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Tuesday, 12 September 2023

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses for Route 242/N242 - Superloop routes X34/SL1 & X183/SL10 to launch soon


Transport for London (TfL) has announced the new London Bus Tender Awards, where route 242/N242 will be converted to brand new double-deck electric buses by next year.

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

Route

Current Operator

New Operator

PVR

Vehicles

110

London United

London United

TBC

Existing diesel single deck

236

Stagecoach Lea Interchange

Stagecoach Lea Interchange

14

Existing diesel single deck

242/N242

Arriva London North

Stagecoach East London

14

New electric double deck

272

London United

London United

9

Existing diesel single deck

283

London United

London United

10

Existing diesel single deck

440

London United

London United

12

Existing diesel single deck

P4

Stagecoach Selkent

London Central

13

Existing diesel single deck

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

The diesel vehicles detailed above will meet Euro VI emissions standards.

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

Route

Contract Start Date

Contract End Date

110

27th April 2024

26th April 2030

236

27th April 2024

26th April 2030

242/N242

24th February 2024

21st February 2031

272

25th May 2024

24th May 2030

283

24th February 2024

20th February 2026

440

25th May 2024

24th May 2030

P4

27th April 2024

26th April 2030

Transport for London has announced that the Superloop routes X34/SL1 and X183/SL10 will launch to passenger services; the exact date will be announced in due course.

From TfL Press Release:

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will be pressing ahead with plans to introduce two brand new express bus routes to the Superloop network, following a public consultation and the publication of reports into the consultations. The two new faster bus services - the SL1 and SL10 - will connect Harrow and North Finchley, and North Finchley and Walthamstow and will be the next Superloop routes to be added to the network, with plans to start services on the two routes later this year. The feedback from the SL10 consultation showed that 73 per cent of respondents said they would be likely to use this service to replace a journey made by private car.

Earlier this year, the Mayor announced plans for the Superloop, a transformative network of express bus services to enhance public transport provision in outer London and maximise the benefits of the London-wide ULEZ expansion, which came into effect on 29 August. The first Superloop bus was launched in July and there are currently four Superloop services in operation, with the Mayor confirming that the loop will be complete by spring 2024, subject to consultation. This excludes route SL4, which will start when the Silvertown tunnel opens in 2025.

Read more

I've taken a read of the consultation reports for Superloop routes X34/SL1 and X183/SL10, and it has revealed a suggestion to use New Routemaster/electric vehicles to improve the design and accessibility of buses.

Superloop route X34/SL1
Appendix A: Full code frame
Suggestion to use New Routemasters/ electric vehicles - improving design/ accessibility of buses
Number of responses: 221

Superloop route X183/SL10
Appendix A: Full code frame
Suggestion to use New Routemasters/ electric vehicles - improving design/ accessibility of buses
Count: 265

I published an article last month suggesting TfL, bus manufacturers, and bus operators to create the most accessible zero-emission bus for London and elsewhere, and this is in response to the previous comments made to TfL's customer services and consultation comments.

In other news, the UK Department for Transport announced funding of up to £129 million to enable local transport authorities to roll out hundreds more zero-emission buses.

From UK Department for Transport

People across the country, including those in the most rural communities, will be able to make greener and cleaner journeys thanks to new funding for zero emission buses (ZEBs).

The Transport Secretary has today (8 September 2023) announced funding of up to £129 million to help local transport authorities introduce hundreds more zero emission buses.

These new buses will help grow the economy by connecting communities – helping people get to work or college while also providing a boost for UK manufacturing.

To make sure more parts of England benefit from green technology, particularly remote areas where building the infrastructure needed for the buses is more expensive, the government has prioritised the first £25 million for rural communities.

Read more

To wrap up my article, here’s a round-up of my tweets on Twitter/X.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter/X by searching for @CLondoner92 or by clicking on the direct link to my Twitter/X page here. I'm also on BlueSky and Mastodon.

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