Croydon’s first pure electric ‘emission free’ buses hit the streets

Transport for London (TfL), Arriva and UK bus manufacturer Optare have introduced the latest electric buses to the capital’s fleet. The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service in Croydon on a route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day. The buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding of this relatively new technology. The buses have zero tail pipe emissions at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon emissions.
December 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

1466 Transport for London (TfL), 476 Arriva and UK bus manufacturer Optare have introduced the latest electric buses to the capital’s fleet. The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service in Croydon on a route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day.

The buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding of this relatively new technology.  The buses have zero tail pipe emissions at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon emissions.  

The use of the electric buses will establish whether the technology can stand up to the rigours of operating in an intense urban environment such as London.  The manufacturer’s tests demonstrate that while the initial capital cost of these vehicles is more than that of standard diesel, the significantly lower running and maintenance costs would offset this within the typical lifetime of the vehicle.  

The buses take around five hours to fully charge overnight, or two hours using fast charge technology, and have a range of up to 100 miles depending on operating conditions.

Mike Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “We now have a total of eight pure electric buses in the capital’s fleet which will help increase our experience and understanding of this technology.  London has always been at the forefront of adopting and trialling new green technology and these buses are a welcome addition to the fleet."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • LA Metro takes delivery of first zero emission buses
    May 1, 2015
    Hot on the heels of the announcement of California Governor Jerry Brown’s Executive Order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the state to 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030 comes the news that the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has taken delivery of its first five battery electric transit buses. These 40-foot buses are built by local Southern California Electric Vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors and will be integrated into their daily operations, as the buses are
    Read More
  • Contactless payments introduced on London's buses
    December 14, 2012
    Bus passengers in London can now use their use their contactless debit, credit or charge card to touch in on the yellow Oyster card readers and pay the single Oyster fare on any of London's 8,500 buses. Introducing the scheme, Transport for London (TfL) says the new payment option will also be good news for the approximately 36,000 people per day who board a bus and find they have insufficient pay as you go balance on their Oyster to pay for their journey as they will be able to use the other card they may
    Read More
  • RATP Dev aims to turn London bus depot ‘all-electric’
    November 21, 2018
    RATP Dev is upgrading one of its London bus depots to house a fleet of 36 electric buses. The Shepherd’s Bush location will house the vehicles for two all-electric Transport for London (TfL) bus routes, and the French company says it plans to turn the location ‘all-electric’, making it RATP’s first zero-emissions garage in London. The firm already operates four all-electric buses out of Hounslow, and 246 hybrid buses within the UK capital altogether.
    Read More
  • Siemens to implement average speed enforcement in London
    September 30, 2014
    Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Siemens a contract to replace existing speed cameras on selected routes in the capital with new digital average speed enforcement systems. The contract, part of TfL’s London Safety Camera Replacement Project, includes the deployment of more than 100 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras over the next 24 months, covering four main routes across London, which Siemens says represents the largest roll-out of its SafeZone average speed enforcement solution in
    Read More

Highlighted Content