Healthwatch Havering called on transport bosses to reconsider the proposed route of the SL12 bus between Gants Hill and Rainham at a meeting last week.
Under plans put forward last month, the express service would travel across east London, with stops in Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Romford and Elm Park.
But a joint health committee attended by four east London councils – Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest – has been told that a different route would “benefit far more people”.
The proposed route of the SL12 does not stop in Hornchurch (Image: TfL)
Ian Buckmaster, director of Healthwatch Havering, asked councillors to back his calls for the bus to travel into Hornchurch rather than Elm Park.
He said this would provide a direct connection from King George Hospital and Queen’s Hospital to St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub.
“We are proposing an alternative route that stops at St George’s to which people are being referred from Queen’s and from King George,” he explained.
“Residents of Redbridge will be referred there, and residents of Barking and Dagenham will be referred there.
“There is currently no bus service directly from King George to St George’s and the one direct service from Romford is the 252, which goes all around the houses.”
He added that existing buses stop too far from the health hub, which is a problem for elderly people or those with mobility issues.
“We will be making a request for a new bus stop outside St George’s,” he said.
“When the planning permission was granted for it, they said that there would be public transport available, but there ain’t.”
Mr Buckmaster also claimed that the area around Elm Park is already “heavily congested”, so sending the SL12 to Hornchurch instead would make more sense.
TfL declined to comment directly on Healthwatch Havering’s suggestion, as a consultation on its proposal is underway.
People have been asked to share their views on the plans until May 23.
