Fifteen years and three London mayors after the idea was first proposed, a direct bus route between Golders Green to Stamford Hill has been launched.

Travelling through Highgate, Archway and Manor House to link the capital’s Strictly Orthodox heartlands, the 310 will – its advocates hope – make Jewish Londoners safer by ensuring that they do not have to change at Finsbury Park.

For a one-year trial period, Transport for London will collect data on its use before deciding whether to make the route permanent.

Speaking on board the single decker shuttle bus at its launch in Golders Green on Monday, Sadiq Khan told the JC he was responding to communal concerns over rising antisemitism.

“Jewish Londoners have felt scared to leave their homes,” the London mayor said. “So this direct bus link between these two significant communities means you can travel on the 310, not need to change and be safe and feel safer. I hope that will lead to more Londoners from these communities using public transport safely.”

Until the launch of the new service, travelling from Golders Green to Stamford Hill by bus would involve taking the 210 to Finsbury Park Station before changing buses.

The area has long been dogged by high crime rates, however. Earlier this year Hackney, Islington and Haringey Councils and the Metropolitan Police launched a campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, theft and sexual harassment around the station.

In December, the JC reported that an Israeli man in a kippah waiting for a bus in Finsbury Park had been violently assaulted by a man who shouted “Kill the Jew.”

Andrew Gilbert, the vice president of the Board of Deputies, said that families did not want their children changing at the north London transport hub but would let them ride a direct route, however,

"In a period where our community is encountering unprecedented antisemitism, any measure that bolsters the confidence of Jewish individuals in using public transport is immensely valued,” he said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan meets members of the Jewish community at the start of the new 310 bus route in Golders Green (Photo: Mayor of London)

After over a decade of lobbying by the London Jewish Forum, TfL finally decided to trial the 310 amid rising antisemitism following the October 7 attack.

When a Tube driver shouted “Free Palestine” to his passengers over the tannoy later that month, Gilbert and Adrian Cohen, who served as co-chair of the London Jewish Forum, met with London transport commissioner Andy Lord to discuss the incident.

After raising their concerns over the chant, Gilbert said, the pair pushed again for a bus route linking the city’s main Jewish centres.

Amanda Bowman, co-chair of the London Jewish Forum, said she was “delighted” the 310 was now running. “It is a testament to when we all, as a community, work together, we can get things done,” she said. “It’s just going to be so much better. People can connect in an easier and better way.”

Since October 7, Bowman said, people had been “scared” of changing buses. “There has been a normalisation of verbal abuse. The police are not necessarily prioritising verbal hate crime.”

Rabbi Dovid Lichtig, chair of the Interlink Foundation, which represents strictly Orthodox Jews, said that as a Hendon resident who works in Stamford Hill, he was looking forward to taking the 310 himself.

“I drive because the 210 takes too long. It doesn’t feel safe changing at Finsbury Park. For me, the fact that there is a direct bus connecting Golders Green and Stamford Hill is a game-changer,” he said.

Khan speaks to Rabbi Dovid Lichtig, who is looking forward to taking the bus from Golders Green to his Stamford Hill office. Also pictured is Andrew Lord (left), head of TfL and Andrew Gilbert, vice president at the Board of Deputies (second from right) (Photo: Mayor of London)

Avi Lazarus, CEO of Kehillas Federation (the Federation of Synagogues), was one of the passengers on the first 310 bus. He told the JC: "Having attended many meetings about the proposal, and seen firsthand the efforts by TFL and the Mayor of London to make it happen, I was delighted to attend the launch of the 310 bus route on behalf of the Golders Green kehilla in particular.

"We extend our thanks to them and to the Board of Deputies and London Jewish Forum for bringing it to fruition, connecting the vibrant Jewish communities of Stamford Hill and Golders Green with a much needed direct public transport link for the first time."

Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of Public Transport Service Planning, said he wanted to encourage people to use the 310 as much as possible and provide feedback during its consultation period.

“Feedback is hugely important to us and will enable us to create a bus service that benefits everyone using public transport services in the local area,” he said. “We hope the new route will help to increase the use of buses and reduce car use by improving travel options for people living in the area.”