The bus from Potters Bar to Barnet Hospital will be renamed the 243 and expanded to run to Hatfield reports Christopher Day, Local Democracy Reporter

Cllr Nik Oakley holding a mug with an image of a bus on it, outside a station — Nik Oakley, Hertsmere Borough Council\’s cabinet member for transport, at the launch of the 84B bus route in 2023. Credit: Will Durrant/LDRS.

The 84B bus route’s future as a commercial operation has been secured after it was rescued by Hertsmere Borough Council.

From 1st September, the Potters Bar to Barnet service will be run by Uno buses and renamed the 243. It will also be expanded, running northwards to Hatfield.

Launched in September 2023 after changes to the previous 84 route meant it no longer ran between Potters Bar and Barnet, the 84B was initially funded by money from Hertsmere’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) pot, which is paid into by developers in the area.

It has since also been supported by further funding from Hertfordshire County Council, though Transport for London and the London Borough of Barnet declined to contribute.

Nik Oakley, Hertsmere’s Labour cabinet member for transport, told a meeting yesterday (Wednesday, 9th July) that Uno was keen to take on the service because of its “overall success”.

She said: “They wish to take on the route from Potters Bar to Barnet, but their proposal is actually to incorporate it into a slightly longer route which runs into Hatfield and goes to the Forum, the Galleria and on to the De Havilland campus.

“The service that Uno … will be providing as the 243 route offers the same service pattern from Potters Bar to Barnet as the 84B does.

“We’ve worked with Uno to ensure that actually happens. That means the bus service will run early morning to early evening, Monday to Saturday, just as it does now.”

Lynette Sullivan, leader of the Conservative opposition group, said the news was a “positive and well-received outcome”.

Morris Bright, her Conservative colleague, said: “This is very good news, and it shows what happens when local groups and councillors really get their act together and put pressure on, but also show the service will be used.

“The council should never have had to fund it in the first place, but no one can dispute that it has turned out very well and it’s money not badly spent at all.”

He said the “tenacity” of Cllr Oakley and Potters Bar residents “should be applauded”.

Chris Myers, a Labour cabinet member, said it was a “genuine win” and continued: “It took political will, it took vision and it took the dogged determination of residents, campaigners and one very committed cabinet member, Cllr Nik Oakley.

“Nik planned the route, secured the funding, dealt with bureaucracy and made sure our manifesto pledge became the reality.

“We promised, we delivered and now it’s standing on its own two feet.”

Conservative councillors called on the council to now look at using CIL funding to save the 601 bus, which runs between Welwyn Garden City and Borehamwood but is set to be axed at the end of August.

Cllr Sullivan said the cut would “affect hundreds of children from Borehamwood, Radlett and Welwyn Garden City”, while her party colleague Caroline Clapper said Radlett residents “do not have an alternative” and “there are going to be some children that are unable to get to school”.

Cllr Oakley said she was “concerned” about the situation with the 601 and that it was “very high on my agenda”.

She said the borough council had been able to “justify” using CIL funds on the 84B because there was “no alternative” but that there are “alternatives to go from Borehamwood through to St Albans”.

Cllr Oakley continued: “The other thing I’ve done is to look at what the deficit is on the operating costs on the 601 with Uno. It is quite substantial … certainly more than what we were putting in per annum on the 84B.”

She noted that any spending on the 601 would need to come from a different council CIL pot.

The Labour leader of the council, Jeremy Newmark, said it was “good news” that Uno was taking on the Potters Bar to Barnet route and added: “It’s heartening to hear all those people who told us it couldn’t be done and CIL money couldn’t be spent on bus routes now queuing up to spend even more money on bus routes.”

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