TfL's Big Red Book Sixth Edition for London Bus Drivers Delayed Till Spring 2025 (Anticipated)

The cover of the first edition of TfL's Big Red Book (from 2008)

Transport for London (TfL) stated in a Freedom of Information request that the sixth edition of the Big Red Book (guidance for London Bus drivers) has been delayed. Therefore, the fifth edition, published in 2019 before the COVID pandemic, remains definitive for now.

Here's the explanation from TfL:

Proposed Publicly Owned Bus Operating Companies For London And Elsewhere, And Research About East Thames Buses

Snapshot from First Sight: Battle of the Buses - Credit BBC

I tend to keep myself impartial and not aligned with politics or political parties. The purpose of this article is to show my research and to submit my suggestions to help improve public transport. Not everyone has to agree with me. The pasted texts in this article are in italics.

To briefly mention, the first London Transport authority was the London Passenger Transport Board, formed in 1933 with the transfer of the transport undertakings of the Underground railways, trams and buses, many of which were private or owned by the local governments.

Infographic of Transport for London's Asset Facts And Figures 2024 🧾📊

 

Infographic of TfL's asset facts and figures 2024 - Image by TfL

The infographic is taken from the Asset Management Strategy Update document, which is used for Transport for London's (TfL) Programmes and Investment Committee and is due to be held on 26 June 2024. Transport is part of the Critical National Infrastructure and is crucial to the economy and society.

For certain users who are unable to read the text on the images as they are pixelated, the asset figures are below.

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses For Routes 169, 218, 247 and P5

BYD BD11 eBus

In this huge announcement of the London Bus tender awards, it has been revealed that routes 148 and H98 will continue to serve using three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters, and routes 169, 218, 247 and P5 will see new electric buses entering service.

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

Route 148 (24h)
Retained by: RATP London United
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 16
Vehicles: Existing New Routemaster
Contract Start Date: 5th October 2024
Contract End Date: 1st October 2027

TfL Publishes The Most Common London Underground Journeys For 2023

Transport for London (TfL) reveals from a Freedom of Information request the most common journeys for the London Underground for the year 2023.

The top 20 most common journeys are as follows:

Suggestion: The Administrative Divisions in England should be reformed and restructured to simplify responsibilities

Waste collection vehicle in the London Borough of Islington

In this article, I will be suggesting how the administrative divisions in England may need restructuring to simplify responsibilities to provide services and to reduce complications, including administrative costs, with the different layers of public bodies.

I'm not an expert in the field of local government, as I can explain the basics, but various functions are part of the Critical National Infrastructure, such as the emergency services, finance, transport etc. I have drafted this article as we are in the General Election period in the UK, so forgive me if you see any inaccuracies.

This is a supplement to my suggestion on creating a new South East Regional Transport Authority to subsume Transport for London, the railways of the former Network SouthEast and other transport responsibilities in general for Greater London, Home Counties, and the South East of England.

TfL Orders 10 More New Class 345 Trains For The Elizabeth Line With Alstom To Increase Capacity

Elizabeth line fleet at Old Oak Common depot during the day - Photo by Alstom

Alstom has signed a £370 million contract with Transport for London (TfL) to supply 10 nine-car Aventra trains for the Elizabeth line, helping to continue jobs and the supply chain in manufacturing.

Text from Alstom Press release

Contract worth around €430 million for 10 nine-car Aventra trains and maintenance until 2046

London Bus Tender Awards: New Single-Deck Electric Buses For Route 233

London Buses route 233 is now expected to be served with new single-deck electric buses, which are expected to enter service by February 2025 as part of the contract renewal for Go-Ahead London Metrobus.

TfL Publishes Timetable Notice For The Refurbished 1992 Tube Stock For The Central Line Improvement Programme Passenger Service Evaluation

Transport for London (TfL) has published the London Underground's Timetable Notice for the Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP), which is a refurbished 1992 Tube Stock used for passenger service evaluation.

London Bus Tender Awards: New Single-Deck Electric Buses For Routes 299, 389 & 399

As we are in June, the recent London Bus tender awards reveal that routes 299, 389 and 399 are expecting to use new zero-emission single-deck buses by February next year (2025) as part of the new contract won by Go-Ahead London.

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