It’s been 10 years since bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis (ADL) unveiled the stylish double-deck bus known as the Enviro400 City. It’s amazing how quickly time flies! This article also serves as a follow-up to the 5 Years of the Enviro400 City article.
To recap from my previous article published in 2020, I shared my research on how the former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, encouraged bus manufacturers to incorporate the DNA of the New Routemaster into their double-deck bus designs.
TfL Board - New Routemasters
5th November 2014
6 Views of the Finance and Policy Committee
6.1 At its meeting on 14 October 2014, the Finance and Policy Committee noted the proposals in this paper and endorsed the recommendations to the Board. Members were advised that the TfL remained on target to achieve the Mayors 2020 vision of 2,000 vehicles. TfL was able to purchase up to 1,000 buses from Wrightbus under the current contract. No decision was proposed on the order of the next 1,000 vehicles as other bus manufacturers were looking to develop their own double-decker buses with NRM features, which would give TfL options when considering future vehicle choices.
Mayoral meeting with London bus manufacturers
25 February 2015
6. FUTURE PRODUCTION OF THE NEW ROUTEMASTER
6.1 Another key issue which you are keen to resolve is the future production of the New Routemaster bus. The current contract is limited to 1,000 buses and a further procurement would be required beyond that. However the current order for 8̶0̶0̶ [extended to 1,000] buses is likely to be a sensible limit for the three-door version of the bus as London’s constrained road layout restricts their use on some key corridors.
6.2. Both Wrightbus and Alexander Dennis are working on designs for their next-generation two-door one-staircase double-deck buses which will incorporate some key design features of the New Routemasters. While not identical, this development will allow some benefits of the New Routemasters to be rolled out across the remaining central and suburban double-deck fleet.
SUBJECT: BUS MANUFACTURERS MEETING ON 25th FEBRUARY 2015
1.2. The purpose of the meeting is to:
raise concerns you have about poor bus design and encourage the creation of a ‘family’ of buses incorporating New Routemaster ‘DNA’.
Improving the design of buses and incorporating New Routemaster ‘DNA’ into the bus fleet
Purpose
To improve the design of buses and secure New Routemaster-style design as the future standard for the London bus fleet
Background
• The design cues from the New Routemaster are being incorporated into designs from the other manufacturers. Many of these features are directly for passenger benefit involving detail issues such as seating, accessibility, and lighting and information provision.
• The low overall demand for new buses each year does mean that economic manufacturing volumes compel there only to be a small number of manufacturers making generic products suitable for many markets. It is unrealistic for competing companies to share too much of their plans for the future but there is evidence of them working to compete in styling terms to ensure the product is as exciting to see as New Routemaster.
• We do not favour New Routemaster lookalikes as these would almost certainly spoil the reputation of the true product but we do want to encourage all manufacturers to replicate its 'DNA' across its fleet delivering a high quality passenger experience in an exciting design.
Let’s take a look at the historic press release announcing the launch of the Enviro400H City by Alexander Dennis:
Stylish CITY Looks Streets Ahead
The Enviro400H City is a stunning new variant of Britain’s best-selling double deck bus.
30th September 2015
It is a hybrid vehicle that brings together elegance and practicality and ushers in a contemporary new look that features a raft of sophisticated, yet pragmatic design solutions, all of which give it real street presence. In parallel with this, it retains the passenger comforts and dependability that are the hallmark of the market-leading
Enviro400 range.
It is another vehicle from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) that raises the bar for the industry. It is lighter, more fuel efficient, more reliable and more competitively-priced than any double deck in its class, yet it is still capable of carrying almost 90 passengers.
The 10.4m two-door Enviro400H City sets the pace in terms of style and performance and builds on the unrivalled reputation of the classic Enviro400 MMC (major model change), a vehicle hailed at its launch as the bus “designed by the industry …. for the industry.”
A mix of evolution and revolution, the Enviro400H City is powered by diesel-electric propulsion, which brings together the proven robustness and fuel efficiency of the Cummins four-cylinder, 4.5 litre iSBe engine; BAE Systems’ HybriDrive technology and the latest generation of Lithium-ion batteries.
Innovation with Style
Innovation with Style is the hallmark of all new ADL vehicles – and the Enviro400H City is no exception to that rule. It is an inspired successor to the original E400 hybrid and is set to bring a new dimension to public transport in both the suburbs and the built-up city centre of London – and elsewhere.
It features a raked, wrap-round driver’s windscreen with the wipers recessed at the top, a stylish glazed stairwell, and a shallow upper deck windscreen which, combined with other design features, significantly reduces solar gain in warm weather.
The City also retains the same depth of windows as the original Enviro400 MMC, incorporating ADL’s unique QRG (quick release glazing) system, while both the upper and lower deck windows also feature hopper vents, an aspect of the MMC model that has proved hugely popular with operators and passengers in London and across the UK.
Combined with the radical new heating and ventilation system introduced previously on MMC models, the City – with its Enviro200-style asymmetric front windscreen – is set to introduce not only a contemporary new look but an enhanced passenger experience.
From an operator perspective, it also retains the proven structure, driveline, electrical system and ease-of-maintenance improvements introduced by ADL on the original MMC model, all of which were the result of a comprehensive, three-year customer engagement and joint product development programme with operators, drivers, passengers and suppliers from across the industry.
Innovation, style and service simplicity remain omnipresent in the new City.
The Industry’s Driving Force
Setting the pace with a stylish, modern bus that is lighter, more fuel efficient and improves the passenger experience, represents a significant step forward in the world of low-emission buses. But what does it mean for the driver, the person who spends more time on the bus than any other?
The answer is that drivers too will enjoy the benefits of the City bus, largely because they – and many others from across the bus industry – were instrumental in the design of the original Enviro400 MMC double deck, which forms the foundation of the new-generation hybrid model.
Their representatives from across the UK played a vital part in ADL’s three-year customer engagement and joint product development programme and contributed enormously to many aspects of the pace-setting design, not least of all in determining the layout of the cab area.
The result is a driver’s cab designed for maximum comfort, safety, efficiency and ease of use. The protection screen at the point of entry is no longer an adjunct to the design. It now forms an integral part of the whole approach, being functional and blending impeccably with the surrounding environment.
Inside, the cab is spacious and distracting reflections have been cleverly eliminated, while visibility is further improved with the wrap-around windscreen on the City model, which enhances sight lines to the front, the sides of the vehicle and to well-positioned mirrors.
The City’s switch-gear will be familiar to drivers too, adopting the positive feedback buttons that have proved enormously popular, as has the adjustable steering column, incorporating the dashboard and the fully adaptable driver’s seat.
Likewise, screens and technical data – whether vital or optional – remain highly visible to the driver and within easy reach.
From screens, seats and steering columns to the location of a coat hanger for
the driver, every aspect of the cab area has been explored in detail, resulting in a finished product that combines innovation, style and practical solutions, three aspects that are the hallmark of the new Enviro400H City.
Enhanced Passenger Experience
Light, airy, welcoming, three words that describe the experience passengers can expect on entering the new Enviro400H City.
They will be struck immediately by the wide entrance and aisles, the ample space for baby buggies and wheelchair users, the natural light that floods in through the wrap-around front windows, the glazed stairwell and the sky-view glazing at the rear of the upper deck.
All round, a bright, convivial ambience matched by a sophisticated temperature control system and hopper windows that combine to provide an enhanced passenger experience, whatever the weather may be on the outside.
The whole interior, both downstairs and upstairs, has been designed so that shapes, colours and materials blend together – and there is no compromise on leg room or seat sizes.
Every detail, from ADL’s unique “square case”, which incorporates individually lit steps, to a wireless bell system and sealed hand pole mountings has been thought-out meticulously, all in a bid to create a safer, more user-friendly, rattle-free vehicle that raises the bar for the bus industry – and takes the passenger experience to a whole new level.
Further information about the Enviro400H City can be found on the archived version of the Alexander Dennis website, accessible through the Wayback Machine.
Thomas Heatherwick, the designer of the New Routemaster, welcomed the Enviro400H City bus as a "back-to-front" compliment, acknowledging that although he was not involved in its design, it reflects the influence of his New Routemaster by adopting some of its distinctive features like the glazed staircase and curved rear windscreen; he expressed that this shows how his design has become an integral part of London's transport landscape and its personality, while also recognising the Enviro400H City's role in improving passenger comfort and efficiency on suburban routes.
Then, in 2018, Alexander Dennis, in collaboration with BYD, launched the Enviro400EV City. Here is the press release announcing the launch:
The winning team of BYD and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) has scooped the largest part of London’s first order for fully electric double deckers. Thirty seven BYD ADL Enviro400EV buses will enter service with Transport for London (TfL) operator Metroline in the second quarter of 2019.
Using the proven combination of BYD electric technology and batteries and stylish bodywork and passenger-centric interior by ADL, the UK’s double deck market leader, the BYD ADL Enviro400EV is a brand new concept, designed at ADL’s facility in Scotland and BYD’s R&D Centre in Shenzhen, China. The finished buses will be assembled in Britain by ADL as are all BYD ADL joint products.
The 10.9m long electric double deckers will feature ADL’s eye-catching City style bodywork with a glazed staircase and will be built to TfL’s comprehensive specification. They will use BYD’s Iron-Phosphate battery technology which enables the buses to run all day on a single charge using cost effective off-peak electricity.
The buses, based at Metroline’s Holloway Garage in north London, will serve the intensive Route 43 running through the heart of the City of London from London Bridge in the south to Friern Barnet in the north.
Holloway garage was opened in 1907 as a tram depot, later switching over to trolleybuses and later still to diesel buses. The chargers, managed by BYD’s smart charging battery management system, will not only service the new double deckers but also Metroline’s fleet of 23 10.8m single deck BYD ADL Enviro200EV buses when they enter service in the middle of this year.
In October 2015 BYD supplied Metroline with five Chinese-built double deckers – the first in the world. These pilot vehicles have performed well on TfL’s Route 98 which spans the length of Oxford Street. They are estimated to have clocked up over 100,000 miles of trouble free service, saving 140 tonnes of harmful emissions.
Metroline’s Chief Executive Officer, Jaspal Singh said: “Operating zero-emission all electric buses on route 43 confirms Metroline’s continued commitment to London, our customers and Transport for London. The 37 new BYD ADL Enviro400EV’s have very impressive environmental credentials and will deliver significant benefits for Londoners. Metroline’s latest investment underscores our resolve to lead the industry and continually deliver the very best service for London.”
“Our joint team has made tremendous progress in winning tenders for TfL routes across the capital with our 10.8m and 12m single deckers. But with 6,800 double deckers on London streets, their full electrification is the key to making maximum beneficial impact on air quality for Londoners. We are delighted, in the face of intensifying competition, to win the largest first order for electric double deck buses in London and to retain our position at the top of the electric bus sales league,” said Isbrand Ho, Managing Director, BYD Europe.
“So far the BYD ADL Enviro200EV single decks have delivered in excess of 1.5 million miles of zero emission transport in the UK. This new contract for double decks takes the BYD ADL collaboration to a whole new level in every sense. We look forward to continuing our journey of improving air quality, while responding to the operational demands of our customers and the requirements of their passengers with this brand new vehicle,” said Colin Robertson, ADL Chief Executive.
After the rollout of 1,000 New Routemaster buses, TfL sought to encourage bus operators to purchase new buses incorporating design features from the New Routemaster as part of their London bus route tender specifications.
Here is one example from the service specification for route 94, which was released by TfL following a Freedom of Information request submitted via the WhatDoTheyKnow website.
Tenderers are encouraged to offer alternative vehicle options in accordance with Part 9 of their tender, including but not limited to:
1. New two door, single staircase vehicles inspired by the New Routemaster in respect of both their external and internal design, to the appropriate specification agreed between TfL and the manufacturers.
At the time, RATP Dev, which purchased the Enviro400EV City, did not include the interior design features from the New Routemaster bus. However, TfL now requires new buses to have ‘high-specification’ interiors, including high-backed seats, wood-effect flooring, and skylights on the top deck of double-deck buses, all aimed at improving the customer experience.
How many Enviro400 City buses have been built?
According to Bus Lists on the Web, there are 2,204 recorded Enviro400 City buses built on various chassis, including diesel, hybrid, hydrogen, and battery-electric models (the latter in collaboration with BYD). The Enviro400 City design is seen on bus routes across many areas of the UK and Ireland.
The Son of Routemaster (SRM), a two-door, single-staircase variant of the New Routemaster by Wrightbus, unfortunately had only up to nine units built on Volvo chassis. Wrightbus had opportunities to market the SRM as their main double-deck product to strengthen their unique selling point. Since Wrightbus was rescued from liquidation by Jo Bamford in 2019, they should consider relaunching the SRM design—or developing a new double-deck body incorporating features from the New Routemaster—to enhance the design of zero-emission double-deck buses and create an iconic product akin to the electric London Taxi by LEVC. This would also allow Wrightbus to compete with Alexander Dennis in styling terms—a missed opportunity so far.
The new Enviro400EV
Fast forward to 2023, when I wrote a brief review of the Enviro400EV, an integral double-deck electric bus launched by Alexander Dennis featuring a body design based on the Enviro400 City. I criticised the lack of a rear wrap-around window on the upper deck, which was present in the City bodywork. Had Alexander Dennis included this feature on the new Enviro400EV, it would have been a perfect finishing touch to their latest double-deck design.
TfL and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) now forbid staircase glazing on double-deck buses, a policy I discussed in my May 2025 article. This restriction is why bus designs should prioritise creativity rather than be constrained by regulations.
A similar design to the Enviro400 City is the Yutong U11DD, another double-deck electric bus. Unfortunately, this model does not yet meet London specifications, as it likely requires modifications—such as adjustments to the sloped front windscreen—to comply with TfL’s Bus Safety Standards.
To conclude, while the New Routemaster project may have been controversial, it encouraged various bus manufacturers to improve their double-deck designs. This influence led Alexander Dennis to launch the Enviro400 City 10 years ago, which has since proven successful, with over 2,000 buses built on various chassis featuring the City bodywork. I have suggested a new double-deck electric bus with enhanced accessibility features—including two wheelchair spaces, three doors, and two staircases—combined with a more stylish body design inspired by the New Routemaster.
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.
Further reading
Comparing Transport for London's Research (Survey Results) For High-Spec Buses With The New Routemaster And Bendy Buses
Investigating Why the New Routemaster Isn't a Half-Cab with a Permanent Open Platform, as Some Expected
My Standards for Providing Bus Services: Tailoring Vehicle Types and Door Configurations to Meet Route Needs
Why Transport for London Should Trial Bus Designs from Other Countries with Improved Accessibility Features and Stakeholder Feedback
Suggestion for the New Routemasters After London Service: Repower Them as Electric Vehicles for Bus Rapid Transit Services
Could Transport for London Reinstate 'Half-Cab' Double-Deck Buses?
