Transport: Council set to terminate bus shelters contract with Valo Smart City… Petition to scrap planned 450 bus route cuts

Croydon council say they are “taking steps” to terminate their contract with Valo Smart City to deliver bus shelters in the borough.

Executive Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry says: “This is an incredibly frustrating and unacceptable situation which has arisen through the procurement of the contract for the supply of new bus shelters with digital advertising screens in 2020.

“The council awarded this contract in 2021 to Valo Smart City which had no track record of delivering a contract like this in the UK and has failed to deliver a single bus shelter in our borough.

“The worst of it is that some bus shelters were removed leaving residents without shelter and facing a third winter out in the cold.

“Since I was elected in May 2022, many attempts have been made to arrange a working plan which would deliver the shelters; timelines have been shifted, negotiations have taken place, and none of this has resulted in a satisfactory outcome.

“Our residents have waited long enough.

“Bus shelters and street furniture are an important part of the transport network and street scene, and I am determined that we must restore them for the benefit of commuters, residents, and businesses.

“The council are taking immediate steps to terminate the contract with Valo Smart City and we have informed them of our intent to pursue damages. “Meanwhile council officers are reviewing our options to get bus shelters back on our streets as soon as possible.” (Source: Croydon council press release)

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Petition to scrap planned 450 bus route cuts

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A petition to reverse planned cuts to the 450 bus service by Transport for London and Mayor Sadiq Khan has been launched by Croydon Liberal Democrats.

Croydon Cllr Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood ward, (pictured above) launched a survey over the summer which showed overwhelming support for this busy route from more than 200 local residents.

“The 450 bus is a vital lifeline for residents in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood” says Cllr Bonham.

“It helps many older and less mobile residents get out and about in what is a very hilly area, as well as connecting local people to The Triangle and Croydon hospital.

“The response to my surgery was overwhelming, with 95 per cent of respondents opposing reductions in frequency to this busy, well-used service.

Greater London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem, Londonwide) says the Mayor is breaking his promise to residents in outer London by cutting services like the 450.

“With the expansion of ULEZ, it doesn’t make sense to be cutting back on this route when we are trying to encourage people to use public transport and leave their cars at home.

“I urge the Mayor and Transport for London to think again, and reverse their cuts to the 450 bus.”

The petition to reverse the cuts to the 450 service, alongside the survey results, can be found here: https://www.croydonlibdems.org/campaigns/no-cuts-to-the-450-bus

(Source: Croydon Liberal Democrats press release)