London's buses are about to change hands — back to the city itself. Transport for London has announced Buses for London, a publicly owned bus company that will run routes across the capital for the first time since 2009. The first service under the new banner will be route 6, linking Willesden with Victoria station, launching in late 2027, with four more routes to be confirmed over the coming year ahead of a 2028 rollout.
The move ends a long stretch of private operation. London's buses have been run by private operators for three decades, apart from a window between 2000 and 2009 when TfL directly managed some routes before they were handed back. Today TfL contracts nearly 700 routes to eight private companies, so the new company starts small but signals a significant shift in how the network could be run.
TfL is framing this as a 'major milestone' that gives it more direct control over service quality — something passengers have arguably noticed slipping, with union Unite pointing to worsening services alongside poor conditions for drivers while private firms' shareholders profited. Unite has long pushed for public ownership, and general secretary Sharon Graham called the announcement a positive step for both workers and riders.
There's a green angle too. The first depot for Buses for London will be at Park Royal in west London, working with the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. It's set to house a new generation of zero-emission buses before the site is redeveloped as part of the broader Old Oak regeneration — one of the biggest projects in the capital. TfL's director of buses, Lorna Murphy, described the depot as a base for 'cleaner, greener services' building on the network's existing sustainability progress.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has pitched the change as a chance to reimagine the network: better value for money, support for climate goals, safer roads, and a service that works better for passengers and drivers alike. No fares or route changes are being announced yet — the practical differences will only become clear once route 6 transfers in late 2027.
For travellers, this matters if you're planning a London trip from late 2027 onwards. The capital's bus network is already one of the cheapest ways to get around — the daily fare cap and contactless payment make it far friendlier on the wallet than the Tube for shorter hops. If public ownership delivers the reliability and service quality TfL is promising, those bus rides should only get smoother. Watch this space as TfL names the next four routes.
