That’s right – the News Shopper joined the first-ever ride of the Superloop SL11 from North Greenwich to Abbey Wood, ahead of its official launch on Saturday, January 24.
We departed on Wednesday (January 21) from North Greenwich at 10am sharp.
There were no passengers on board, as the service hasn’t officially started yet, but the atmosphere was buzzing with journalists, TfL staff, and the Mayor’s publicists.
The SL11 is a limited-stop express route designed to speed up journeys between North Greenwich and Abbey Wood while linking key transport hubs – the Jubilee line at North Greenwich and the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood.
The Mayor explained why this route is so important for south east London.
Speaking onboard the SL1, the Mayor of London said: “The Superloop has been a massive success since we first launched it.
“There have been 60 million passenger journeys on the Superloop, but if you look at the numbers using the Superloop verses the normal buses, it’s 11 per cent more.
“We’re going to improve public transport particularly in outer London, but also to encourage the development of Thamesmead, which is really important.”
Rain lashed down the windows of the bus during our travels, and the fogged-up glass meant I couldn’t take in the views across Woolwich and Thamesmead, but it was still impossible to ignore how fast we were moving.
Aboard the bus, I also met Bus Aunty, Bemi Orojuogun, a London-based mental health nurse whose joyful TikTok videos featuring red double-decker buses made her a viral sensation.
Her newfound fame has earned her global recognition, fashion collaborations with brands like Burberry and Ikea, and even a TikTok award.
Even though it’s a limited-stop service, the Mayor reassured us that other high-frequency routes will continue to cover stops the SL11 skips, so no one will be left without options.
He explained: “We’ve noticed, since launching the Superloop, Londoners want faster journey times.
“For those particularly who travel in the night-time and the elderly.
“We’ve still got to keep the six alternative routes.
“If you, for example, live in between one of our express bus stops, you can use another bus.
“The idea is to speed up journeys.”
The Mayor said the “key thing” about the Superloop is to look at links between good public transport hubs, hospitals, town centres and where people live.
He explained: “One part of the SL11 goes to Elizabeth Lines station, Abbey Wood, and the other part goes to Jubilee Line station, North Greenwich.
“When we’ve spoken to Londoners, there are lots of great buses – I think there are 700 routes across London which will collect you from home to work, but there aren’t enough that collect you to transport hubs.”
He also highlighted affordability, pointing out that bus fares remain some of the cheapest in the country.
He added: “I’ve frozen fares on seven occasions.
“We’ve got the Hopper fare, so you can change buses more than once if it’s less than an hour.
“I’m keen to keep fares down.
“I’m also keen to make sure it’s affordable for those aged 60 and over with a Freedom Pass, and for those under 18 who get free travel as well.
“So I’m keen to make sure that buses are as affordable as possible for Londoners.”
By 10.30am, we had already arrived at Abbey Wood.
As we passed all the former 472 stops, it was clear why the Mayor is backing the Superloop: it improves connectivity, supports regeneration in Thamesmead, and gives Londoners a reliable, faster, and more affordable way to get around.
And for anyone eager to try it, pay-as-you-go passengers can travel for free during the first week after launch – so hop on and see the Superloop for yourself.
