London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses for Routes 8 and 678, Hybrid New Routemasters to Leave Route 8

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that routes 8/N8 and 678 will be operated with new double-deck electric buses, meaning that the New Routemaster vehicles will be withdrawn from route 8. I understand that this news may be disappointing for some people.

31st October 2025 (for reference)

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

Route 8/N8
Retained by: Stagecoach East London
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 22
Vehicles: New Electric Double Deckers
Contract Start Date: 27th June 2026
Contract End Date: 24th June 2033

Route 678
Retained by: Stagecoach East London
PVR: 4
Vehicles: New Electric Double Deckers
Contract Start Date: 28th March 2026
Contract End Date: 25th March 2033

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

I refer to my previous article, in which I reported that London Buses route 16 will soon be operated with new double-deck electric buses, replacing the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemaster vehicles.

Last year, I published excerpts from a document titled ‘New Bus for London: Design, Supply and Maintenance Contract’, which shows that the New Routemasters have a minimum operational life of 14 years, a primary structural lifespan of 12 years, and a target operational lifespan of not less than 14 years.

This is why TfL should work with Wrightbus to retrofit and refurbish the New Routemasters, as the three-door, two-staircase layout is ideal for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services.

In addition, under the Bus Services Act 2025—introduced by Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill and the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, as an amendment to the Transport Act 2000—new provisions require that all large passenger vehicles used on local bus services in England and Scotland must be zero-emission. This means that from a date set by the Secretary of State, which cannot be earlier than 1 January 2030, operators will no longer be permitted to use newly registered buses that produce any tailpipe emissions such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, or particulates. The Act also allows for certain exemptions and further regulations to define which vehicles or services these rules apply to.

Some of my readers will know that I have researched the consultation reports (2023 and 2024) and the Freedom of Information releases, which show the demand for more New Routemasters and tram-style buses on TfL services.

Although I’m not advocating for the reinstatement of the New Routemaster project, London Buses is entering a new chapter. As I’ve often said, bus design needs creativity to make services more attractive — this includes strong service branding, such as TfL’s Superloop express routes, Kent’s Fastrack, and the 36 Express service in Yorkshire.

This is why TfL should continue to be creative when providing bus services. They have already demonstrated this with the introduction of line names for the London Overground, which make navigating the network easier.

My priority is to improve accessibility on bus services in London and beyond. This includes providing two wheelchair spaces on buses with dual doors and improving passenger information through route branding. In addition, I would like to see new bendy buses introduced in London to increase capacity for BRT services.

Anyone working at TfL or within the Greater London Authority is welcome to contact me via my social media channels, which are linked at the end of this article.

As I’m back from a short break, here are the highlights from my recent posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky. If you have an account on either platform, you’re welcome to like and share my posts.

Transport for London and partners celebrate 100 years of Croxley and Watford stations on 2 November with free activities at Watford, including exhibitions, Metro-land postcards, meet the station manager, and waitlisted historical tours.https://t.co/YhLMEe21fu pic.twitter.com/x6nJI3BkDV

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) October 28, 2025

Transport for London and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime launch a three-year Road Victim Support service with charity Brake, providing trauma-informed help for people affected by serious road collisions as part of London’s Vision Zero plan. tfl-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/tfl-lau...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) October 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM

Transport for London and Jo Brand support London Poppy Day on 30 October, featuring poppy-themed buses, trains and stations. Collections at 70 sites aim to raise £1m for the Royal British Legion, honouring servicepeople and supporting veterans.https://t.co/YRNdGEopXc pic.twitter.com/wnIFA2SdWq

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) October 30, 2025

Basildon’s new zero-emission buses debut Friday at the Mother & Child Fountain. Residents can preview the £30.6m fleet, meet the First Bus team, and claim a free bus trip as 55 electric buses prepare to serve the region by year’s end. news.firstbus.co.uk/news/join-th...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) October 30, 2025 at 1:05 PM

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.