During the first ten weeks, the route between Waterloo and Lewisham saw almost 367,000 trips, generating £231,000 in fare income.
According to a TfL study from November 2024, Bakerloop services are predicted to induce £540,000 in profit per time, which means the route has further than twice its projected earnings of £104,000. Due to delays with the Bakerloo line extension from Elephant and Castle to Hayes, Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, launched the Bakerloop.
As part of the Autumn Budget, Sir Sadiq was able to get government financing to expand the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead. However, his ambitions to build the Bakerloo line and create the “West London Orbital” Overground line from underutilized freight track have been delayed.
With construction beginning in the early 2030s, TfL currently projects that the Bakerloo line extension will be operational by 2040. The Bakerloop was implemented as a temporary solution to enhance South East London’s public transportation system.
TfL decided to accept a significant funding shortfall in order to operate the new bus service due to this necessity. The transport agency awarded London Central the Bakerloop contract last summer for £4.93 million annually, £4.4 million more than the £540,000 in revenue that was first projected.
Despite this, the Bakerloop may be able to earn more than £1 million in its first year if present ridership trends persist. Furthermore, the development division of Southwark Council has set aside £5 million for Bakerloop as a result of improvements in the Old Kent Road area.
When TfL polled Londoners earlier this year about starting the bus line, they received overwhelmingly positive comments. Approximately 82% of respondents claimed it would be more convenient, and 79% believed it would lead to quicker travel times.
Every day of the week, from 5 a.m. to 12.30 a.m., the BL1 service stops at Elephant and Castle, Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, and New Cross. Monday through Saturday, there are five buses each hour; on Sundays, there are four buses every hour.
How has Bakerloop affected journey times on Old Kent Road?
No specific Transport for London data quantifies Bakerloop’s precise impact on Old Kent Road trip times since its September 27, 2025 launch.
Pre-launch consultations prognosticated 79 of druggies would witness hastily machine peregrinations versus being routes like the 21/453, with end-to-end Waterloo-Lewisham timetabled at 34 minutes day (38 minutes peak) versus 50 minutes preliminarily yielding 20- 30 faster trip along the corridor.
Early compliances note detainments from roadworks at Old Kent Road- New Cross Road junction (10 minutes) neutralize flyover earnings at Bricklayers Arms, though limited stops (five intermediate) maintain trustability earnings over frequent halting services amid traffic.
