533 bus that serves Grove Park changes number to 209

533 bus service officially renumbered and has minimal changes to route

The bus route formerly known as 533, that serves Grove Park has been officially renumbered and is now called the 209. The change came into effect on Saturday (15 August).

The change follows a public consultation by Transport For London on proposed changes to bus services in Barnes, Mortlake and the surrounding areas.

The bus routes 378, 485 and 533 have also undergone changes after a review of services introduced after the closure of Hammersmith bridge. The 533 was introduced in 2019 as a temporary service during the closure.

The new 209 bus runs from Hammersmith Lower Bus Station to Barnes Pond. At Barnes Pond, the 209 terminates at the stop BC.

The 209 follows almost the entire route of the previous service so passengers travelling between Chiswick, Barnes and Hammersmith won’t experience much change at all.

The buses will still operate at a service frequency of 15 minutes and on every day of the week.

But the loop around Barnes that the 533 operated has been removed entirely in the new service. Now, instead of travelling one-way down Lonsdale Road the buses will travel in both directions along the road. Passengers using the stops Church Road, Castelnau and Lonsdale Road will now need to cross the road to get on the 209 due to the change in direction of travel.

The changes in the bus route. Picture: Transport For London

Councillor concerns

In March, LB Richmond councillor Alexander Ehmann called on TFL to halt their changes to bus services in Barnes, Mortlake and the surrounding areas.

The Deputy leader of Richmond council said:

“It is disappointing that TfL has chosen to push ahead with these changes despite some reasonable requests for amendments. There is merit in some of the proposals, but TfL has ‘missed the bus’ for using local insight to better their plans.

“TfL’s consultation feedback included concerns about longer journey times, more complicated journeys and the loss for some of direct connections to essential services including hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists and schools.

After Council and resident demands, TfL has now committed to review the changes later in the year – so we will hold them to that commitment.”