FOI REVEAL 99.85% OF BUS STOPS IN LONDON WITHOUT CCTV, ALLOWING CRIMINALS TO GO UNPUNISHED

• A Freedom of Information request into Transport for London by the Conservative Environment Network has revealed that only 30 out of around 19,500 bus stops in London have CCTV cameras, meaning approximately 99.85% do not have CCTV

• As well as making passengers feel safer, CCTV would also help tackle the declining rate of crimes which result in an arrest or charge, which has reduced from 16.7% to 8.10% since the pandemic, raising questions about Sadiq Khan's record

• CEN, alongside Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Richard Holden and Councillor Festus Akinbusoye, have therefore called for CCTV to be rolled out across London’s most isolated and popular bus stops to ensure people feel safe when using this vital and clean form of infrastructure 

[Sunday 26th July 2026] Following a Freedom of Information request into Transport for London, the Conservative Environment Network can reveal that only 30 bus stops, out of approximately 19,500, have CCTV cameras.

Alongside the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Richard Holden and councillor for Westminster Festus Akinbusoye, CEN has warned this is having a detrimental impact on bus usages as it makes passengers feel less safe and allows crime to go unpunished. 

It could also mean that Burnham’s attempt to boost England’s bus usage will fail, as people do not feel safe or comfortable using this form of infrastructure. 

CEN argues that buses are an essential form of transport infrastructure. They help get people to work and school, connect both older and younger generations to their friends and the high street, and cut congestion and air pollution.

But people increasingly feel unsafe on buses as crime and anti-social behaviour go unpunished and increase in frequency. CCTV at bus stops can help fix this. 

TFL polling of CCTV at bus stops showed that this simple action increased passenger confidence and bus ridership, with 80% of women saying CCTV made them feel safe and 73% stating they would be more likely to travel by bus. 

CCTV at bus stops can also act as a deterrent, making people think twice before committing a crime or behaving anti-socially. 

CEN also argues CCTV at bus stops would help track down criminals who have committed crimes at bus stops or criminals fleeing from a bus. This is even more vital as CEN has discovered positive outcome rates and solved rates for crime committed on buses between 2016-2020, which averaged at 16.7%, has since declined to 8.10% between 2022-2025.

Finally, making bus stops safer could be essential to reviving London’s declining night life. Labour policies have made it harder for the late-night hospitality sector to survive, but by making late-night transport services such as bus travel safer, people will feel confident in the knowledge that they can stay out longer. 

That is why CEN and Conservative politicians are calling for CCTV to be expanded to the most isolated and popular bus stops. This will make people feel safer and more confident to use the bus, especially at night, make people think twice before committing a crime, and help police solve more cases. 

CEN’s Head of Outreach, Isabel Goodwin, said: 

“Buses are the most widely-used form of public transport, providing an affordable way for young people to access education and employment; for pensioners to stay connected; and for people to get home after enjoying an evening with friends and family. The more people use our buses, the less congested and polluted our roads and communities will be. 

“And yet passengers all too often don’t feel safe waiting for a bus, leaving them to use expensive, less sustainable forms of transport or not go out at all. We need urgent action to ensure everyone can feel confident and safe on our buses.

“TfL have been trialling CCTV at bus stops and their own survey found it meant women and girls felt safer and would be more likely to travel by bus. One year on there are still only 30 bus stops with CCTV. That’s why we’re calling on the Mayor to prioritise a rollout of CCTV to restore passenger confidence in our broken buses.”

Shadow of State for Transport Richard Holden said: 

“Buses are an essential, affordable form of transport for many whilst helping cut air pollution. But Lord Khan has allowed crime on London’s bus network to go unpunished, making increasing numbers of people afraid to use them.

“CCTV cameras at bus stops make people feel safer and can help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. Shockingly, under Mayor Khan, there are just 30 bus stops with CCTV cameras out of a possible 19,500. 

“It’s clear we need CCTV covering more bus stops and by making them safer, we can bring confidence back to passengers, especially women, girls, and young people, and get Britain moving again.”

Cllr for Westminster and former PCC for Bedfordshire Festus Akinbusoye  said:

“As a councillor in London and former Police and Crime Commissioner, I know how important buses are for everyday life. They help people commute to work and school, connect Londoners to friends and high streets, and reduce congestion and air pollution. But Sadiq Khan is failing to tackle crime on our bus networks, leaving passengers who want to use this vital form of transport feeling unsafe.

"It is therefore damning that there are still only 30 CCTV cameras at bus stops in the whole of Greater London. This forces the police to rely on cameras on buses and third-party CCTV. This is unacceptable and unsustainable, proven by the falling solved rates of crime. We need urgent action to address this before the confidence of more passengers is irretrievably damaged. 

“This means expanding CCTVs to more bus stops in London - we know they make women and girls in particular feel safer. But the Mayor has failed to take decisive action. London deserves a clean, safe, and affordable bus network. By rolling out CCTV cameras to isolated and commonly-used bus stops, we can take an important step to restore passenger confidence.”