The fares for London buses have now been fully restored and TfL mentioned in their press release that they are finishing off converting the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters to front-door only boarding.
From TfL press release
All London buses are now taking payments after enhanced safety measures were installed across the fleet to protect drivers and customers from coronavirus.
Customers are now required to touch in with Oyster, contactless and concessionary cards on all buses, entering through the front doors on most buses in a near complete return to traditional front-door boarding arrangements.
The reintroduction of revenue collection and front-door boarding began in late May.
This came after analysis from University College London's (UCL) Centre for Transport Studies and Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering found the protective measures TfL had introduced, including sealing off gaps in the driver's assault screen, significantly reduce the risk to drivers of contracting coronavirus from customers.
The installation of additional safety measures across the bus fleet has allowed a full return to revenue collection and near complete return to front-door boarding.
Cleaner than ever before
A huge range of cleaning and hygiene measures have also been introduced across the transport network to make it cleaner than ever before.
This includes all regular 'touch point' areas such as poles and doors, being wiped down with a strong disinfectant every day, and the use of additional hospital-grade cleaning substances.
Other safety measures include the wearing of face coverings. Customers must wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth for their entire journey, unless they are exempt.
Customers should not be taking the masks off mid-journey and the police and TfL's enforcement officers are patrolling the transport network to ensure that everyone is following the rules, which are needed to help control the spread of the virus. Already more than 10,000 people have been stopped from travelling without a face covering.
A small number of buses - around 200 New Routemasters - continue to allow middle-door boarding only, and an additional 200 New Routemasters still permit boarding at the front, middle and rear.
Work is underway to switch these to front-door boarding only as part of TfL's existing plans to convert all New Routemasters to front door only boarding.
New signage on each bus reminds customers which doors to board through and to touch in with their Oyster, contactless and concessionary cards, as they had done before the pandemic.
Front-door boarding reinstates the traditional flows on and off the bus, making social distancing easier for customers as they enter or exit the bus and queue at stops or stations
The requirement for customers to touch in also gives TfL accurate information to ensure it is providing the service needed to enable safe travel for all.
Temporary bus capacity limits have now been increased in line with the Government's latest social distancing guidance. Double-decker buses can now carry 30 passengers, while single-deckers, depending on size, can carry either 11 or 14 passengers.
Signs on buses clearly mark these new passenger limits, and drivers have the discretion to allow more customers on board if they are travelling in household groups. A one customer off, one customer on policy operates on buses at full capacity.
Follow Government guidance
Customers are advised to continue to follow Government guidance which includes walking or cycling if possible, travelling at quieter times and washing hands before and after journeys.
Customers on buses are advised to sit individually in each pair of seats, with the exception of those travelling in household groups.
Where possible, customers should sit next to and open bus windows for better ventilation, as well as space themselves out across the bus as much as possible, making use of the upper deck on double decker buses.
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: 'The coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on London's transport network and we have been working incredibly hard to ensure the safety of all our staff and passengers.
'The extensive safety measures that we have taken, combined with the Government's change to social distancing rules, means that we can reintroduce front door boarding and accept more passengers on our buses, but this does not mean a complete return to normal capacity on services.
'I urge Londoners to continue to walk and cycle when they can, to avoid travelling on public transport at peak times, and remind them that they must wear a face covering for their entire journey.'
Claire Mann, TfL's Director of Bus Operations, said: 'The safety of our staff has always been paramount. That's why we commissioned expert research to ensure driver cabs are as safe as they can be before reinstating front-door boarding and accepting customer payments.
'It is thanks to drivers, and all other bus workers, that bus services have continued to run during the pandemic, and at levels close to what they would be normally.
'This enabled many thousands of NHS and other key workers in London to get to work and carry out their vital jobs. The bus network is now playing a vital role in enabling the journeys of people returning to work and to London's restaurants, pubs and other venues, helping London's recovery from the pandemic.'
TfL has been using additional hospital-grade anti-viral fluid across the transport network with particular attention paid to all regular 'touch points', such as handrails, doors and steering wheels.
Customers are reminded that they are required to wear a face covering that covers both the mouth and nose and for the duration of their journey, unless an exemption applies. Bus drivers are not required to wear one when in the driver cab.
Notes to editors:
- The phased reintroduction of front-boarding began on Saturday 23 May
- TfL is working hard to return services to as close to 100% as soon as possible despite the number of staff off sick, shielding or self-isolating. TfL is currently running around 95% of bus services, with the vast majority of routes back at pre-covid service levels
- Before the pandemic double decker buses typically carried around 87 people. Single deck capacities varied between 40 and 70, depending on bus size, with the most common single decker buses carrying up to 60 people.
- The 400 New Routemasters yet to return to front-door boarding comprise around 40% of the total of New Routemasters on London's roads
TfL will also modify the rear door of the New Routemaster as part of the Surface Capital Programme, as mentioned in my previous article.
The deliveries of 49 ADL/BYD Enviro400EV City buses for Go-Ahead London have been completed and they are now currently serving London Bus routes 106, 212, 230 and 357.
Recently, National Express West Midlands have launched the ADL/BYD Enviro400EV City buses for their services in West Midlands.
From Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD Europe jointly announced today that their electric vehicle partnership, the UK’s leading electric bus producer, has supplied the first of 29 BYD ADL Enviro400EV double deckers to National Express West Midlands, where they are charged entirely by renewable energy and utilise a stationary battery system to balance the load on the electricity grid. ADL is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. (NFI), while BYD is a global leader in batteries, energy management and electric mobility.
ADL is helping National Express to take its first major step towards a zero-emission bus fleet with the supply of 29 BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric double deckers.
The 10.9m long buses are built to National Express’s Platinum standard, offering extra legroom for the 65 seated passengers as well as USB chargers, free wi-fi and other amenities. An advanced heat pump system ensures that saloon heating power is supplied efficiently from the main batteries without undue impact on operational range.
The first 19 of these zero-emission buses have now entered service in Birmingham, where the operator’s 80-year old Yardley Wood garage has been retrofitted with plug chargers for each bus along with a stationary battery, provided by Zenobe Energy, that balances the load on the grid.
10 further vehicles will be introduced in Coventry in the autumn. The investment has been supported with a £3 million grant from the UK Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Tom Stables, Managing Director of National Express UK, said: “At National Express, zero-emission is not the future – it’s the here-and-now. Our bus fleet will be zero emission by 2030, and we’re very proud to bring fully electric buses to the people of the West Midlands. I’d like to thank all the drivers, trainers, engineers and managers who have worked so hard behind the scenes to make this happen.”
Colin Robertson, Chief Executive of ADL, said: “National Express has taken the decision to never buy another diesel bus, the first UK bus operator to do so. We have worked in close collaboration with National Express West Midlands and our partner BYD to ensure that these first 29 electric buses are a great start into a zero-emission future for Birmingham, Coventry and the wider West Midlands.”
“The commitment to a zero-emissions fleet from National Express is as commendable as it is bold,” said BYD (UK) Managing Director, Frank Thorpe, “and is indicative of more and more Public Transport Operators who see electrification in particular as a viable long-term solution for their scheduled routes. Our BYD ADL Enviro400EV double decker is a proven product, already in service with a growing number of customers, delivering tangible operational benefits and providing safe, quiet, emissions-free transport for their passengers.”
The BYD ADL Enviro400EV zero emission double decker was launched just over a year ago, offering easy electrification for busy bus routes. Over 250 have been sold to date and two thirds of them are already in service in UK cities.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic which resulted in a reduction of new buses or for buses to be cancelled entirely, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) have proposed a new leasing model to help bus operators to use new greener buses for their services.
Bus operators have set out how to deliver the Government’s pledge of 4000 new zero emission buses, supporting a green economic recovery and ensuring thousands of skilled jobs are retained in the UK.
While bus operators have led the way in decarbonising road transport and have invested £2 billion in new cleaner and greener buses over the last five years the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that annual orders for around 2750 buses have been reduced or cancelled entirely. This difficult decision has been made because of unprecedented falls in passenger revenue as a result of social distancing measures.
As well as representing an immediate threat to 10,000 jobs and apprenticeships in UK bus manufacturing, the pandemic also means the traditional model of government grants to support the increased costs associated with the purchase of green buses is unsuitable as it still requires significant upfront investment from operators.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) is proposing a leasing model where operators pay a fee in exchange for long term usage of the bus. The purchase of these buses, which would all be zero emission, would be financed through a combination of £2bn of government and private investment.
CPT Chief Executive Graham Vidler said:
“Any new bus purchased today is already cleaner than the equivalent car and the industry remains committed to ensuring that from 2025 every new bus on our roads will be ultra-low or zero emission. Our new proposals kick start that process helping the Government to achieve its ambition for 4000 new zero emission buses, contributing to a green recovery from Covid-19 and protecting highly skilled UK manufacturing jobs.”
With some studies suggesting one million more cars could be on our roads post pandemic CPT also highlighted the importance of encouraging people back onto the bus following the Government’s “avoid public transport messaging” to both reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.
Graham Vidler continued:
“One extra bus journey per person each month would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by two million tonnes a year. In the aftermath of the ‘avoid public transport’ message the Government will need to work with operators on a high profile campaign to get people back onto the bus in the months ahead.”
I personally think this method is ideal for TfL to lease new zero-emission buses with the three-door, two-staircase design, which the hybrid New Routemasters have. I mentioned in a previous article early this year that TfL prefer private bus operators to purchase or lease (two-door, one-staircase) buses for their contracted routes because they’ve said “there is no residual market for three-door, two-staircase buses”.
When the entire fleet of the New Routemasters have converted to front-door only boarding, it will be down to TfL to decide whether they can continue using three-door buses once the hybrid New Routemasters reach their 14 year life cycle.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter by searching for @CLondoner92 or clicking on the direct link to my Twitter page here.