"A far cry from a cycle route under the Thames": Cyclists make first journeys on controversial "greenwashing" bike bus through new £2bn Silvertown Tunnel

With London's £2bn Silvertown Tunnel opening this week and cyclists not allowed to ride through, the controversial bike bus that is to shuttle bicycle riders across the route has also been rolled out.

The idea that cyclists must, rather than be provided a suitable direct route to ride between Greenwich south of the river and Newham to the north, catch a bus before resuming their cycled journeys on the other side was already branded "ridiculous" by campaigners when the plans were announced.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

Accusations of "greenwashing" have been prominent throughout, the Silvertown Tunnel project reportedly costing in excess of £2bn but lacking an option for cyclists that does not either involve a massively longer journey or taking your bike on a bus that then drives through the tunnel. Criticism peaked when it emerged in January that the cost of the bike bus — which will be free to use for "for at least 12 months" and will run five times an hour from 6.30am to 9.30pm, seven days a week — will be £2m.

But what's it actually like to use? With the route now open, one local cyclist, Tony from cycling deals website Bikesy, went along to try it out on its first day in operation.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

Sharing plenty of helpful pictures illustrating what the service is like, Tony told us: "The spaces are quite cramped, [the capacity of] eight regular bikes may not be enough in peak times. The cycle paths from central Greenwich to the bus stop on Millennium Way could also be improved, but the cycle infrastructure on the north side is good.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

"The bus service itself is pleasant, but a far cry from the cycle route under the Thames that cycling groups were calling for. It was encouraging to see that UK street-legal e-bikes are allowed on the bus, despite TfL's recent ban on taking full-size e-bikes on public transport. People were using it to carry Santander bikes, Santander e-bikes and Lime Bikes across the river on the first services of the day.

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"The tunnel service is handy for people going to the Excel Centre and Canary Wharf, saving the inconvenience of walking through the Greenwich foot tunnels, and potentially having to carry a bike up the stairs in the event of a broken lift.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

"Traffic in the tunnel was minimal and, with a separate bus lane the whole way along, the interval of one bus every 12 minutes looks encouraging and feasible. There are three buses on the loop at any one time, with two more available as replacements in the event of any breakdowns."

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

The buses are run by Stagecoach who made a successful £1,967,010 bid to Transport for London (TfL) for the contract to operate the shuttle service.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

The bike bus and wider Silvertown Tunnel project have attracted consistent criticism from cycling and active travel groups for its failure to provide an alternative route to pedestrians and cyclists, all while potentially encouraging car use and increasing pollution.

April 2025 Silvertown Tunnel bike bus first day (credit: Tony at Bikesky - Bikesy.co.uk)

There is a 'north' stop location that will be located on Seagull Lane in Newham, close to Royal Victoria DLR station, and the 'south' stop in Greenwich located on Millennium Way near the junction with Old School Close. Concerns had already been heard about the bus stop locations and a lack of safe cycling infrastructure leading to them, Tony's account suggesting this is particularly poor on the southern side.

The controversy around the tunnel and its cycling offering has been long-running. In October, an FOI request revealed that RideLondon's "hiatus" in 2025 was due to the tunnel's opening, London's walking and cycling commissioner objecting to the closure of the new tunnel for the cycling event as an "absolute no".

RideLondon-Essex route 2024 with impact of Silvertown Tunnel opening (London Marathon Events) (credit: road.cc)

More concerning for cycling campaigners however is the impact the new tunnel, which will see car drivers charged £4 to use at peak times, will have on traffic levels and emissions.

At the time the bike bus was announced there was much discussion about it on social media, one user calling the idea "ridiculous". Another called it "embarrassing" that London is "a city which cannot afford to build a dedicated bridge or tunnel for cycles and pedestrians, but dedicates countless billions to new infrastructure for more cars".

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Victoria Rance, a local teacher and the founder of the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition, commented: "This is 2023. The climate is at a tipping point. We must reduce car use by 27-40 per cent according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan's own carbon plan. So putting bikes on a bus instead of creating bike lanes is bonkers. Please repurpose the Silvertown Tunnel, the sooner the better."

"Repurposing the tunnel would be so much better. Or building the cycle bridge," argued the Greenwich branch of the London Cycling Campaign. "All Silvertown will bring is more pollution and more congestion. It is incompatible with a responsible climate policy in its current form."