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We have some news regarding the three-door, two-staircase hybrid bus known as the New Routemaster (NRM).
This is a brief news update as TfL has unveiled plans in a press release to phase out open-boarding on routes serving New Routemaster buses.
From TfL press release
All New Routemasters will be converted to make the middle and rear doors exit only following a successful pilot on the route 8 that reduced fare evasion without affecting the reliability of the route.
The New Routemasters currently allow boarding through all doors, but this has seen fare evaders deprive London's transport network of millions of pounds of vital revenue.
Fare evasion on New Routemasters is more than double the rate of other buses, with TfL estimating that more than £3.6m is lost each year on New Routemasters. The current system also means that customers with accessibility needs cannot always board buses first.
Early indications suggest that fare evasion dropped by more than half during a trial of front-door-only boarding on route 8, with no adverse effect on service efficiency.
The pilot, which started in August, was successful in communicating the change and encouraging people to board through the front doors - reducing fare evasion and improving accessibility.
Boarding using the middle and rear doors on all New Routemasters will be phased out, starting with the routes 55 and 267 on 25 January.
Customers will be advised of the changes to boarding with emails and on-board announcements. Signage will also be changed on buses. Customers with wheelchairs and pushchairs will continue to be able to board through middle doors.
The changes will also make using buses in London simpler for all, as boarding arrangements for New Routemasters will now be the same as on other London buses.
All drivers have undergone training to improve their customers' experience, and by boarding at the front, it will be easier for passengers to interact with drivers.
TfL's team of more than 450 revenue inspectors operate across the whole network day and night, using new technology and intelligence to identify anyone travelling without a ticket.
Fare evasion is a serious criminal offence that could lead to prosecution, a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000. The changes being made to New Routemasters are part of a wider programme of activity designed to drive down fare evasion across the whole TfL network.
Claire Mann, TfL's Director of Bus Operations, said: 'Fare dodging is criminal and unfair, and it deprives London's transport of the investment it needs.
'Our successful pilot on the route 8 has shown that boarding using the front door only doesn't delay the service and reduces fare evasion, so we will change all other New Routemasters to follow suit.
'Customers with wheelchairs and pushchairs will still be able to board using the middle doors and will find it easier to access the priority space on buses as - like on other buses - they will be able to use the middle doors to board without having other customers doing so at the same time.'
Open boarding will remain to be a controversial issue for London since the previous Mayor and (current Prime Minister) Boris Johnson withdrew bendy buses as part of the Mayoral priority to tackle fare evasion. Then he introduced the New Routemaster bus with the original purpose of reinstating the rear platform and conductor which only lasted until September 2016 on six routes. You can read more on the New Routemaster boarding changes in my previous article.
London Bus routes that are currently served using New Routemaster buses are:
3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 21, 24, 27, 38, 55, 59, 67, 68, 73, 76, 87, 91, 137, 148, 149, 159, 168, 176, 189, 211, 253, 254, 267, 390, 415 & 453.
East London Transit routes EL1, EL2 & EL3.
Night routes N3, N8, N9, N11, 12, N15, N16, N19, 24, N27, N38, N55, N73, 76, N87, 148, 149, 159, 176, 189, N253, 390, 453 & EL1.
In other news, TfL has responded to a Freedom of Information request about the negotiations with Bamford Bus Company (Wrightbus).
2 January 2020
We cannot share this information while it remains part of our commercial negotiations with Bamford Bus Company and any other related parties. In this instance the exemption at section 43(2) of the FOI Act has been applied to this information as disclosure would be likely to prejudice our commercial interests, as well as Bamford Bus Company’s. There is a risk Bamford Bus Company may try to reduce the scope of the work currently being considered for the same price or increase their price for the same scope of work, and we need a detailed and costed programme from them to understand its proposals and be able to negotiate potential options. Prejudice would be likely to occur when we go out to tender for this and similar services in the future, as it would impair our negotiating position with other third parties and how much we are prepared to pay, if we don’t go ahead with Bamford Bus Company’s proposal. Disclosing this information could also be prejudicial to the bus company’s ability to compete for tendering opportunities with TfL and other companies in the future, as their competitive edge would inevitably be prejudiced by disclosure of their commercial proposals.
The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. TfL recognises the need for openness and transparency by public authorities but in this instance the public interest in ensuring that TfL is able to obtain the best value for public money outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.
The projects and initiatives planned with Wrightbus include the purchase of 20 new hydrogen fuel-cell buses to assist us with fleet emissions reduction and the potential conversion of more New Routemaster buses to front-door boarding to reduce fare evasion and provide more consistency to boarding and alighting across the bus network. We do not have contract arrangements with Bamford Bus Company and are currently in commerical discussions with the new owners to see if we can take these activities forward.
We are keen that Bamford Bus Company understands our future needs. We have had initial engagement with them over our plans as well as commercial discussions related to the two specific projects mentioned above. There are no plans to extend the diesel-hybrid New Routemaster fleet. Any future procurement will be subject to the usual competitive procurement processes.
It will be interesting to see something new from Bamford Bus Company as they purchased Wrightbus from administration during late 2019.
The New Routemaster styling lives on as Bus operators are purchasing the zero-emission battery electric Alexander Dennis BYD Enviro400EV City with two doors and one staircase. Those vehicles are currently on route 48 and are expected to appear on routes 94, 106, 212, 230 and 357 during this year. You can read more about the NRM legacy plans in my previous article.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter by searching for @CLondoner92 or clicking on the direct link to my Twitter page here.
Image attribution
By Martin49 from London, England - Stagecoach London New Routemaster LT 388 (LTZ 1388), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75796011