Community leaders have welcomed a pledge by the Mayor of London to extend a bus route from Golders Green to Stamford Hill amid heightened safety concerns among the Jewish population.

Speaking at a Jewish community hustings event, Sadiq Khan announced that, if he is re-elected to the role next month, Transport for London will extend the current 210 route to provide a single decker bus that travels directly between Stamford Hill and to Golders Green.

Currently, passengers who wish to travel by bus from one location to the other must take the 210 to Finsbury Park and then change to the 253 or 254 bus toward Stamford Hill.

Calls for TfL to provide a direct link between Stamford Hill and Golders Green – allowing passengers to remain onboard for the duration of their journey rather than wait in public for a connecting bus – were renewed in 2023 amid heightened stress and anxiety due to a surge in antisemitic hate crimes recorded in the UK following the October 7 terror attack on Israel.

The issue was raised by Jewish community leaders during a meeting in November with TfL commissioner Andy Lord and deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance.

The calls for the bus-route change have been part of an ongoing campaign run by the London Jewish Forum (LJF), which facilitated the meeting, and has received support from the last three consecutive London mayors.

Stamford Hill community leader Levi Schapiro, who runs the Jewish Community Council (JCC), said: “We welcome the announcement of a direct bus link between Stamford Hill and Golders Green. [It is] a much-needed development for our growing communities.

“This initiative will significantly benefit residents, particularly schoolchildren and teachers, by streamlining their daily commutes.

“It's a testament to the dedicated advocacy efforts led by LJF and supported by JCC and many others.

“Not only does this enhance convenience and safety, but it also provides a financial advantage so that commuters don't have to pay twice for two separate bus fares.”