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| Drawing of the New Routemaster |
In this article, I will be going through a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests published on the Transport for London (TfL) website regarding modifications to the New Routemaster buses, including changes to doors and windows.
Request ID: FOI-1630-2425
Date published: 10 September 2024
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would significantly exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.
There is no quick or efficient way of sourcing all of the material that falls within the scope of your questions. You are asking for a number of documents, specifications and guidance in relation to various modifications to the New Routemaster and the Wright SRM, which would require the locating of documents dating back 7 to 10 years or more. The information you have requested is not centrally stored and so we would need to carry out extensive searches and then review a significant amount of information to locate, extract and collate all of the information you have requested.
We have however published a number of previous requests and responses on our website (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/search) which include attachments and older bus specifications, some of the suggested links which may be of particular interest to you are below for ease:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1687-2223
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-0149-2425
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-0400-2324
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-2180-2021
Request ID: FOI-1889-2425
Date published: 30 September 2024
Question:
"Would you be able to provide documents (specifications, guidance, etc.) in relation to the modifications of the New Routemaster, including:
Plug-slide door at the rear, and
A shorter variant of the NRM (ST812)”.
Answer:
I have liaised further with colleagues in our buses team who have reviewed their records and concluded that, given the passage of time, they do not hold the requested information (if TfL ever held it at all – it is possible that this level of detail was only ever held by the manufacturer, Wrightbus).
Request ID: FOI-2100-2425
Date published: 10 October 2024
I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. You asked:
Would you be able to provide documents (specifications, guidance, etc.) in relation to the modifications of the New Routemaster, including:
• Window openings
• Door button modification as part of making NRMs front entrance only boarding by opening the doors individually
Both modifications were fully completed before the NRM refurbishment works commenced, and therefore it was not necessary to include in the refurbishment specification.
In accordance with our obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle of Article 5 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed, and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.
This exemption to the right of access to information is an absolute exemption and not subject to an assessment of whether the public interest favours use of the exemption.
Going back before the New Routemaster refurbishment programme, would you be able to provide documents (specifications, contracts, guidance, etc.) in relation to the modifications to the New Routemaster (before the current refurbishment), including:
• Window openings (which happened during mid or late 2010s decade).
• Door button modification as part of making NRMs front entrance only boarding by opening the doors individually (which happened around 2019, 2020 and 2021).
This includes the contracts that were awarded to the company to provide these modifications.
We are unable to provide documents in relations to the modifications highlighted in this request. However, we can supply guidance notes and considerations.
During 2014 the London Underground Ventilation, Cooling and Power team were commissioned by Surface Transport to carry out a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study on the NRM cooling system to assess the existing thermal conditions with the aim of exploring options to enhance performance. One of the scoping options, and for further works on a stage 2 study, was the installations of window vents (sliding opening windows). The decision was made to initiate a retrofit campaign and install sliding opening windows on both the upper and lower decks. This resulted in:
• An increased air movement/circulation around the passenger saloon area to reduce temperatures.
• Passengers having some control over interior temperatures.
• Reduced humidity (steamy windows).
The lower deck presented original design constraints that prevented the number and position of sliding opening windows that could be fitted:
• Lower head room panelling on the offside of the passenger saloon area to accommodate the air blower ducting and outlets. This meant that opening windows at the seating positions could not be fitted as they would be too low, causing the movement of air directly in front of the passenger face.
• Sliding windows were not fitted above the designated wheelchair space due to the risk of the window being left open during rain, and the floor becoming wet and slippery for the wheelchair user (hopper windows are fitted to significantly reduce the amount of water entering the saloon).
• The number of emergency exit windows.
(The net result no sliding windows were fitted to the offside of the lower deck).
The nearside lower deck saloon area has a higher head room design due to no air blower ducting or vents in the panelling, sliders can be positioned higher up above the seated passenger heads. There are two windows with sliders on the nearside. The upper deck has a better distribution of sliding opening windows front, middle and rear) due to fewer design constraints. Please note that this work was carried out because of customer feedback, to bring about an improved comfort level and customer travelling experience.
Once again, we do not have documents to share as the door modification on the NRM was developed by the vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturer, Wrightbus. The modification enabled the front door open signal to be independently controlled from the mid and rear door open signal. It was enabled by installing an additional cab mounted door button, thus allowing the front door open signal to be independent of the mid and rear door open signal.
As for the variants of the NRM, which have been mentioned in the FOI requests.
Taking a look through the 'New Bus for London Design Supply and Maintenance Contract' document.
Under the Definitions and interpretation, it says:
“Variant Vehicle”
Schedule 12
Procedure covering variations from contract
1.2.7 In the case of changes raised by the Contractor, details of the likely impact, if any, of any reasonable changes required to any other aspects of the Contract, including:
1.2.7.8 the Specification;
Just to point out that the length of the New Routemaster is 11.2 metres, and the length of the ST812 is 10.6 metres, which is their only and unique shorter variant.
As for the plug-slide door at the rear of the NRM, here are the texts from various documents:
Date: 14 October 2014
Item 15: New Routemasters
Budget and Performance Committee – 8 March 2016
Transcript of Agenda Item 6
Transport for London Investment Decision Making and the New Routemaster Bus
There were changes to the door specification which required the manufacturer to mark the rear door floor area in maroon and change the air pressure system so that a passenger could push the door and make it retract. Prior the doors opening, an automated voice announcement would also ask passengers to stand clear of the opening door. This change was built into buses being rolled out to route 453 onwards and was retrofitted to NRMs already in service. The specification for buses not yet manufactured in the 600-vehicle contract was changed from an inward-gliding door to a plug-slide door. Both sets of changes were at zero cost to TfL.
#TfL Freedom of Information release:
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) October 7, 2022
Documents for the refurbishment of the New Routemaster fleethttps://t.co/uw09dtldbd pic.twitter.com/O7RMUlNrrJ
In conclusion, the FOI responses from TfL provide valuable insights into the various modifications made to the New Routemaster buses, including changes to windows, doors, and design variants. These updates reflect TfL's ongoing efforts to improve the performance and safety of the fleet, ensuring that the New Routemaster continues to meet the demands of modern public transport.
The details uncovered through these FOI requests are valuable for future researchers, offering an important record of the history and ongoing evolution of the New Routemasters.
I would like to extend an invite for you to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) for transport-related updates. You can find me by searching for @CLondoner92 or by clicking on the direct link to my X page here. I am also present on BlueSky and Mastodon. I look forward to connecting with you on these platforms. Thank you for your support.
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