This article shows the Freedom of Information responses by TfL and the Greater London Authority - also the Mayor’s answers on why the last AEC Routemasters have been withdrawn by not renewing the contract for Route 15H last year (2020).
Let’s take a look at the Freedom of Information request to TfL and how they responded on 6 May 2021 with regards to the withdrawal of Route 15H.
06 May 2021
Some of your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:
The following question have been answered under the FOIA -
2, How much did TfL pay to refurbish the AEC Routemasters for route 15H?
TfL spent approximately £200k on fleet refurbishment in 2016, which has now been almost fully written down as per normal accounting processes.
7, Did TfL sell the AEC Routemasters used for route 9H?
Yes.
8, Did TfL sell the AEC Routemasters used for route 15H?
We are currently reviewing the options available and will make a decision in due course.
9, Can you confirm the withdrawal of AEC Routemasters is permanent and TfL will not reinstate them for heritage services in Central London, if yes can you provide full information please?
We currently do not plan on introducing a regular heritage service as part of the London bus network. However, we will continue to support the work of the London Transport Museum in bringing to life London’s transport heritage, as well as working with bus operators and leading preservation groups to enable heritage running days. A number of private companies do offer heritage buses for hire, and we expect they will continue to be seen on London’s streets for some time to come.
The remainder of your queries do not fall within the remit of the FOIA as they require an explanation rather than recorded information, however we are able to advise the following -
1, Why TfL refurbished the AEC Routemasters for route 15H before withdrawal?
We can advise that AEC Routemasters were refurbished as part of our normal cycle of asset management, since at the time they were expected to remain in service for at least five years.
3, At the time, why the conductor's Oyster card reader did not accept contactless bank cards?
You will receive a response directly from Customer Services regarding this query.
The Mayor answered the question two years ago (2019) for the Mayor’s Question Time which is mentioned below.
4, Can you explain why there were a reduction of passengers using the route 15H?
We can advise that this service has had a gradual decrease in demand over the last few years, which is why we reduced the service initially to summer weekends where demand had been highest.
5, Why TfL didn't launch a campaign to increase passenger usage for route 15H?
As mentioned in response to ref: 2533-2021, we would like to reiterate that the route was served by buses with a high step up to the rear platform, which cannot be accessed by wheelchair users and is also difficult for those with limited mobility. The heritage service on this route is also not required for capacity purposes and does not provide any unique links. We have no evidence that a marketing campaign would have paid back financially. The cost recovery is low compared to the network average. In short, we do not believe such a campaign would have offered value for money.
6, Why TfL discontinue heritage buses for route 9H in July 2014?
We can confirm that demand on heritage buses for route 9 was lower than route 15, and so the decision was taken to withdraw the former whilst retaining route 15.
10, Why did TfL launched the AEC Routemasters on heritage routes 9 & 15 in 2005 and what was the purpose?
We can state that they were introduced when Routemasters were withdrawn from front line service across London in 2005 as part of our move to make the entire London bus network accessible. We retained the heritage services to enable those who wanted to continue to travel on these buses. Such services were initially relatively well used, but demand has fallen and as outlined above, we have reduced the services allowing the savings to be invested elsewhere on the network.
Taking a look at the Mayor’s Question Time from 2019 reveals some interesting answers from the Mayor about Route 15H, which unexpectedly became the final year in operation as it never operated last year (2020) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Question By: Caroline Pidgeon
Question
Please publish figures for the total number of passengers using Route 15 heritage bus service for 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Answered By: The Mayor
Date: Friday, 22nd February 2019
The annual customer figures for the Route 15H heritage bus service are as follows:
• 2016: 109,000 customers
• 2017: 118,000 customers
• 2018: 137,000 customers
While customer numbers have been growing on the route, this is from a low base. The average customer numbers on the heritage service are a third less than on the equivalent route 15. Route 15H is currently subsidised by around £9 per customer, compared to 23p per customer across the rest of the bus network.
I’m committed to ensuring that London’s transport network operates in a sustainable way and do not believe it is appropriate for Transport for London to continue to heavily fund a service that is not accessible for all Londoners and contributes to air pollution in our city.
The answer below revealed the reason why the conductors on Route 15H were unable to accept contactless payment bank cards.
Question By: Caroline Pidgeon
Question:
Despite the immense growth in the use of contactless payment please explain why TfL has not introduced contactless payment on the Route 15 heritage service.
Answered By: The Mayor
Date: Friday, 22nd February 2019
The current portable payment device used by conductors on the Route 15 heritage service cannot be modified to accept contactless payments and would be prohibitively expensive to replace given the relatively low patronage. Transport for London has therefore decided not to pursue this option.
Question By: Caroline Pidgeon
Question
Please set out what would be the cost to TfL of ensuring that all buses on the Route 15 heritage service were made Euro VI compliant.
Answered By: The Mayor
Date: Friday, 22nd February 2019
Transport for London (TfL) has not developed plans to retrofit these heritage vehicles as a bespoke solution would need to be developed. TfL anticipates that both this process and the solution itself would be costly. Given the small number of vehicles affected, this would not offer value-for-money to Londoners. TfL therefore can not provide a cost estimate. Instead, TfL has encouraged the development of cleaner exhaust systems that can be retrofitted to more modern buses en masse, which is far more cost-effective and will help clean London’s air faster.
Historic vehicles built more than 40 years ago, including those used on heritage route 15H, are exempt from vehicle tax and from the Ultra-Low Emission Zone.
Now let’s look at the Greater London Authority’s Freedom of Information response to the Route 15H withdrawal.
Request reference number: MGLA120421-0446
Date of response: April 2021
1. Is the withdrawal of route 15H decided by the Mayor of London?
The decision to withdraw the weekend and bank holiday journeys that currently operate on route 15 between March and September using old heritage Routemaster buses was taken by Transport for London. This decision was due to low and falling ridership in parts of central London with bus capacity on the corridor between Tower Hill and Trafalgar Square significantly above the level of usage.
2. Did the Mayor of London object to the withdrawal of route 15H?
The Mayor of London did not object to the withdrawal of route 15H.
3. Is the withdrawal of route 15H part of TfL's plan on transforming bus fleet to zero emission and the Mayor's plan on making London carbon neutral city by 2030?
While it is correct that the heritage buses used on route 15H are not ULEZ-compliant, the main reason for withdrawing the route was that they are not needed for the current and predicted customer demand on the corridor. In addition to the main route 15 service, buses on route 11 and 26 cover parts of this route.
As of 14 January 2021, all buses in TfL's 9,000-strong core bus fleet now meet or exceed the cleanest Euro VI emissions standards. This is a major milestone in tackling toxic air pollution in the capital.
This has significantly reduced the contribution from TfL buses to transport-related NOx emissions, with the proportion of transport nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions coming from TfL's buses reducing from 15 per cent to just four per cent.
Since 2017, TfL has worked to phase out polluting diesel buses and to retrofit older buses with cleaner engines. Now completed, this will see harmful NOx emissions from buses fall by an average of 90 per cent.
In the coming years, air quality will be further improved by working towards a zero-emission bus network and helping to meet the Mayor's zero carbon target by 2030.
Decarbonising the transport network and cleaning up London's air will also support green jobs in the bus industry across the United Kingdom.
London Mayor’s statement on the withdrawal of Route 15H
After the London Mayoral and Assembly elections which were held on 6 May 2021, Sadiq Khan was re-elected as Mayor of London for a second term. His first Mayor’s Question Time was held later in May 2021 and he responded to the question submitted by the London Assembly Member about the withdrawal of Route 15H.
Question By: Caroline Pidgeon
Question
A constituent would like you to address the question of whether you consider Routemaster buses as uniquely part of London's heritage? He highlights that Blackpool still runs heritage trams and San Francisco still runs heritage cable cars and street cars. Why does London not accept heritage Routemasters as an important asset, especially for visitors and tourists?
Answered By: The Mayor
Date: Friday, 28th May 2021
Whilst I do appreciate that many people have enjoyed seeing heritage Routemasters operate on our streets, there are other factors to consider in addition to the historic value of the vehicles. Unfortunately, the 15H route service did not cover its costs and had more excess capacity than required.
In addition, although it might be technically feasible to bring the vehicles up to modern standards, such as fitting new engines and find suitable ticketing equipment, this would have offered poor value for money. It would neither help us sustain the scale and connectivity of the bus network, nor offer safer, greener and easier-to-access buses with greater capacity. So, these options have not been explored in any depth or taken forward.
Transport for London (TfL) is currently exploring options for rehoming or selling the buses. I hope this may lead to the vehicles being celebrated in other ways, such as heritage days on regular routes at weekends. TfL continues to maintain London traditions in other ways, such as our iconic red livery on buses and through the work of the London Transport Museum.
Below is another Freedom of Information request and the response from TfL on June 2021.
09 June 2021
1. How much revenue did TfL make for selling the AEC Routemasters used for routes 9H and 15H?
We are currently reviewing the options available for the buses that served the 15H and will make a decision in due course.
The buses that we released onto the open market following the decision to no longer operate bus route 9H raised £195,840.
3. Can you list the payments in yearly breakdown made to First London/Tower Transit for operating route 9H during years 2005 to 2014?
4. Can you list the payments in yearly breakdown made to East London Bus Group/Stagecoach for operating route 15H during years 2005 to 2020?
Please see the attached spreadsheet listing contract values for these routes including cost of living increases applied while they were in place. As the routes would not have featured a high volume of lost mileage deductions, these values should represent the payments made.
You can view the attachment of the request here.
The situation between the Mayor, TfL and the Department for Transport has been extremely political because the Coronavirus pandemic has hit the finances of TfL. I won’t go in to detail here about the situation but you can read TfL’s statement, Mayor’s statement, Department for Transport news release, correspondence and written statement to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Transport for more details of the current financial settlement which is expected to last until 11 December 2021.
Can I still ride the AEC Routemasters in London?
Yes you can. TfL fares, Oyster cards, Travelcards and concessions will not be accepted though by the tourist bus companies and they may be expensive because these buses are used for tourism purposes only.
Here’s the rest of the Freedom of Information response.
2. Can you list the non-TfL (London Service Permit) companies and routes which uses AEC Routemasters in London?
The companies using these vehicles for their respective tours are listed below:
Attend IT Ltd t/a RedRoutemaster.com – Service H; whilst approved for use in 2019, the service is yet to launch
Brigit’s Afternoon Tea Ltd – Dinner Tea Bus Tour.
Brigit’s Afternoon Tea Ltd – Afternoon Tea Bus Tour.
The Ghost Bus Tour Ltd – The Ghost Bus Tour.
Premium Coaches Ltd – Jack the Ripper Tour.
Premium Coaches Ltd – London Highlights Tour.
Premium Coaches Ltd – Magic of London Tour; approved for one journey per day dependant on demand.
Premium Coaches Ltd – Iconic Experience.
Premium Coaches Ltd – Iconic Route B.
For further information you may need to check out the tour operator's website for pricing, routes and times.
https://www.redroutemaster.com/day-trips/
https://b-bakery.com/london/bus-tours
https://www.theghostbustours.com/london/
http://www.premiumcoaches.co.uk/index.html
https://www.viator.com/London-tourism/London-Vintage-Bus-Tours/d737-t12778
A brief note, I'm not sponsored by any tour operator for the promotion of these services, you may need to search for more information about these services listed above.
5. How often do TfL receive requests by heritage and preservation groups to operate vintage buses for 'running days'? Can you release dates and routes of vintage bus 'running days' on TfL bus routes?
We understand from our bus operators that there are normally two to six events of this type a year.
For services carrying passengers onboard, vehicles must be properly insured and have safety checks. Therefore, most arrangements are made through the bus operators rather than Transport for London and so we do not hold the detail you have requested.
You can check out the announcements for 'running days' and 'bus rallies' by checking the news page of London Omnibus Traction Society (LOTS) website, events page on the Routemaster Association website and bus events diary page on Classic Buses website.
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Also read
TfL Confirm The Last AEC Routemasters For Route 15 Withdrawn