TfL proposes to remove route 654 due to low usage, affecting mainly Harris Academy Orpington. Students may need to use alternate routes with transfers.
TfL wants to stop the route due to low ridership, according to a recent survey. Forty people used it in the morning, and sixty people used it in the afternoon.
Only about six Harris Academy students ride in the morning, with ten traveling in the afternoon. Route 654 is similar to routes 353 and 664, all connecting Addington Village, with Route 664 extending to Keston.
TfL says this change uses resources better, resulting in more efficient buses that save money. They plan to reinvest the money in other bus routes, aiming to improve areas needing more buses.
Most riders can use routes 664 or 353 instead. However, trips between Chelsfield and Harris Academy will change; riders must use route R1 and then change at Orpington High Street.
From Orpington High Street, they use route 353 or R4. This means Chelsfield and Harris Academy lose a direct school bus. TfL started a consultation about these changes, which ends on March 9.
