in my high street surroundings when I was faced with the bus and its distinctive two double doors.
Tapping my card in a process almost identical to the ‘zone-cap’ strategy on the Underground, I hurriedly searched for a seat.
This was no easy feat; Sadiq Kahn’s 2023 mantra that the Superloop would “build a better, greener London for everyone” had certainly gotten through to the locals.
The bus was spacious and clean, which should be a base-level standard across all transport, though we know it is not.
As I trundled along the roads of Ealing and Hanwell, I took note of how quiet and tranquil the experience felt, imagining the environment to be an ideal one for stressed out individuals who require a space to relax.
As I was gazing out of my window seat at the vast Ealing Hospital, health worker Saloni Jugroo, who had just finished her shift there, sat down next to me.
Her views on the new route opposed mine. She claimed, despite being over 60 and a health worker, that she was still being charged over £3 for her morning commute from Hayes to the hospital, something she hadn’t expected from this new ‘super bus’.
She said: “Every morning, I have to pay – I only have to pay in the morning time on weekdays, but I work in a hospital, so Monday I was on early shifts, Tuesdays I was on early shifts and today I was on early shifts, that’s three days.”
Saloni expressed her dismay that, for her, the concessionary charge is not applicable in the early mornings.
She added: “It was supposed to be
because a lot of people go to work. When you’re 60 years old, the Government want you to work.”
I was left mulling over Saloni’s comments as she disembarked the bus at Uxbridge County Court amidst a flurry of other passengers – clearly the focus on the efficiency of the Superloop buses wasn’t enough for some.
Shortly afterwards, as we were rolling past rare pockets of greenery, young dad Joshua Bortier boarded the SL8 accompanied by his two young children.
All three bore a cheery disposition, clearly content with riding the fast-paced vehicle.
Joshua chuckled that his family still
already ridden the SL8 “many, many times”, adding: “We take it very very often, it’s definitely a lot quicker and it is easier for us to get places – the price, though, is definitely the same [as other buses].”
Regardless of the price, it was clear from Joshua’s children that the new route had made a positive impact as his daughter excitedly clamoured to take it to the play park in Whitegate until we reached Belmont Road, SL8’s final stop.
Despite the pricing of the bus route raising suspicion with some of its passengers, it was clear from the sheer volume of people piling on and off the vehicle that the SL8 is the crown jewel South London has been yearning for.