The Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle (SCS) is a

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

contracted bus route in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. Running between North Greenwich and Royal Victoria station, it is operated by

Stagecoach London Stagecoach London is a major bus operator in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach and operates services under contract to Transport for London mostly in East and South East London, as well as some services running into Central Londo ...

. The route is one of three bus routes to run through the

Silvertown Tunnel The Silvertown Tunnel is a road tunnel, opened on 7 April 2025, beneath the River Thames in east London, England. The twin-bore tunnel runs between west Silvertown, east of the River Lea estuary, on the north side of the Thames and a portal adj ...

, alongside routes 129 and SL4. The service is only open to cyclists, with pedestrians not allowed on board.

History

The Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle, first revealed by

(TfL) in October 2024, commended operations on 7 April 2025, running between North Greenwich and

Silvertown Silvertown is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, Thames and was historically part of the parishes of West Ham and East Ham, Becontree Hundred, hund ...

via the

. It is operated by

using

Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV The Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV is a battery electric single-deck bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis in partnership with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto since 2015. Design An electric variant of the d ...

buses drawn from route 323; the fleet of the latter will be replaced by older diesel buses. Buses on the shuttle feature a silver and blue livery to distinguish it from other regular bus routes. The route runs daily from 06:30 to 21:30 with a frequency of 12 minutes, and only serve cyclists, with pedestrians not allowed on board. It is be free of charge for the first year of operations. Unlike other TfL transport services, e-bikes are be allowed on the shuttle; this is an exemption to a ban enacted in March 2025 following concerns over a potential fire risk. TfL has invested £2 million into this route.

Current route

The Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Shuttle operates via these primary locations: * North Greenwich ''Millennium Way'' * Royal Victoria station ''Seagull Lane''

Reception

A TfL consultation conducted in July 2024 with 684 respondents found that 37% of cyclists would be likely to use a shuttle bus to cross the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, and 83% of all respondents said that they would likely use the bus for leisure purposes as opposed to regular commute. The consultation also found that a ferry option was popular among respondents "with nearly 80 per cent saying that they would consider using a ferry service if it was provided in the future."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:SCS, London Buses Route Bus routes in London Transport in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Transport in the London Borough of Newham Silvertown Tunnel