Here's everything we know about a brand new bus route which is launching in Havering this week including free travel for passengers across the first seven days.
The SL12 Superloop service will hit the roads of Havering on Saturday (September 5).
The route will connect Gants Hill with Rainham, running through Romford and serving key stops including Queen’s Hospital, Elm Park and Tesco in Rainham.
The SL12 will serve the supermarket's bus stop in both directions, with stop F operating at all times.
At Romford station, buses will use stops Y and Z.
Buses will run every 12 minutes during the day from Monday to Saturday, and every 15 minutes on Sundays, evenings, and early mornings.
The SL12 was initially proposed in spring 2025 as part of TfL’s plans to expand its Superloop network.
Following a public consultation, TfL confirmed in September last year that the SL12 had been approved and would serve Havering from 2026.
On August 20 this year, TfL confirmed to the Recorder that the new route would debut on September 5.
TfL also revealed that pay-as-you-go passengers will pay nothing during the service’s first week.
The full route, according to TfL's website, is as follows:
From Gants Hill, towards Rainham:
- Parham Drive
- Horns Road
- Newbury Park Station
- Barley Lane
- Padnall Road
- Mawney Road
- Western Road
- Romford Station
- Queen's Hospital
- Elm Park Station
- Freeborne Gardens
- Ford Lane
- Dunedin Road
- Rainham Tesco
- Lamson Road / Rainham Station Southside
- Ferry Lane / Coldharbour Lane
From Rainham, towards Gants Hill
- Ferry Lane / Coldharbour Lane
- Lamson Road / Rainham Station Southside
- Rainham Tesco
- Dunedin Road
- Ford Lane
- Freeborne Gardens
- Elm Park Station
- Queen's Hospital
- Romford Station
- Western Road
- Mawney Road
- East Road
- Barley Lane
- Newbury Park Station
- Ley Street
- Gants Hill Station / Cranbrook Road
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s director of buses, has said she's "thrilled" to deliver a new Superloop route and expand into Havering for the first time.
She said: "The SL12 will boost travel and journey times in northeast and east London, taking people across the area to local shops and amenities and onwards to fast and convenient Elizabeth line and Tube connections at Romford, Newbury Park, Elm Park and Gants Hill.
"We’re also excited to be able to offer customers free journeys on the SL12 for the first week and I’d encourage everyone in the area to try out this new, sustainable, accessible transport link."
The SL12 will operate with double decker buses and each will feature air conditioning, charging points, and real-time customer information.
Ilker Dervish, chairman of London Riverside BID, said: "The London Riverside BID has been lobbying for many years for improved transport into Rainham's employment zone, which accommodates over 600 businesses and thousands of jobs.
"On behalf of the businesses in Ferry Lane, we welcome the introduction of the new route.
"It will greatly help to connect local residence to jobs, and we look forward to continuing to work with TfL to bring yet more transport solutions to all of the BID."
Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham was another who deemed the introduction of the SL12 "good news".
She said it was a "much-needed link" for people to get to work at Ferry Lane and claimed she looks forward to trying the service herself.
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