Transport for London has rejected the idea of having a coach service that could take school children from Richmond over the Thames while Hammersmith Bridge is closed.

As we reported last month, 178 children in Richmond attend community schools and academies on the other side of the river in Hammersmith and Fulham.

Last week, Hammersmith and Fulham Council published a statement saying it had asked the transport body to consider a "bespoke point-to-point coach system for school children".

The council is also asking for more 533 and 378 buses to be laid on, after the Hammersmith Bridge Task Force announced that a school ferry service won't be ready until early 2021.

The council says "more than 1,000" school children from areas of Hammersmith and Richmond are facing far longer school runs, with some parents complaining of two-hour bus journeys.

But TfL is against the idea of hiring coaches that do not provide the same covid protection as TfL buses which have been given sealed drivers' cabins.

Read more: Dozens of Richmond pupils struggling to get to school due to bridge closure

Twenty-nine London bus drivers have died from coronavirus, and TfL and its contracted bus companies have come under fire for failures to protect their staff.

The bridge is currently closed to everyone - motorists, pedestrians and cyclists - after cracks were found over the summer.

TfL also thinks a point-to-point coach would not be able to help school children who are geographically spread out around Richmond and Chiswick.

It is also understood that, while TfL has increased the services of the 533 and 378 buses, it is reluctant to increase them further.

Its records say that only one per cent of passengers on these buses do not manage to get on the first bus they try to board.

Despite this TfL's director of public transport planning Geoff Hobbs said: "We continue to monitor the situation and will review the existing bus network in the area if necessary."

Cllr Stephen Cowan, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, and a member of the bridge Task Force, said he is worried for children's safety as the nights draw in.

"As the days shorten, some parents will be understandably concerned about the extended journeys their children are having to take," Cllr Cowan said.

"Their concern, which I share, only serves to underline just how urgent it is that financial solutions to the current closure are forthcoming as soon as possible.

"The bridge can be fixed and work could start immediately. Securing the necessary funds to pay for this major infrastructure project is, unfortunately, less straightforward."

Meanwhile, the government has yet to confirm whether it will pay for the full restoration of Hammersmith Bridge, estimated to cost £141 million.

But after last week's Task Force meeting on October 8, Mr Cowan said: "It will cost £46 million to stabilise it, which will make it safe for pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic. That work can be completed within nine months."

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