Second on-demand Slides in to London

London’s second on-demand bus service has started.

Entitled Slide Ealing, the service is provided by TfL, RATP and German technology firm MOIA. It will operate seven days a week, 6am to 1am, and cover an area from Southall in the west to the North Circular, and from the A40 down to Boston Manor in the south of Ealing. The service will be available for the next 12 months.

Passengers can book a ride using the app, or on the phone. The service does not follow a fixed route, but picks people up from flexible stops. Once a ride has been secured, users will wait no longer than around ten minutes for a bus. Fares for the on-demand service will start at a flat rate of £3.50, with passengers being able to benefit from weekly and monthly capping. Every tenth journey will be free. The new MAN buses can accommodate wheelchair users and are fully accessible.

The announcement follows the start of GoSutton, the first on-demand minibus service in London. Operating in Sutton, the 12-month trial service is run in collaboration with ViaVan and Go-Ahead.