London Bus Tender Awards: Routes 40, 64, 83/N83, 213, 251, 265, 366, 377, 612, E5 & E7 to be served using new electric buses

After a long hiatus, the Transport for London (TfL) board has finally achieved a funding deal with the Government, which means the London Bus tender awards have resumed!

 

The awards show a whopping 11 routes will be expected to convert to zero-emission electric buses; the routes are: 40, 64, 83/N83, 213, 251, 265, 366, 377, 612, E5 & E7.

 

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

Route	Current Operator	New Operator	PVR	Vehicles
35/N35	London Central	London Central	24	Existing hybrid double deck
40	London Central	London Central	16	New electric double deck
62	Stagecoach East London	Stagecoach East London	14	Existing diesel double deck
64*	Arriva London South	Arriva London South	17	New electric double deck
83/N83	Metroline	Metroline	19	New electric double deck
114**	Metroline West	Metroline West	17	Existing hybrid double deck
145**	Stagecoach East London	Stagecoach East London	17	Existing diesel & hybrid double deck
147	Blue Triangle	Blue Triangle	20	Existing hybrid double deck
213*	London General	London General	14	New electric double deck
251	London Sovereign	Metroline	12	New electric single deck
265	London United	London General	12	New electric single deck
288	London Sovereign	London Sovereign	7	Existing diesel single deck
294	Stagecoach East London	Stagecoach East London	12	Existing diesel double deck
303	London Sovereign	London Sovereign	8	Existing diesel single deck
340	Arriva London North	London Sovereign	9	Existing hybrid double deck
345*	Abellio London	Abellio London	24	Existing hybrid double deck
366	Stagecoach East London	Blue Triangle	18	New electric single deck
368	Arriva London North	Blue Triangle	8	Existing hybrid double deck
377	Arriva London North	Arriva London North	3	New electric single deck
483	Metroline	Metroline	20	Existing hybrid double deck
533	Metroline	London General	5	Existing diesel single deck
612	Arriva London South	Arriva London South	2	New electric double deck
685***	Arriva London South	Arriva London South	0	Existing diesel double deck
E5	Abellio West London	Abellio West London	12	New electric single deck
E7	Abellio West London	Abellio West London	11	New electric single deck
H11	London Sovereign	London Sovereign	7	Existing diesel single deck
H14	London Sovereign	London Sovereign	7	Existing hybrid double deck
H17	London United	Metroline	7	Existing diesel single deck
H18/H19	London Sovereign	London Sovereign	8	Existing diesel single deck
K4	London United	London United	4	Existing diesel single deck

 

* 24 hour route on all days.

** 24 hour route at weekends (operation currently suspended).

*** PM only route using bus crosslinked from route 412.

 

All the diesel & hybrid vehicles detailed above will meet Euro VI emissions standards.

 

New electric vehicles may enter service after the contract start date dependent on infrastructure and/ or vehicle delivery timescales.

 

The start and end dates for the above contracts are detailed in the following table:

 

Route	Contract Start Date	Contract End Date
35/N35	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
40	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
62	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
64	26th August 2023	23rd August 2030
83/N83	9th September 2023	6th September 2030
114	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
145	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
147	6th May 2023	3rd May 2030
213	1st July 2023	28th June 2030
251	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
265	1st July 2023	28th June 2030
288	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
294	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
303	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
340	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
345	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
366	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
368	29th April 2023	26th April 2030
377	8th July 2023	5th July 2030
483	9th September 2023	6th September 2030
533	15th October 2022	16th August 2024*
612	26th August 2023	23rd August 2030
685	2nd September 2023	29th August 2025
E5	27th May 2023	24th May 2030
E7	27th May 2023	24th May 2030
H11	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
H14	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
H17	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
H18/H19	2nd September 2023	30th August 2030
K4	1st July 2023	28th June 2030

 

* Potentially extendable by two years.

Soon we'll be able to see which make and model of new electric buses will be chosen by bus operators for their new route contracts.

I can’t say if the upcoming new electric buses will have the high-spec interiors that are already seen on London Bus routes 63, 322 and U5. Although, as I mentioned in my previous article, not everyone liked the new ‘high-spec interiors’ inside the new electric buses. I did give solutions on how to make the bus service more attractive with the help of localised and route branding.

 

Improvements for London Buses

The Department for Transport (DfT) have published a settlement letter to Transport for London which the TfL board agreed to on 30^th August 2022.

 

Below are the extracts from the letter in relation to bus priority improvements for London.

 

3. This funding settlement will ensure the delivery of key capital renewals and investment in London worth £3.6bn until March 2024.This settlement will enable delivery of, amongst other things, completion of a number of major projects, new road schemes and increased bus priority. 

 

21. In accordance with its own Bus Action Plan, TfL will deliver at least 25 lane km of new bus lanes by 2024/5. It will, by July 2023, complete holistic and granular studies of at least five major bus corridors to ensure that road space is used more efficiently, including but not limited to parking and loading.

 

You can read the rest of the settlement letter on the Government website.

 

This shows the Government support TfL’s Bus Action Plan in relation to bus priority measures which is mentioned as part of the Government’s Bus Back Better policy paper and the National Bus Strategy.

 

Bus Back Better

 

Chapter 2 – The buses we want 

That means making them: 

Faster and more reliable: Buses must have greater priority on urban roads. LTAs will be given new powers to enforce traffc regulations. They will be expected to promote bus reliability, and to implement ambitious bus priority schemes, to receive new funding. These must be planned to complement walking and cycling schemes. We will consult shortly on increasing Metro Mayors’ powers over key roads in their areas, where they are not already the highway authority. 

 

We expect Bus Service Improvement Plans to: 

Identify where bus priority measures are needed, including consideration of Bus Rapid Transit routes to transform key corridors and how traffc management can be improved to beneft buses. 

 

National Bus Strategy: Bus Service

Improvement Plans

Guidance to local authorities and bus operators

 

Why Bus Service Improvement Plans?

1. The National Bus Strategy (‘the Strategy’) sets out an ambitious vision to dramatically improve bus services in England outside London through greater local leadership, to reverse the recent shift in journeys away from public transport and encourage passengers back to bus. Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and local bus operators must work at pace with local communities to plan and deliver a fully integrated service with simple, multi-modal tickets, more bus priority measures, the same highquality information for all passengers in more places, and better turn-up-and-go frequencies that keep running into the evenings and at weekends.

 

You can also read the full document regarding the Bus Back Better policy and the National Bus Strategy on the Government website, and TfL’s Bus Action Plan.

 

You can read my previous article responding to TfL’s Bus Action Plan including bus priority measures, Bus Rapid Transit schemes, and more.

 

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