TfL invests £18 million for the electric vehicle scheme

We are close to seeing the iconic London taxi going full electric as TfL plan to set up a scheme enabling drivers to switch their fossil fuel vehicle over to a zero-emission electric vehicle.

From TfL press release
 

• Dedicated points for taxis to help iconic black cabs go green
• Plans will encourage drivers to ditch the most polluting vehicles and go electric to help clean up London's filthy air
• Customer friendly scheme means drivers can pay as they go using a credit or debit card, without having to sign up to membership
• Transport for London (TfL) has appointed the suppliers who will provide the rapid charging points that the capital needs to make it easier than ever before to use electric vehicles. After a competitive bidding process, the Centrica Consortium, BluepointLondon, Chargemaster, Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Fastned were successful. They will fund, maintain, operate and install the network.

Consultation for Oxford Street

Recently, TfL has opened up a consultation on improving Oxford Street to create a more ‘pedestrian friendly’ environment.

From TfL Consultations

Overview

"Oxford Street is one of the best known shopping destinations in the world. Around half a million people visit or work in the street and surrounding area every day and thousands of people and families live close by.

Oxford Street is already very busy and growth in London’s population and economy will bring even more people to the area.

There are lots of issues. Pedestrian spaces can get crowded. We recognise there is a road safety problem and air quality in the area is poor. Significant congestion delays passengers using buses and taxis.

Central London bus route changes confirmed by TfL

Recently, TfL has confirmed changes for the bus routes serving Central London after 3,415 stakeholders responded to the consultation.

From TfL press release

40 per cent fewer buses will run on Oxford Street, supporting Europe's busiest shopping district. The reliability of the bus network in central London is set to be improved, cutting congestion and helping tackle air pollution, as Transport for London (TfL) today confirmed that it will implement a range of changes to bus routes.

Farewell to the London Underground D78 stock trains

It’s the end of an era for the London Underground D78 stock train.

This also marks the end for single leaf door trains for the London Underground. The second rolling stock with single leaf doors was the 1983 tube stock for the Jubilee Line which was withdrawn in mid 1998.

Blackpool Transport launches more Enviro400 City buses

In Blackpool, Lancashire, Council owned bus company Blackpool Transport has launched 25 of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City buses.

From Alexander Dennis

The promenade at Blackpool was awash with new buses on Sunday 9th April when Blackpool Transport officially launched 25 new Enviro400 City buses, manufactured by Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL).

These buses are the latest investment by the company in the last 3 years and at a cost of over £5m they significantly bolster the existing fleet.

Stagecoach orders new buses for 2017

Stagecoach has announced their order for new buses costing £70 million.

From Stagecoach

• More than 340 new buses and coaches ordered.
• More than £1billion orders for around 7,000 new vehicles placed over past 11 years.
• Latest intake of vehicles all meet latest Euro 6 emissions standards and have USB charging points.
• Innovative emissions-reducing stop-start technology on majority of new buses.

Tunnelling starts for the Northern Line extension to Battersea

News from the London Underground, the tunnelling for the Northern Line extension to Battersea begins!

From TfL press release

London Bus tender awards: Retains for RATP-Dev and Go-Ahead London

New tender awards for London Bus routes have just come in with big retains for London United, London General, Metrobus and Quality Line.

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

New buses for independent bus companies and the closure of Epsom Coaches

In this article, I will be relaying articles from Route-One and Alexander Dennis regarding new bus purchases and deliveries made by the independent bus companies in Britain. I’m not referring to the Big 5 bus companies which are Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead Group, National Express Group and Stagecoach Group.

First off, ‘Borders Buses’ has invested £3.5 million for 30 new vehicles after they took over the First Scotland East operations in the Scottish Borders.

Bus feedback trial launched for route 363 and Stratford Bus station

Recently, TfL added an article to their ‘News Articles’ section about London Buses providing feedback machines on buses serving route 363.

From TfL News Articles

During the trial, bus passengers on the 363 bus - which runs from Crystal Palace to Elephant & Castle - will be asked to rate their journey by using a push button.

There will be one unit near the exit of every bus to gather 'in the moment' feedback from passengers.

It is hoped the trial will help TfL understand more about how customers feel about bus services and how this changes throughout the day.

Bolina Road in Lewisham re-opened after a major transformation by Network Rail

Network Rail aren’t just replacing the railway infrastructure as part of the Thameslink Programme, they’ve also improved parts of the street surfacing.

First and MTR wins South Western railway franchise

More bad news for Stagecoach!

Stagecoach have already lost London Bus routes 5, 15 and 115 to Go Ahead Blue Triangle and now they have lost the South West Trains franchise to First and MTR.

Stagecoach loses routes 5, 15 and 115

A new month and some new bus news!

We’ll start off with Stagecoach who after losing routes 103 and 175 to Arriva London, have now lost their flagship routes 5, 15 and 115.

From LOTS: