Four MPs have called for more buses on a Sutton route where schoolchildren are reportedly being ‘left stranded’ and punished for arriving late.
The MPs have written to Sadiq Khan calling for additional 213 services between Sutton and Kingston during school travel times amid concerns over overcrowding and reliability.
Their intervention comes after more than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for improvements, with families claiming packed buses are passing stops without picking children up.
Sutton and Cheam MP Luke Taylor has joined three neighbouring MPs in calling for more 213 buses at the beginning and end of the school day.
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He signed the letter alongside Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler, Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney and Kingston and Surbiton MP and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.
The MPs said pupils at Coombe Girls’ School are among those affected, with morning buses frequently full by the time they reach stops used by students.
They wrote: “Since the cut, morning buses have frequently been full by the time they reach the school’s stops, and buses pass by without picking students up.”
The MPs said pupils are being left with “two unfair choices” of catching an earlier bus and waiting outside school “in the dark and cold through the winter months”, or risking arriving late and missing lessons.
Parents behind the petition have previously claimed children can wait more than an hour for the 213, with buses sometimes turning around or changing to 'out of service' when running late.
They say this can leave children “stranded”, while some pupils have reportedly received detentions for arriving late because of disruption outside their control.
The MPs said the 213 is used by around 15,000 people each day and its frequency was reduced in 2023 from six buses an hour from Monday to Saturday.
According to their letter, TfL has said in response to a Freedom of Information request that there are no plans to restore the previous frequency because usage does not justify it.
But the MPs said: “This does not reflect the reality for many of my constituents.”
They are now calling for additional journeys specifically around school arrival and departure times.
The MPs wrote: “Additional journeys at these times would ease overcrowding for students and the commuters who share the route with them.
“We consequently urge you to direct TfL to increase the frequency of 213 services at school arrival and departure times, so students at Coombe Girls’ can get to school safely and on time.”
The petition is also calling for better spacing and reliability of 213 services and changes to how late-running buses are managed.
It says: “Our children should not have to lose sleep, miss lessons, receive detentions, or depend on their parents, who have to delay starting work, simply because they cannot rely on their bus.”
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