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.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route
|
Current Operator
|
New Operator
|
PVR
|
Vehicles
|
5
|
Stagecoach London
|
Blue Triangle
|
30
|
New & existing double deck (a)
|
6 (24h)
|
Metroline
|
Metroline
|
24
|
New Euro VI hybrid double deck
|
15/N15
|
Stagecoach London
|
Blue Triangle
|
23
|
2015 Euro VI New Routemaster
|
18/N18
|
Metroline West
|
London United
|
44
|
New Euro VI hybrid double deck (b)
|
22/N22
|
London General
|
London General
|
22
|
New Euro VI hybrid double deck (c)
|
98/N98
|
Metroline
|
Metroline
|
23
|
New Euro VI hybrid double deck
|
115
|
Stagecoach London
|
Blue Triangle
|
18
|
New Euro VI hybrid double deck
|
(a) 22 vehicles will be Euro V diesel (built 2010), remainder will be new Euro VI hybrid.
(b) 12 vehicles will be existing (built 2016).
(c) 10 vehicles will be existing Euro V hybrid (built 2012), which will be upgraded to Euro VI.
Contracts will commence on the following dates:
26th August 2017: Routes 5, 15/N15 & 115.
21st October 2017: Route 22/N22.
11th November 2017: Route 18/N18.
9th December 2017: Routes 6 & 98/N98.
Just a quick note - London General and Blue Triangle are part of Go Ahead London and London United is part of RATP-Dev.
Also, it will be the first time we’ll see a three-door two-staircase New Routemaster route change hands to another operator, as the New Routemaster buses are owned by TFL and leased to private operating companies at the cost of £1 per bus per year.
Routes 5, 6, 18, 22, 98 and 115 will be using new Euro VI hybrid double deck buses and it will be interesting to see which bus type the operators will be purchasing for their new route contracts.
Update 23:10pm 01/04/2017
The heritage route 15H (which uses AEC Routemasters) will continue to be operated by Stagecoach London from West Ham (WH) garage, as the route is a separate contract from the main route 15.
As my regular readers will know, you can follow me on Twitter and Google Plus which is @CLondoner92
Multimedia
London Buses Route 15 Stagecoach New... by clondoner92
London Buses Route 15 LT400 and RM1941 at... by clondoner92
Image attribution
By Aubrey Morandarte from Guildford or Coventry, England - Stagecoach London LT252 on Route 15, Blackwall, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40981922