PRESSURE groups are calling for new bus route to link Finchley with the Royal Free Hospital.

Currently residents have to change at least twice to get to the hospital if they are travelling from Finchley, and journey times can take up to an hour.

East Finchley Buswatch, which meets to discuss bus routes and services in the area, claims there is a “persistent public demand” for a direct service to the Royal Free Hospital.

Hazel Burnett, who organises the group, said: “The Royal Free Hospital is becoming more prominent as more people are being referred there, but there is no direct access.

“We are just local people who are trying to improve a much-needed service and have been hammering away at this for years.

“Because of the changing demographic of the borough, and the large amounts of people due to come into the new developments, it is even more important to provide the service.”

The group has approached Transport for London (TfL) about it putting on the new buses but has found it hard pushing through their proposals.

Ms Burnett said: “TfL has its own agenda and things it needs to look at.

“Our experiences with it haven't been great and it keeps finding excuses to fob us off.”

But TfL said it keeps the bus network under regular review “to ensure it provides the best possible service”.

David Wilson, a TfL spokesman, said: “In the case of requests for new bus routes, or amendments to existing routes, we consider a number of factors including demand for the service, existing local transport links, and what represents the best value for tax and fare payers’ money.

“We recently reviewed the possibility of introducing an all-day bus service between East Finchley and the Hampstead area following local requests, but we were unable to justify the cost.”

The Barnet Green Party is now planning to present a 500 name petition to the Greater London Authority (GLA) to show there is a significant demand.

Steve Norman, of the Barnet Green Party, said the scheme would make sense because of the difficulty so many people have in getting between the two areas.

He said the demand for a route is only likely to increase as more people are being referred to the Royal Free because of the development to Finchley Memorial Hospital.

Transport chiefs at Barnet Council said they do not have any specific legal power to force bus routes, but work in partnership with TfL and can promote of new routes or alterations to existing ones.

In the past they have pointed out the lack of a direct bus link from the Finchley areas to the Royal Free Hospital, and claimed they do raise poor bus links with TfL.

Officers said the council is suggesting future planning processes by TfL need to be more flexible and new proposals should be identified to serve people who currently do not use buses, rather than only changing existing routes.

TfL said they welcome feedback on bus services, and anyone who wishes to make suggestions should contact London Buses Customer Services on 0845 300 7000.