Keep the 74 running to Putney
and keep the C3
TfL wants to scrap the C3 and send the 74 to Clapham Junction instead of Putney. Putney and Lillie Road would lose their direct bus to Earl’s Court, South Kensington and the West End, and would get about half as many buses towards Earl’s Court.
TfL’s consultation closes on Monday 16 November 2026.
What TfL is proposing
TfL would withdraw the C3, which runs from the Tesco on Warwick Road in Earl’s Court to Clapham Junction. The 74 would stop running between Earl’s Court and Putney and would follow the C3 to Clapham Junction instead.1
The 430 would be left to serve Putney on its own, running every 12 minutes. The 74 would run every 12 minutes on Sunday mornings rather than every 20. The night bus N74 is unchanged.1
74 Cut back from Putney
- Baker Street
- Marble Arch
- South Kensington
- Earl’s Court
- Lillie Road
- Putney Bridge
- Putney
Stops in red lose the 74. It would turn off at Earl’s Court instead.
C3 Scrapped
- Earl’s Court, Warwick Road
- Chelsea Harbour
- Imperial Wharf
- Sands End
- Wandsworth Bridge
- Clapham Junction
The whole route goes. A diverted 74 from Baker Street would run along part of it instead.
Main stops only.
TfL’s map of the proposed routes could not be shown here. Open TfL’s map.
Why we object
Buses an hour from Putney towards Earl’s Court on routes 74 and 430, Monday to Saturday daytime. About ten today, about five under the plan, based on TfL’s published timetables.2
Putney loses its direct bus into town
Anyone travelling from Putney, Putney Bridge or Lillie Road to South Kensington, Knightsbridge or Baker Street would have to change at Earl’s Court. A single seat becomes two buses and a wait at a busy stop. TfL calls this removing duplication. For someone carrying shopping, pushing a buggy or using a stick, it is a worse journey.
Half the buses towards Earl’s Court
On weekday daytimes the 74 and 430 together give Putney about ten buses an hour towards Earl’s Court. Take the 74 away and that falls to about five. The consultation page does not say this.2
A step-free link lost
TfL accepts that passengers from Putney and Lillie Road would lose their direct bus to a step-free Underground station. Earl’s Court is step-free. South Kensington, where the 430 would still go, is not, and TfL does not expect it to be until around 2030.2 Older and disabled residents would bear the cost of this change first.
The C3 is a local route for a reason
The C3 links Earl’s Court, Chelsea Harbour, Imperial Wharf, Sands End and Clapham Junction. It is short, and it serves the people who live along it. Replacing it with the tail end of a route that starts at Baker Street ties a neighbourhood service to whatever is happening in central London traffic that day. Delays at one end will be felt at the other.
Show us the numbers
TfL says the 74 and 430 carry more capacity than is needed between Putney and Earl’s Court.1 If that is so, TfL should publish the passenger figures for each section, by time of day, so residents can judge the case for themselves. A consultation that asks people to accept fewer buses should show its working.
The extra Sunday morning buses are welcome. They do not make up for losing a direct route every other day of the week.
We are asking TfL to keep the 74 running to Putney and to keep the C3.
Sign the petition
“We, the undersigned, call on Transport for London to drop its plan to withdraw route C3 and to cut route 74 back from Putney, and to keep a direct bus from Putney and Lillie Road to Earl’s Court, South Kensington and central London.”
Respond to TfL
The petition shows the strength of feeling. Your own response to TfL carries more weight. Fill in TfL’s online survey and tell them in your own words which journeys you make and how this would change them. The survey closes on Monday 16 November 2026.
Sources
- Transport for London, Bus routes C3, 74 and 430 – proposed restructure, consultation open 5 October to 16 November 2026.
- Putney.news, TfL wants to stop the 74 bus running to Putney, 7 October 2026, drawing on TfL’s published timetables and consultation materials.