Greater Anglia Announces New Contactless Pay-As-You-Go 💳 at 20 More Stations, Including Stansted and Southend Airport ✈️🚅

This is a quick news update to announce that Greater Anglia will extend contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing from 8 March 2026. The launch was originally expected in December 2025, but was delayed due to technical issues.

Travellers will soon be able to use contactless bank cards to travel to and from Stansted or Southend Airport without needing a paper or mobile ticket.

Let’s hope it is not delayed again! 🤞

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses for Route 267, New Routemasters Continue on Routes 24 and 27

New bus for London launch poster, 2012 - TfL image

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that routes 24 and 27 will continue to use three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters. Route 267, which currently uses New Routemasters from the final batch, will be replaced by a mix of new and existing double-deck electric buses, presumably taking over vehicles previously used as older New Routemasters on other routes.

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

A directory of Data Protection Officer contact details for TfL-contracted bus companies and National Rail train operating companies in Great Britain

If you need to request personal data, such as CCTV or body-worn camera footage, you must act quickly. Most transport operators in the UK only retain footage for a very short window—often as little as 10 to 14 days—before it is automatically overwritten.

Crucially, if you are making a formal complaint about an incident or a missing item, such as a smartphone, you should submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) at the same time. Filing a complaint does not always guarantee that footage will be preserved; a separate SAR ensures that the Data Protection Officer is legally required to identify and protect the relevant data before it is overwritten.

This directory provides the direct contact details for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) at London Bus operating companies and National Rail Train Operating Companies for submitting a Subject Access Request (SAR) under UK GDPR.

Transport for London publishes Preliminary market engagement notice for the Bakerloo line upgrade

I’ve been scrolling through the UK Government’s Find a Tender website. It caught my eye that Transport for London (TfL) has published a preliminary market engagement (PME) notice for the Bakerloo Line upgrade.

Text from UK Government Find a Tender:

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses on Routes 52 and 234

It has been a short while since Transport for London (TfL) last announced London bus tender awards in mid-January 2026. It has now confirmed that routes 52 and 234 will be using new electric buses.

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

Transport for London Unveils New Bus Stop Shelter Design

TfL Image - New Bus Shelter Design in Southwark

Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled a new bus shelter design, which features a modern aesthetic and enhanced accessibility. The updated structures include improved seating arrangements, specifically incorporating designated priority seats for elderly or pregnant passengers and those with disabilities.

The following press release provides further details regarding the official launch of these new bus shelters by TfL:

Transport for London’s 2025 Consultation Reports on Bus Service Changes Reveal Ongoing Demand for the New Routemaster and Tram Buses

Wrightbus Electroliner, New Routemaster and Irizar ie Tram
at Crystal Palace Bus Station

This is the follow up to the previous articles from last year and the year before where I gathered information from Transport for London’s consultation reports and highlighted the requests for zero-emission New Routemaster (NRM) and tram-style buses.

Let’s take a look at the 2025 consultation reports I have researched:

̶L̶o̶n̶d̶o̶n̶ Liverpool City Region Bus Tender Awards: Stagecoach And Go-Ahead Win Franchised Bus Contracts

It has been announced that Transport for London, ahem, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority website that Stagecoach has won the contract to operate the franchised bus network in St Helens, and Go-Ahead has won the contract to operate the franchised bus network in the Wirral.

Transport for London reveals number of refurbished Central line trains as of January 2026

A review of the Freedom of Information section on the Transport for London website reveals an update regarding the refurbishment of the 1992 Tube Stock for the Central line. This work is being delivered as part of the Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP), which includes the installation of new wheelchair bays, automated announcements, and refreshed seat moquette.

Request ID: FOI-3812-2526
Date published: 22 January 2026

Plane ✈️ vs. Train 🚄: A Detailed Comparison of Domestic Travel Across Great Britain

For journeys within Great Britain, the choice between air and rail travel is rarely as simple as looking at a flight time. While a domestic flight might promise a rapid one-hour transit, a closer look at the entire door-to-door experience often reveals that the seemingly slower train can be more competitive in terms of total time, cost, and stress.

From the "hidden" inconveniences of airport security to the city-centre ease of the railway, this article explores the friction points and benefits of how we move across the country in 2026.