A night-time bus route has been extended to a hospital thanks to a driver’s bright idea to help NHS staff.

The N20 night bus will now run all the way to Barnet Hospital to support critical workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Thoughtful driver Richard Mason came up with the idea, and it was taken on board by Transport for London (TfL).

The N20 bus route normally runs from Charing Cross to Barnet Church but will now go the extra half-mile to the hospital.

TfL has reminded people that only key workers making essential journeys should use the service.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We have temporarily extended the N20 to Barnet Hospital to support critical workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Nobody else should be using this route.

“London’s bus drivers are playing a key role in supporting critical workers to fight the coronavirus, and this temporary change was suggested by our N20 driver, Richard Mason, who wanted to ensure hospital staff could reach their destination safely during night-time hours.

“Our clear message to Londoners is still that the transport network is only for critical workers who need to make absolutely essential journeys. Please, everyone else, stay at home, don’t travel and save lives.”

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore said: “This is an excellent decision by TfL, and will I hope give some help to staff at Barnet Hospital working late shifts.

“This is a small step but I hope demonstrates the commitment of TfL and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan towards heroic NHS staff. It is easy to applaud NHS workers on Thursday evenings, but those in a position to do so should be taking constructive action to genuinely help them.”