Residents of a small remote village just 580 metres outside the Greater London boundary fear being cut off due following the expansion of the Ulez boundaries in the summer.
Netherne-on-the-hill has not been serviced by a bus since 2020, with locals instead usually driving into down the road into the boundaries of London in order to catch public transport to get about.
But since August residents with non-compliant cars have been hit by the Ulez fees each time they have done so.
Rosalind Earp, Chair of the Residents Association, has warned that the issue risks leaving people cut off from society.
She said: “Coulsdon is in the Ulez. If your car is not compliant, you don’t get help with the scrappage scheme or anything.
“If they can’t drive or they can’t afford the Ulez charge to go to the doctors, the dentist or to do the shopping then they’re stuck.”
Locals have pleaded for Transport for London (TfL) to change its bus route in order to encoumpasse the small village but have had no luck.
“They’re basically saying, it’s down to Surrey to sort it out,” Earp added.
The Ulez zone was expanded on August 29 this year
PA
Although the village in technically in Surrey, locals believe that extending the London 463 bus route is the most practical option.
When the buses to the village were first scrapped in 2020, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council helped to fund a 16 seater minibus to transport those in the village but Earp says it struggles to keep up with demand.
“Many of us would end up at the stop and not be able to get on and would be late for work,” she said.
Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s Director of Public Transport Planning, said: “We are committed to providing a comprehensive and reliable bus service across the breadth of London and keep the network under constant review to ensure we invest our resources where they are needed most.
“While there are some bus routes which operate under contract to TfL between Greater London and the larger towns in the Home Counties closest to the boundary, councils such as Surrey County Council are ultimately responsible for funding any public transport service that is not provided commercially by bus operators.
“We have carefully assessed the cost of providing this service using the same criteria we apply for assessing all changes to our routes and we are confident the £1million figure is a fair cost estimate.
“While we unfortunately do not have the budget to provide this service, we remain open to discussions with Surrey County Council about how services could be provided to residents of the county and how these could be funded.”
