Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle costs £5,400 daily for 51 riders

Transport for London spends £5,400 every day on a cycle shuttle through the Silvertown Tunnel, a service used by as few as 51 cyclists daily. The shuttle, which runs every 12 minutes between Seagull Lane in the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, has been operating since the tunnel opened in April 2024. Cyclists are banned from riding through the tunnel itself, which is reserved for motor vehicles.

Costs and usage

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The annual cost of the service is approximately £2 million, as confirmed by the Mayor of London. In its first week, the shuttle carried up to 299 cyclists daily, but usage has since declined sharply. Figures released by TfL show that in early January 2025, the service averaged just 51 daily users, equating to a cost of over £100 per passenger.

Alex Wilson, a Reform UK Assembly Member, criticised the expenditure as a waste of public money. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that even at higher usage levels of 100 to 130 passengers daily, the cost per passenger remains £43. Wilson argued that the funds could be better spent elsewhere in London’s transport network.

It's a complete waste of money because nobody's using it. It's ridiculous. So it costs about £5,500 to run each day - even with 100-130 passengers, it works out £43 per passenger. I don't think that's a good use of taxpayers' money.

Alex Wilson, Reform UK Assembly Member

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A reporter from the Local Democracy Reporting Service observed three shuttle buses leaving Seagull Lane without a single passenger on a Thursday in July. However, the service saw some use around lunchtime. Harsha, a 25-year-old delivery worker who uses the shuttle regularly, said it typically carries no more than four or five cyclists at a time. He suggested extending the interval between buses to 15 or 20 minutes to better match demand.

Future of the service

TfL is legally required to operate the cycle shuttle until 2028 under the terms of the Development Consent Order granted in 2018. The Department for Transport imposed the condition as part of the tunnel’s approval. Wilson said he would continue to lobby ministers to remove the requirement, arguing that alternatives such as the Tube or the Emirates Air Line cable car are more cost-effective.

In response to the low usage, TfL is exploring whether to allow pedestrians to board the shuttle. A spokesperson for TfL said the service provides a safe and convenient way for cyclists to cross the river. They noted that the shuttle carries around 100 to 130 cyclists on a typical weekday, a figure comparable to the Woolwich Ferry and higher than the London Cable Car.

What happens next

TfL will continue to operate the cycle shuttle until at least 2028, unless the Department for Transport revises its requirements. The transport authority is also assessing whether to permit pedestrians to use the service, which could increase its utility. Critics, including Wilson, are likely to maintain pressure on City Hall to justify the expenditure or seek alternatives.