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| Clipping from London Transport News - No. 392, March 15 1991 |
Transport for London (TfL) has listed four pre-qualified manufacturers to design and build a new fleet of trams for their tram network in South London.
TfL Press release:
• Manufacturer sought to build 24 new air-conditioned trams
• The new trams will provide customers with a more comfortable and reliable service, with new features including mobile charge points and real-time travel information
• The new generation of trams will start to be introduced in the late 2020s, subject to funding
• An option to procure additional trams in the future that could enable a full fleet replacement
As we are a couple of months into the new Government by the Labour Party administration. Their manifesto commitment is about improving bus services for England by giving powers back to the local authorities.
From UK Department for Transport press release
Transport Secretary sets the wheels in motion on "biggest overhaul to buses in a generation"
Some of my followers on X (formerly Twitter), BlueSky, and Mastodon may have noticed that I have been posting research such as survey results for the high-spec buses, the New Routemaster, and bendy buses.
I have decided to post some of the text in my article to widen the outreach for researchers.
To start off, a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London (TfL) has published the customer research for the high-specification double-deck buses that are used in relation to the New Bus Vehicle Specification.
Customer experience research for new buses with high-spec features
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| New Route 310 Bus - TfL Image |
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
As we are approaching the end of August, the recent London Bus Tender Awards have revealed that routes 171/N171 will use new double-deck electric buses, and Metroline will operate routes 327 and W9 which were previously operated by Sullivan Buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
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| Photo by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority |
Recently, the Liverpool City Region Mayor unveiled a tram-style bendy bus (Van Hool Exqui.City) leased from Translink in Northern Ireland for demonstration of a new bus rapid transit service in Liverpool, which is part of the Steve Rotheram mayoral manifesto commitment. I'm also aware there's a similar concept in Brisbane, Australia, where they expect to launch a new rapid transit service on 21st October 2024, branded as Brisbane Metro.
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| LT Museum Bus Wrap - © TfL/LTM |
The London Transport Museum (LTM) unveiled their new colourful roundel since mid-July 2024, incorporating all the colours of Transport for London's (TfL) transport modes.
In collaboration with TfL and Transport UK London (formerly Abellio London), they have unveiled a fully electric LT Museum branded bus to promote their new roundel on London routes 133 (Streatham to Holborn), 306 (Acton Vale to Sands End) and C3 (Clapham Junction to Earl's Court Tesco).
The recent London Bus tender awards have announced that Route 18/N18 has been retained by RATP London United.
LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:
This is a follow-up to my previous article about a small private bus operating company named Sullivan Buses ceasing to operate all of Transport for London's contracted bus routes due to issues with TfL.
TfL has announced that Metroline has been awarded to operate four school bus routes that had been previously operated by Sullivan Buses.
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| The Superloop Is Coming - Image by GLA |
This is a follow-up to my previous article "Updates On TfL's Superloop Express Services: Reports About Performance And Reliability."
A Freedom of Information Request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed further updates about the Superloop, which is a network of express branded bus services in Greater London.
Let's take a read:
Request ID: FOI-1129-2425
Date published: 05 August 2024
As this is short news, Transport for London (TfL) announced that London Buses Route 427 is retained by Transport UK London (formerly Abellio London) with existing single-deck buses.
LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:
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| Diagram of Route 310 trial |
It is announced that by the end of August 2024, Transport for London (TfL) will be launching Route 310 as a trial bus service, serving from Golders Green to Stamford Hill via Whittington Hospital. They will be using existing diesel single-deck buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 310
Current Operator: N/A - New Route
New Operator: Stagecoach London
Peak Vehicle Requirement: 8
Vehicles: Existing Diesel Single Deckers
Contract Start Date: 31st August 2024
Contract End Date: TBC
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| Volvo BZL for Arriva London |
As the Summer Olympics are due to start in Paris, France, with the opening ceremony. Transport for London (TfL) has announced that routes 196, 337 and Superloop Route SL6 have been awarded with new double-deck electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
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| A post from Weibo about the BYD BD11 |
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| Cover of the Oyster card guide booklet from 2003 |
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| Map of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest |
This is a follow-up to my previous article about the most common journeys on the London Underground for the year 2023.
I can reveal that Transport for London (TfL) has published the most common journeys for the other modes, including National Rail (NR), Elizabeth line (EL) and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
I can confirm that we hold the information you require, which is provided in the attached spreadsheet. This provides the total counts for origin destination pairs for all rail journeys we have data for in 2023. Note that these counts are derived from completed journeys where the customer tapped in and out using either an Oyster card or a contactless payment card. Journeys completed using a paper ticket, and incomplete journeys (i.e. where the passenger did not tap in or out for whatever reason) are not captured in the data.
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| Map of the Superloop express bus services Image by TfL |
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| Upminster Bridge tube station eastbound platform looking west |
Today is Polling Day for the General Election in the United Kingdom. Transport for London (TfL) has announced a London Bus tender award for one route. Route 266, which runs from Brent Cross Shopping Centre to Acton Old Town Hall via Willesden Junction Station, will be using new double-deck electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:
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| A page from the Big Red Book on the ENCTS passes. |
In this article, I will mention the use of disabled and older person's English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) passes for bus services in London.
The purpose is to raise awareness that the ENCTS passes, which are issued by the English local authorities throughout England, are valid for travel on London's red buses despite the Electronic Ticket Machine (ETM) not reading them. Instead, the guidances below states that the user can show the ENCTS pass to the driver in London.
Here are the texts from the Transport for London (TfL) website:
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| A screenshot of New Routemaster buses on Google's reCAPTCHA |
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| Clipping from London Transport News (No. 426 - January 27 1994) The first of the low-floor wheelchair accessible single-deck buses for London |
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| The cover of the first edition of TfL's Big Red Book (from 2008) |
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| Snapshot from First Sight: Battle of the Buses - Credit BBC |
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.
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| Infographic of TfL's asset facts and figures 2024 - Image by TfL |
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| 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
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:
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| 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.
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| Elizabeth line fleet at Old Oak Common depot during the day - Photo by Alstom |
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.
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.
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:
With this short London Bus tender award, it has been announced that route B14 has been retained by Stagecoach with new battery-electric single-deck buses.
LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:
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| Volvo BZL electric - TfL bus graphics standard |
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| CNI Criticalities Knowledge Base flyer |
In response to the ITV News London article by Simon Harris about the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, signalling the end of the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemaster in favour of a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2030. The original purpose of the New Routemaster was to reinstate the open platform and conductor, which only lasted on six routes until September 2016. Then during the year 2020, it was converted to front-door only boarding due to increasing revenue losses from fare evasion.
In my previous article, I quoted the 2024 London Mayoral election manifestos from the Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates, as they pledged to accelerate the transition of the bus fleet to zero-emission.
In the first week after the London Mayoral and Assembly elections, the London Bus Tender Awards revealed that a further two bus routes in London will see new electric buses entering service. They are routes 41 and 444.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 41/N41
Retained by: Arriva London North
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 19
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 1st February 2025
Contract End Date: 30th January 2032
Firstly, I don't really wish to get involved with party politics, especially on social media.
In this section of the article, I will highlight the manifesto policies for the London Mayoral election about transport from the main four political party candidates (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens).
Which transport improvements do we expect to see with Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan in his third term?
The London Bus Tender Awards have revealed routes 99, 141, 269 and 401 will be using new electric buses as part of the new contracts won by the private bus operating companies.
24th April 2024
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
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| A page from the 2019 Big Red Book on Bus Saver Tickets |
This is another London Bus Tender Awards, which shows that RATP Dev London United has retained one route and lost a school route to Metroline West.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
The recent London Bus Tender Awards have revealed that 33/N33 will be using new single-deck electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 33/N33
Retained By: RATP Dev London United
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 18
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract Start Date: 9th November 2024
Contract End Date: 7th November 2031
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| Bus type suggestions for London Buses, Superloop (including SL3) and East London Transit |
The recent London Bus Tender Awards have revealed that routes 341 and Superloop SL3 will be using new zero-emission double-deck electric buses. Hereby replacing the three-door, two-staircase hybrid buses named New Routemaster used for the SL3.
12th April 2024
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
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| Catch The Changes - Different coloured London Buses during the early 1990s |
As I'm finally back on my short stay out into Ireland to visit my relatives, here's another London Bus Tender Awards that reveals that routes 4, 22/N22 and 88 will be using new electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 4
Retained by: Metroline
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 17
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract start date: 28th September 2024
Contract end date: 26th September 2031
The recent London Bus Tender Awards for the middle of March 2024 have revealed that routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R8, R11, U1, U2 and U3 will be using zero-emission electric buses.
Monday 11 March 2024
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route R1
Retained by: Go-Ahead London Metrobus
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 6
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract start date: 29th March 2025
Contract end date: 26th March 2032
To tackle traffic congestion and pollution, London is in dire need of more bus priority measures and light rail services, including trams (also known as streetcars for North American readers), as it will help improve the economy.
The first generation of trams operated from 1860 to 1952, serving most of the London County Council area except for the west end of London. The type of trams London had were double-deck.
Then came trolleybuses, which served the London Passenger Transport Area from 1931 until 1962, as they were replaced by the diesel-engined AEC Routemaster.
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| Current coverage of London Bus Routes, rail replacements (in red) and bus lanes (in blue) Google Earth and TfL GIS Open Data |
Route 464 runs from Tatsfield to New Addington. You can view the map and the timetable on the Bus Times website, as well as the history of the bus route on the London Bus Route Histories website. As part of route 464 is on diversion, it has been revealed that Thames Water is providing a feeder bus service out of their funds.
Taking a look through the Freedom of Information disclosure log on the Transport for London (TfL) website, they have published information about the route 464 feeder bus service in south of Greater London.
My article is in response to BusAndTrainUser's article reviewing his experience with the 464 feeder bus service.
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| The Superloop is Coming - Released by FOI Request |
The recent London Bus Tender Awards has revealed that routes 34, 172, 257 and Superloop SL1 will be using new double-deck electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 34
Retained by: Arriva London North
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 18
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 9th November 2024
Contract End Date: 7th November 2031
Followers on Twitter/X may have noticed that I have been suggesting that Transport for London (TfL) revive the Speedbus proposal, which first launched in 1973, which is 50 years ago!
This is in response to Andy Lord, the Commissioner of TfL, stating that he has the ambition of launching "phase two of Superloop".
This is also in response to the London Assembly Transport Committee's recommendation to expand the new Superloop services along with more bus priority measures.
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| Map of the Overground with line names |
London’s Overground lines to be given new names and colours in historic change to capital’s transport network
• For the first time ever, each of London’s six Overground lines will be represented by a new name and line colour
• The new names have been chosen through engagement with customers, stakeholders, historians, industry experts and local communities
• New names, line colours and maps will make it easier for customers to navigate the London Overground and further build ridership, while celebrating London’s diverse communities and histories
In a historic re-imagining of London’s public transport network, each of London’s six overground lines will for the first time ever be given a unique name and line colour. This significant change, which will include a major update to London’s world-famous Tube map, will make it easier for customers to navigate London’s transport network while also celebrating the city’s diverse culture and history.
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| Clipping from LT magazine Vol. 22, No. 8 - November 1968 |
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
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| Extract from TfL's bus graphic standard |
Transport for London (TfL) has posted multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests on their website, which has caught my attention. This is in relation to the delay in the launch of the Irizar Ie Tram buses for route 358 and the new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) B23 rolling stock train.Firstly, we take a look at the FOI request for the Irizar Ie Tram, which is expected to launch on route 358 this year.
Request ID: FOI-3532-2324
Date published: 30 January 2024
Delays to the rollout of Irizar ie tram style buses for route 358
1. Would you be able to provide information about the delay in the rollout?
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| Non-emergency ambulance using the bus lane in London. Image by TfL |
The purpose of this article is to show my research on how bus lanes and priority measures are beneficial to emergency services, including non-emergency service ambulances.
The latest London Bus Tender Awards have revealed that route 17 will continue to use New Routemasters, and Metroline won the route 28 contract with existing diesel double-deck buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route 17
Retained by Metroline
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 15
Vehicles: Existing New Routemaster
Contract Start Date: 20th July 2024
Contract End Date: 20th July 2029
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| New Routemaster and Irizar Ie Tram |
It has been revealed that routes W12, W13 & W14 have been retained by Stagecoach London with new single-deck electric buses.
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:
Route W12
Retained by Stagecoach London
Peak Vehicle Requirement: 14
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract Start Date: 7th September 2024
Contract End Date: 5th September 2031
Last updated 1st July 2024
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| The presence of transport enthusiasts at the New Routemaster launch day on February 27th 2012. Photo by TfL Press |
I've been reading some reports by enthusiasts on social media that they are not allowed to take photos or videos inside train stations or even in public areas outside of railway property as they take photos or videos of buses and trams.
I’m not saying anything negative about the transport staff and their management; the whole purpose of this article is to educate on the encouragement and importance of transport enthusiasts, which includes bus spotting and railfan/train spotting.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The first London Bus Tender Awards of the year 2024 have revealed that route 211 will continue to use three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemaster buses, with Abellio London gaining the contract.
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