London to get more electric buses

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that two further bus routes will operate entirely with electric buses from autumn next year, lowering carbon emissions and helping to improve London’s air quality. The five-year contract to operate the routes has been awarded to Go Ahead following a competitive tender process, and will mean that 51 electric buses will operate across the two routes that will become the second and third pure electric bus routes in the Capital. Go Ahead will confirm which manufactu
July 16, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
1466 Transport for London (TfL) has announced that two further bus routes will operate entirely with electric buses from autumn next year, lowering carbon emissions and helping to improve London’s air quality.

The five-year contract to operate the routes has been awarded to Go Ahead following a competitive tender process, and will mean that 51 electric buses will operate across the two routes that will become the second and third pure electric bus routes in the Capital.  Go Ahead will confirm which manufacturer will supply the buses in due course.  By 2020 all 300 single deck buses operating in central London will be zero emission (either electric or hydrogen) and all 3,000 double deck buses will be hybrid.  
 
When fully converted, the electric buses on routes 507 and 521 will deliver a reduction of 408 tonnes of CO2 and 10 tonnes of NOx per year, when compared to single deck diesel buses.  They are emission-free at tailpipe, and will provide passengers with an improved experience with lower noise and vibrations.
 
The announcement follows the introduction of the first of two new electric buses, manufactured by Spanish company Irizar, into passenger service earlier this week.  At a Global Clean Bus Summit hosted by City Hall in June, Mayor of London Boris Johnson also announced a world-first trial of a purpose built pure electric double deck bus that will begin in October.
 
The two Irizar single-deck buses will operate on routes 507 and 521, which link Waterloo station to Victoria and London Bridge stations respectively.  The new buses will join two existing electric buses, manufactured by Chinese company BYD, on the Go Ahead-operated commuter routes in central London.  Including the first Irizar bus now in service, there are currently nine single-deck electric vehicles in the fleet will grow to 17 in September.  Once the double-deck trial begins in October, there will be 22 total pure electric buses on London streets.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Car traffic in London is down but congestion is up, says new study
    May 18, 2016
    London Congestion Trends, an in-depth study of the causes of traffic congestion in London between 2012 and 2015 published by Inrix, indicates that congestion in London is increasing, with journey times in Central London growing by 12 per cent annually. Inrix says this is consistent with data that shows that the London economy and population are growing, which normally results in an increase in gridlock. Further, unemployment and fuel prices are down, both of which usually mean a rise in traffic. Despite thi
    Read More
  • Singapore announces vehicle emissions scheme
    June 30, 2017
    In its 2017 Budget, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the introduction of a Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES), which will run from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019.
    Read More
  • Brisbane airport rolls out electric bus fleet
    June 5, 2017
    In a contract worth US$4 million (AU$5 million), Brisbane airport, Australia, is to roll out a fleet of 11 electric buses for passenger ground transportation.
    Read More
  • ABB launches 450kW fast chargers for electric buses, Gothernburg
    November 23, 2017
    ABB has launched a project with Volvo Buses, Västtrafik and Göteborg Energi (GE) to supply two of its 450kW Opportunity Charging systems to charge two high capacity electric-articulated Volvo buses in Gothenburg, Sweden. These fast chargers will be installed at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Eriksberg Square, on line 16 of the City’s bus network. The order comes after a successful two-year trial under the ElectriCity venture, during which 10 all-electric or partially electrified buses have run on the
    Read More

Highlighted Content