London Bus Tender Awards: First Bus Wins Superloop Route SL15 Contract with New Electric Single-Deck Buses

As we enter August 2026, Transport for London (TfL) announced a round of London Bus Tender Awards on Friday 31st July, confirming that First Bus will operate Superloop route SL15 with new electric single-deck buses.

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

Route 290
Retained by: London United - First Bus
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 8
Vehicles: New & existing electric single deck
Contract Start Date: 2nd October 2027
Contract End Date: 29th September 2034

Route 328
Current Operator: Metroline
New Operator: London United - First Bus
PVR: 19
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 26th June 2027
Contract End Date: 23rd June 2034

Route 498
Retained by: Stagecoach East London
PVR: 7
Vehicles: Existing diesel double deck
Contract Start Date: 26th June 2027
Contract End Date: 28th June 2030

Route SL15
Awarded to: London United - First Bus (new route)
PVR: 18
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract Start Date: To be confirmed
Contract End Date: To be confirmed (seven-year contract term)

Route W5
Current Operator: Stagecoach East London
New Operator: Metroline
PVR: 7
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract Start Date: 31st July 2027
Contract End Date: 28th July 2034

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

The diesel vehicles detailed above will meet Euro VI emissions standards.

I should point out that, in my previous article earlier this year, the consultation report for the SL15 showed 137 comments suggesting a particular vehicle type, with tram-style buses being one of the examples mentioned. It will be interesting to see which make and model of electric single-deck bus First Bus chooses for the new route contract.

Here are the highlights of my posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) and BlueSky. If you have an account on X and BlueSky, you are welcome to like and retweet my posts.

Transport for London Freedom of Information release:
TfL has published B2007 DLR livery and B23 exterior design documents following an FOI request. It said it holds no B92 drawings. The documents include livery layouts and colour specifications.https://t.co/KvDfquvEvq pic.twitter.com/2zohF9P0VJ

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) July 29, 2026

Transport for London Freedom of Information release: TfL has published updated Underground performance data for 2022-26, showing overall delay improvements before a slight rise in 2025-26. Revised fleet reliability figures use an updated MDBF methodology. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) July 29, 2026 at 6:57 PM

Wrightbus has returned another refurbished New Routemaster to service in London. LT706 is the ninth of 40 buses being overhauled to extend fleet life, improve reliability and restore vehicles to near-new condition over the next year.https://t.co/4UnW4DZgHC pic.twitter.com/iNvdDHnE1Q

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) July 30, 2026

🚈🇦🇺 Alstom's first Next Generation G Class tram has entered passenger service in Melbourne. Built locally with over 65% Australian content, the new fleet will improve accessibility, capacity and passenger comfort as 100 trams are introduced. www.alstom.com/press-releas...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) July 30, 2026 at 3:49 PM

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Transport for Wales' 2025/26 Annual Report shows rail revenue rose 8.9% to £190.3m, customer satisfaction reached 87.7%, rail journeys hit 34.9m and TrawsCymru passengers increased 5.2%, alongside major South Wales Metro progress.https://t.co/ny1onTJxMu pic.twitter.com/vZ4AVzRhd1

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) July 30, 2026

Singapore's LTA is studying a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for Tuas South to improve links between workplaces and MRT stations. The study will assess costs, benefits and long-term suitability as the area grows in the coming years. www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltag...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) July 31, 2026 at 1:54 PM

🇸🇬 Singapore’s Cross Island Line Phase 3 will add four underground stations between Jurong Lake District and Gul Circle, cutting some western journeys by up to 50 minutes. Construction starts in 2027, with opening planned for the late 2030s.https://t.co/ZAtp9xh4zr pic.twitter.com/X6jlzQVl4s

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) July 31, 2026

Transport for London Freedom of Information release: TfL confirmed 52 Bakerloo line 1972 Tube Stock air-conditioning defect work orders, affecting 34 units. Three trains were unavailable and nine withdrawn between April and 8 July 2026. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) July 31, 2026 at 4:51 PM

Transport for London Freedom of Information release:
TfL has published updated Underground performance data for 2022-26, showing overall delay improvements before a slight rise in 2025-26. Revised fleet reliability figures use an updated MDBF methodology.https://t.co/LZt7LA6uoo pic.twitter.com/UoeoIwOosH

— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) July 30, 2026

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.