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Wednesday, 22 December 2021

Why do I like to see different variants of the BYD-ADL Enviro400EV City, as recently launched on route 63 in London?

It's been over a month since I've posted an article on my website, so I decided to post a review and express my thoughts about it.

On the 20th December 2021, the new BYD-ADL Enviro400EV City launched on route 63 operated by Abellio London from Walworth (WL) garage.

We'll take a look at the statement from TfL about the new enhanced customer features adopted to new double-deck electric buses for route 63.

From TfL’s Freedom of Information release

Request ID: FOI-1780-2122

There is no ‘Bus Vehicle Specification’ for the ‘Future Bus Project’. From time to time we trial enhanced customer features on new vehicles such as on route 63 and we also look at upgrading bus shelters and improving customer information. We will be conducting before and after customer research on the new features being trialled. The trial forms part of the ‘Bus Customer Action Plan’ which is part of our Surface Investment Programme. Note that we no longer use the term ‘Future Bus Project’.

The vehicle is one of the fleet of vehicles procured by Abellio for the new route 63 contract. We will be trialling and researching the new customer features.

The new customer features have been selected in partnership with TfL and Abellio. There is no formal specification of the design changes. The new features include high back seats, wood-effect flooring, integrated seat-back USB charger/phone holder/stop button, driver/customer intercom, priority seat moquette, sun roof, digital screens replacing the standard on-bus next stop screens, and removal of grab-poles upstairs replaced by seat-back rails.

We will be researching the customer impact of the new features. Any decision on what is included in a future bus specification will take place after the outcome of the customer research.

Although I haven't been in these buses myself, I'll give a brief review about the enhanced customer features for the new electric buses introduced on route 63.

The sunroof (to compensate the loss of the glazed staircase) is ideal for routes serving Central London as it enables cheap sightseeing and easy viewing of London’s skyscrapers.

I've seen many Enviro400H and Enviro400EV Citys without adverts (Except for the HCT Plus fleet) on the offside where the glazed staircase is, which could potentially affect the income of London Bus operators (in which they are private companies). TfL stated in a Freedom of Information request that London Bus operators do get all the revenue from advertising on their bus fleet.

Abellio London is not the first London Bus operator to procure the Enviro400EV Citys without the glazed staircase. In 2019, Metroline, who made the first order for route 43, chose not to have a glazed staircase on some of their Enviro400EV City vehicles because they wanted to maximise the advertising space to increase income.

In theory, TfL can update the New Bus Specification to require bus manufactures to use a glazed staircase design for new double-deck buses. Currently, the styling of buses is down to bus manufacturers and recently, Volvo, in collaboration with MCV, have adopted the glazed staircase to the zero-emission double-deck BZL product. The glazed staircase is also a design cue from the New Routemaster bus.

In my view, I’d like to see a mixture of new zero-emission double-deck bus fleets with and without the glazed staircase to enable the routes to have their own identity.

I’d also point out, the (plug-in hybrid) Electric London Taxi by LEVC and the Dynamo Taxi in collaboration with Nissan also have a panoramic sunroof to enhance customer satisfaction when using London Taxis.

The high back seating used on the new Enviro400EV City is part of TfL’s Bus Safety Standards to reduce whiplash injury. You can read more about this on page 19 of the Bus Safety Standard Executive Summary and paragraph 5.2 of the Occupant Friendly Interiors document.

In addition, the high back seating also includes USB ports, a stop button and phone holders.

In my opinion the phone holders are ideal for longer London bus routes such as 5, 96, 123, 607, X26, X140 etc. On shorter routes, a passenger could lose track of their journey and end up missing their stop because they are distracted by watching a video on their smartphone attached to the holder on the high back seat.

For me personally, I’m not a heavy smartphone user. I only use it when making/receiving phone calls, texts and checking maps and travel updates when I go out.

This type of seating also exists on route 323 which is operated by Stagecoach London using zero-emission single-deck Enviro200EV MMC buses.

The BCI TriAxle (TA1 - LX18DGF) which was used on route 12 and operated by Go-Ahead London also had some enhanced passenger features as listed above.

Not only would I like to see different variants of the Enviro400EV City design but I'd also like to see route branding and localised identities adopted to these services. If you look at London Bus services throughout the 1990s, London Transport allowed bus operators to use their own livery including localised names and route branding to promote their services. Although during mid-1990s London Transport required bus operators to use predominantly red livery for routes serving Central London.

You can watch the video of London Buses in action during year 1995 on YouTube here.

The Enviro400EV Citys which are procured by bus operators outside of London don’t have the glazed staircase, but they have adopted some of the enhanced passenger features as mentioned above.

I should also point out the Alexander Dennis Enviro400ER’s (electric range) for Ireland features the City bodywork, but no glazed staircase.

I believe TfL have a lot to learn from the past, especially during the 1990s LT days and also the present day regarding how bus operators throughout the UK promote and provide their own bus services.

Currently TfL is on a limited budget with government support extended till 4th February 2022; they are welcome to take some of my suggestions in this article to help improve the promotion of bus services and which could potentially increase revenue.

Since 2013, TfL required bus operators to adopt 100% red livery with roundels on the nearside and offside of the bus as part of their London Buses corporate branding. They can update the bus specifications to require bus operators to conform to a standardised interior colour scheme to bring a unified branding to London Buses.

TfL do have a choice with regards to having a unified ‘London Buses’ branding or allowing private bus operators to adopt their own livery (while retaining the red) including route branding and localised identity to help promotion of their bus services.

To wrap the article up, I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter by searching for @CLondoner92 or clicking on the direct link to my Twitter page here.

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