Assembly Member Calls on TfL to Cancel Bonuses Over Abysmal London Trams Performance

Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Transport Spokesperson Hina Bokhari, has written to Transport for London Chief Andy Lord alongside several local councillors in Merton, Croydon, Bromley and Sutton outlining their concerns with the unreliability of the service over the last year.

According to Assembly Member Bokhari, a combination of strikes, engineering works and tram shortages has resulted in a crisis in the level of service across the London Trams network that is failing passengers.

Assembly Member Bokhari has pointed out that since the beginning of 2024, passengers on the New Addington & Elmers End branches have been effectively cut off with repeated line closures at extremely short notice.

On-going engineering issues with the rolling stock across the network are set to continue to cause disruption this week, which would mark 10 weeks across 2024 where TfL have been unable to provide good levels of service on the whole network. Unions also warned this week that strikes could continue throughout the whole of summer.

The Liberal Democrats have called on TfL to urgently introduce more replacement bus services, improve communication with local residents and release a comprehensive plan to improve service levels across the network.

The Lib Dems have also called for more information on the delays in replacing the Bombardier rolling stock, with an urgent report to be considered by the Assembly Transport Committee.

Commenting Hina Bokhari AM said:

“London Trams provides a vital transport link for communities in Wimbledon, Mitcham, Croydon, and Beckenham who rely on the network for work, school and leisure.

“The recent level of services provided by London Trams has been utterly abysmal and the impact of the disruption has been felt in our schools and businesses as classes are missed and meetings cancelled.

“With all these disruptions, it is absolutely clear to me that senior directors and officers within London Trams should not be receiving any performance-based bonuses this year.

“Trams are part of the fabric of boroughs in South London and have a proud part to play in improving connectivity and tackling the climate crisis by reducing car use. It is therefore imperative for TfL and the Mayor to take comprehensive measures at pace to restore this service to a level that passengers expect and deserve.”