Yesterday marked exactly one year since this petition was submitted, and the London Assembly voted unanimously to call on TfL to extend routes 215 and/or 379 to at least Waltham Abbey, restoring our vital bus link to Chingford.

At the time, our county councillor Sam Kane called this “a massive boost for Waltham Abbey.” And we agreed—it should have been. Since then, TfL have welcomed talks with Essex County Council on funding for restorations and extensions of London bus routes to serve Waltham Abbey.

But one year later, nothing has changed. We still have no buses to Chingford, and our other services remain unacceptably poor.

🛑 Essex County Council has failed to act. Despite £17.8 million in available funding for bus improvements, they have still not secured any of it to work with TfL on reinstating and improving services in Waltham Abbey.

🛑 Local councillors have gone silent. Whilst we all appreciate their prior support and efforts in pushing for reinstated TfL bus services, they have not provided any further updates or pushed for action in recent months.

🚍 Meanwhile, our bus services continue to decline. Arriva will soon divert the 251 bus via Parklands, away from Farm Hill Road and Broomstick Hall Road, without public consultation. Commercial operators continue to change routes with no input from those who rely on them.

While surrounding areas continue to enjoy frequent and well-connected London bus services, Waltham Abbey remains stuck with patchy, unreliable commercial routes that fail to meet local needs:

• 🚫 Still no bus to Chingford.
• 🚏 Bus stops left abandoned.
• ⏳ Minimal Sunday and bank holiday service.
• 🔄 Infrequent and unreliable connections.
• 🤦‍♂️ Services changed and reduced at the whim of commercial operators.
• 💷 Rip-off fares with no TfL Oyster/contactless integration.

What we've achieved so far:

🚍 Over 1.5k signatures on our petition before it was prematurely closed last January in preparation for its submission to the London Assembly in February 2024.

🙌 Support across various levels of government including Dr Neil Hudson MP, Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Waltham Abbey, London Assembly members, and local councillors.

📢 A unanimous vote from the London Assembly, officially calling on TfL to reinstate services to Waltham Abbey.

🗣️ Ongoing engagement with TfL, who have expressed willingness to explore options—if Essex County Council steps up.

🔍 Raised awareness of our town’s transport issues, bringing our dire public transport into the spotlight and pressuring decision-makers for action.

But despite all this, Essex County Council has still not engaged with TfL to move things forward.

Where we go from here:

📢 Cllr Sam Kane and our local representatives must provide an update. Why the recent silence? What action is being taken?

📢 Essex County Council must step up and secure funding to work with TfL on reinstating and improving services in Waltham Abbey.

📢 We must keep the pressure on. Waltham Abbey cannot be ignored any longer.

There is no excuse for continued inaction. It is vital that TfL services—not new commercial services or standard Essex bus provisions—are restored, fully integrated with the wider London transport network.

➡️ It’s time to stop ignoring Waltham Abbey. Essex County Council must engage with TfL, secure funding, and finally restore the frequent, reliable, and properly integrated London bus services Waltham Abbey had for decades—and desperately needs today.