Hot off the press is the news that RATP-Dev placed an order for 29 of the Alexander Dennis BYD Enviro400EV for use on their London Buses Route 94 contract.
Extracts from Alexander Dennis
The news comes as BYD ADL receives another significant fleet order for its 100% emissions-free electric double deck Enviro400EV with National Express confirming 19 vehicles for its West Midlands bus operation in Birmingham.
These impressive figures for BYD ADL’s double deck include significant fleet deals with some of the UK’s major bus operators including Metroline, Stagecoach, National Express and RATP Dev London. The BYD ADL partnership has seen the move to electric mobility within the passenger transport sector gathering pace over the past 12 months as more and more operators realise the operational benefits of combining ADL’s stylish and comfortable bus design with 100% emissions-free, pure-electric operation. Importantly, BYD designs and installs charging infrastructure systems, to provide its customers with a complete one-stop-shop solution to fleet electrification.
· 37 on programmed delivery to Metroline for service on TfL’s Route 43 (Friern Barnet to London Bridge)
· 32 for Stagecoach Manchester scheduled for Q4 2019 (routes including Manchester City Centre, Piccadilly Gardens and Manchester Airport)
· 29 for RATP Dev London in Q1 2020 for use on TfL’s Route 94 (Acton Green to Piccadilly Circus)
· 19 for National Express West Midlands for operation in Birmingham, delivery planned for Q1 2020
“This is a notable achievement by the BYD ADL team in the UK, underlining the strength and depth of the partnership,” said Arthur Whiteside, Managing Director, UK Sales at ADL, “We have achieved significant market penetration in just three years, while the uptake for the Enviro400EV has been extremely encouraging since we started production in February. The move to electrification is well underway and we’re pleased to be leading the charge. Operators appreciate the significant benefits the Enviro400EV offers – which combines 100% emission-free operations with the comfort, style and safety that make the Enviro400 the UK’s favourite double deck bus.”
“We see the demand for full electric mobility only increasing," added Frank Thorpe, Managing Director at BYD (UK), “and for two good reasons – public demand and fleet productivity. An increasingly well-educated public is calling for a sustainable future and zero-emissions public transport can play a key role in helping people switch to an energy-saving mindset. Pure electric operation is having a truly dramatic impact on air quality in our towns and cities, and that’s good news for everyone.
“For operators,” he went on, “electric mobility offers long-term productivity gains for scheduled-service bus fleets, regardless of their size, as proven by public transport operators right across Europe. We look forward to engaging further with UK operators in our mission to bring 100% emissions-free mobility to our streets.”
Just to point out, Q1 2019 is a fiscal year which starts from January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019.
As the Enviro400EV uses the City bodywork as standard for the Alexander Dennis' double deck electric product, it will be interesting to see which design styling RATP-Dev will choose for their purchase. Metroline has chosen to use their own interior colours for their fleet purchase and covering up the glazed staircase to increase advertising space on some of their fleet.
Just to recap, the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 City bodywork takes design styling from the Wrightbus New Routemaster bus. The Enviro400 City bodywork design is popular among bus companies in Britain with diesel, hybrid, biogas and battery electric drive system. The New Routemaster designer Thomas Heatherwick praised the Enviro400 City as a 'back-to-front' compliment when it was first unveiled in 2015.
Personally, I think Wrightbus need to develop a double deck pure electric bus with the SRM (two-door, one-staircase New Routemaster) bodywork to compete with the Alexander Dennis BYD Enviro400EV City product. I also believe that Alexander Dennis and BYD should build a three-door, two-staircase Enviro400EV City to compete with the diesel-electric hybrid New Routemaster bus.
Extracts from Caetano bus
Abellio has confirmed an order for 34 Caetano zero emission, electric buses to strengthen its fleet in London. The new buses will enter service from March 2020. This will be the first Caetano electric bus for the UK, reinforcing the already strong presence of the brand in this market.
Abellio has ordered the Caetano e.City Gold in 10.7m form that offers a capacity for 60 passengers with complete low floor throughout. It is a 100% electric urban bus that includes zero emission heating and has been developed by CaetanoBus to fully comply with TfL’s latest specification.
In addition, the new buses will include a number of features from the new TfL Bus Safety Standard such as a Camera Monitoring Systems to replace traditional wing mirrors, Intelligent Speed Assist, Acoustic Vehicle Alert System and a revised front design to improve pedestrian/vulnerable road user safety. The bus is part of a wider family of zero emission urban mobility vehicles developed by CaetanoBus, many of which have already been delivered to several Portuguese cities.
The vehicles will operate on two contracts, routes C10 and P5, which Abellio will run on behalf of Transport for London.
Tony Wilson, Managing Director of Abellio London said “We are delighted to be working with Caetano on this exciting project to bring their e.City Gold vehicle to the London market. The bus will deliver a step change in safety, driver and passenger comfort, whilst allowing Abellio to introduce zero emission electric vehicles to the fleet as we work with TfL to improve air quality in London”
Claire Mann, TfL’s Director of Bus Operations, said: “Red buses are an iconic and vital piece of London, and they’re increasingly going green. We’re delighted that Caetano has taken advantage of our Bus Safety Standard by incorporating advanced safety features to these new zero-emission vehicles before they are required, and we welcome them back to London’s streets.”
Jorge Pinto, CEO of CaetanoBus said “This delivery of our e.City Gold to London is a big step towards our commitment to provide a safer and cleaner transport solution to our Customers. We are very proud to have been selected by Abellio and to extend our zero-emission product portfolio for UK market.”
The United Kingdom is a key strategic market for CaetanoBus, where it has been supplying buses and coaches for more than 50 years. There is currently a significant presence of the Levante model / Coach which has received the GOLD AWARD in the “Making Coaches a Better Choice” category by UK Coach Awards 2018.
Abellio London bus operates bus services across London on behalf of Transport for London, plus rail replacement and event services across the UK. It operates over eight per cent of London bus network, running 700 vehicles and employing 2,500 staff across 6 depots in Central, South and West London.
It is part of the Abellio group, believes that public transport is a vital part of community life and aims to offer easier journeys, every day, through providing a professional and high quality service. Abellio London Bus won Best London Depot at the UK Bus awards in 2018, won the Most Innovative Transport Project at the London Transport Awards 2019 and has been selected as a finalist in the Best Use of Technology for the Route One Awards 2019.
Interesting how Abellio chose to purchase electric buses from different manufacturers in Europe.
The Caetano e.City Gold exterior looks 'blocky' as the design reminds me of the Wrightbus Eclipse Urban 3 bodywork design. I do like seeing various kinds of bus types operating for London buses.
Below is the list of upcoming new buses for London
| Route | Operator | New Bus Type | PVR | Expected Date |
| 94 | RATP-Dev London | BYD/Enviro400 EV City | 29 | Q1 2020 |
| 100 | Go-Ahead London | BYD/E200 EV | 9 | 21st September 2019 |
| 192 | Arriva London | Unknown single deckers | 15 | 9th November 2019 |
| 197 | Go-Ahead London | Enviro400H MMC | 15 | 31st August 2019 |
| 208 | Go-Ahead London | Enviro400H MMC | 16 | 27th July 2019 |
| 209 | Go-Ahead London | Enviro200 MMC | 10 | 17th August 2019 |
| 212 | Go-Ahead London | Unknown double deck hybrids | 12 | 7th March 2020 |
| 232 | Go-Ahead London | Streetlite | 16 | 3rd August 2019 |
| 270 | Abellio London | Unknown double deck hybrids | 13 | 30th May 2020 |
| 323 | Stagecoach London | Unknown electric single deckers | 4 | 11th January 2020 |
| 364 | Go-Ahead London | Enviro200 MMC | 14 | 2nd November 2019 |
| 395 | RATP-Dev London Sovereign | Unknown single deckers | 5 | 7th September 2019 |
| 444 | Go-Ahead London | Unknown electric single deckers | 11 | 7th March 2020 |
| 497 | Stagecoach London | Enviro200 MMC | 2 | 24th August 2019 |
| C10 | Abellio London | Caetano e.City Gold | 22 | 21st March 2020 |
| P5 | Abellio London | Caetano e.City Gold | 9 | 2nd May 2020 |
Information taken from London Bus Routes service changes page.
The governing body ‘National Transport Authority’ is searching for a manufacturer to supply them with 600 hybrid buses.
Extracts from Transport for Ireland press release
New buses will be capable of zero-tailpipe-emissions operation which is good news from an air quality point of view.
NTA has commenced the procurement process for up to 600 double-deck hybrid buses, as a key element of the BusConnects programme. NTA intends to enter into a Single Supplier Framework Agreement for the buses.
This process is part of the transition to low emission buses, including electric buses, for the urban public bus fleet, as provided for in ProjectIreland 2040 and the Climate Action Plan.
The Framework Agreement is intended to permit the purchase of double-deck diesel-electric hybrid buses from the supplier during the period of the Framework Agreement.
It is envisaged that up to 600 buses may be purchased under this Framework Agreement over a period of about five years. The first delivery could take place before the end of 2020.
While the EU’s revised Directive on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (a.k.a. the ‘Clean Vehicles Directive’) is not expected to enter into force until sometime in 2021, the NTA’s aim is to ensure compliance with the directive for all new city buses delivered from next year onwards.
As such, any bus proposed by a manufacturer for inclusion in this tender will be expected to meet the definition of a ‘clean vehicle’ provided for in the revised Directive.
NTA spokesperson said:
“The new hybrid buses are expected to be at least 30% more energy efficient than current diesel-only buses, and as a result will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
The NTA also intend that the new buses will be capable of zero-tailpipe-emissions operation. This capability, combined with the overall reduction in energy consumption, will contribute to an improvement in air quality in the Irish cities that will be served by these buses.”
The buses to be provided under the Framework Agreement are intended to:
· be double-deck vehicles with a minimum of 40 seats on the upper deck, a minimum of 17 seats (not including longitudinal tip-up seats) on the lower deck and an overall capacity (including standees) of 70 passengers or greater, subject to the vehicle length not exceeding 11.50 metres;
· be equipped with a chassis incorporating a low-floor section within which the following are located:
· a wide front entrance doorway fitted with a twin-leaf door and a motorised ramp suitable for unaided wheelchair access;
· a dedicated wheelchair space, which can be easily accessed from the front entrance doorway ramp;
· a dedicated buggy space, which can be easily accessed from the front entrance doorway ramp; and
· a wide centre exit doorway fitted with a twin-leaf door;
· conform to EU/UNECE Vehicle Category M3 and belong to UNECE Class I;
· be designed for both seated and standing passengers;
· be suitable for use on city and suburban routes with frequent passenger stops;
· be suitable for travelling on mixed roadways at speeds of up to 65 kilometres per hour;
· meet the relevant definition of a ‘clean vehicle’ under the European Union’s (EU’s) forthcoming revised Directive on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (a.k.a. the ‘Clean Vehicles Directive’), which is anticipated to enter into force from mid-2021 onwards;
· be capable of zero-tailpipe-emissions operation, in order to leverage the air quality benefits of zero-emission vehicles in advance of the roll-out of the infrastructure necessary to support their widespread introduction;
· be equipped with a powertrain incorporating a Euro VI compliant diesel engine;
· comply with Irish legislation in relation to suitability for use on public roads;
· be laid out in a right-hand driving configuration; and
· have an expected efficient operational life of at least 12 years.
Further details at etenders.gov.ie:
As there are loads of bus manufacturers in Europe, it will be interesting to see which manufacturer the Irish National Transport Authority will use for their bus services in Ireland.
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