We, the undersigned, call on Transport for London (TfL), the Greater London Authority, and our elected representatives to immediately halt proposed changes to bus routes 72 and 283, which serve East Acton and the Old Oak estate.

These routes are not optional. They are essential. For thousands of residents in one of West London’s most isolated and disadvantaged neighbourhoods, these buses are the only safe, affordable, and accessible way to travel.

🚫 Why Cutting These Routes Is Dangerous

1. No Accessible Tube Station

East Acton station—our only nearby Underground stop—is not step-free. It has over 30 stairs and no lift, making it completely inaccessible to anyone using a wheelchair, pushing a pram, or living with mobility challenges.

Nearby step-free alternatives—Acton Main Line, Wood Lane and Willesden Junction — are all over a mile away by pedestrian route, unreachable on foot for many older, disabled, or unwell residents.

TfL has deprioritised East Acton for accessibility and step-free upgrades, leaving our community permanently underserved.

2. Critical Access to Hospitals at Risk

These buses serve Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital and Hammersmith Hospital—major specialist units for maternity, cancer, renal, and cardiac care. Cutting these services puts essential appointments beyond reach for people without cars.

Pregnant and postpartum women, in particular, rely on routes 72 and 283 for:

• Emergency maternity care
• Neonatal check-ups and vital infant health clinics
• Antenatal and postnatal appointments

New mothers cannot be expected to walk long distances or navigate stairs while recovering from birth, often with infants or other children in tow. Taxis are unaffordable for many. By removing or reducing fast and accessible bus routes, TfL would be creating a major obstacle to accessing to essential maternal healthcare for women without cars, putting lives and long-term wellbeing of new mothers and infants at risk. 

Who Will Be Hit the Hardest

The Old Oak estate is home to some of the most vulnerable residents in the borough:

• 64% of local households are income-deprived
• 16% of residents report a disability or long-term health condition limiting daily activity—the highest rate in Hammersmith & Fulham
• The area ranks in the worst 20% nationally for child and pensioner poverty

This is not a place where people can “just take a cab” or walk further. For many, buses are the only option.

On top of this, HS2 construction will close Old Oak Common Lane for 4–5 years starting in 2027, cutting off one of only three roads in and out of the estate. Bus routes will become more important than ever.

What’s At Stake

If these changes go ahead:

• Mothers and babies will miss critical healthcare
• Disabled and elderly residents will be stranded
• Jobseekers and carers will lose their only transport link
• One of London’s most overlooked neighbourhoods will be pushed further into isolation

This is not just poor planning—it is an act of exclusion. Removing lifeline services from a transport-poor, income-deprived, and medically vulnerable population is indefensible.

WE THEREFORE DEMAND THAT TFL ACT TO:

1. Protect and maintain routes 72 and 283 at current service levels
2. Urgently prioritise step-free access at East Acton station
3. Develop an inclusive transport plan that reflects the needs of disabled residents, low-income families, hospital users and new mothers—not just car owners or physically mobile commuters

Cutting or reducing these routes will trap vulnerable people at home. It will endanger new mothers and babies. It will make an already underserved neighbourhood even more isolated and deepen inequalities.

We urge TfL and our elected representatives:

Listen to the people who live here. Protect the transport lifelines our community depends on.

Please also oppose these changes in the tfl consultation here before the 7th September: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/routes-72-283