Skip to main content

London to have three more fully-electric bus routes

Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have announced three more electric-only bus routes in the city on routes 46, 153 and 214, the latest in a series of measures to tackle London’s toxic air.
July 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

1466 Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have announced three more electric-only bus routes in the city on routes 46, 153 and 214, the latest in a series of measures to tackle London’s toxic air. 
 
The 56 new buses to be used on the routes will be built in the UK in a partnership between British manufacturer ADL and Chinese company 5445 BYD and the routes will be fully electric by mid-2019.
 
London already has more than 2,500 hybrid electric buses running across the Capital.  The addition of these new fully electric buses will bring the total number of electric buses in London to over 170.  This includes route 360, which will convert to fully electric buses later this year, and routes 70 and C1 are set to follow in spring 2018.
 
The Mayor has also announced a new US$111.5 million (£86.1million) programme to cut harmful emissions from London’s existing bus fleet. Around 5,000 buses – more than half of the fleet – are set to be upgraded to meet the latest ultra-low Euro VI emissions standard, cutting pollution by up to 95 per cent. The Mayor also set out in his draft Transport Strategy that by 2037 at the latest, all 9,200 buses across London will be zero emission.
 
The electric routes are part of a major transformation the Mayor has asked TfL to deliver to reduce emissions from London’s bus fleet. Other innovative measures to clean up the capital’s bus fleet include the phasing out of diesel-only buses and a commitment to purchase only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018.

UTC

Related Content

  • May 21, 2015
    First pan-London Car Club Action Plan launched
    Around 85 per cent of UK car club members already based in London New plan will help reach new joint target of one million London car club members by 2025 Future growth of car clubs will help improve London’s air quality and reduce congestion in the Capital A new ‘strategy for car clubs’ in London has been launched today (21 May), to encourage residents and businesses across the capital to sign up to car club schemes as an alternative to direct car ownership. The new action plan, jointly developed b
  • September 2, 2016
    Uber wins right to challenge TfL’s English language requirement
    Uber has won the right to challenge a Transport for London (TfL) rule which would require some of its drivers to pass an English language test. Announced by TfL last year and due to take effect from 1 October, the rule would mean that drivers who are not from English-speaking countries would have to take an English reading, writing and listening test, which TfL said was ‘in the interests of public safety’. Uber had previously supported the test, but now argues it is too rigorous and costly.
  • August 31, 2012
    Scottish government to provide more funding for low-carbon buses
    A third round of funding for low-carbon buses has been announced by the Scottish government. A total of £3 million (US£4.7 million) will be available to bus operators under the Green Bus Fund 3 scheme. Keith Brown, Scottish transport minister, said the first two rounds helped nine operators introduce 74 new eco-friendly buses. Lothian Buses, which secured funds in an earlier round, said its new ADL Enviro 400H hybrids are 56.7% more fuel efficient than the old buses they replaced.
  • July 27, 2017
    UK Government Air Quality Plan – call for funding for FCEVs
    Following the release of the UK Government’s final Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, ITM Power says this represents an historic first step towards cleaner and greener transport in the UK. However, it is calling on the UK Government to provide equivalent financial support for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) infrastructure as it has already provided for plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) infrastructure. The company, wh