Thursday, 13 August 2026

London Bus Tender Awards: Major retentions for First Bus with new electric buses, New Routemasters to leave Route 148

As we are in the middle of a heatwave, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that First Bus (which inherited the trading names London United and London Transit from RATP Dev) has retained its routes with new electric buses. This means the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters (NRMs) are expected to leave route 148 as part of the new contract.

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


Route 49
Retained by: London United
PVR: 14
Vehicles: Existing electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 4th September 2027
Contract End Date: 1st September 2034

Route 65/N65
Retained by: London United
PVR: 27
Vehicles: Existing electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 3rd July 2027
Contract End Date: 30th June 2034

Route 71
Retained by: London United
PVR: 11
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 3rd July 2027
Contract End Date: 30th June 2034

Route 148 (24h)
Retained by: London United
PVR: 18
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 2nd October 2027
Contract End Date: 29th September 2034

Route 281/681 (24h)
Retained by: London United
PVR: 25
Vehicles: New & existing electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 3rd July 2027
Contract End Date: 30th June 2034

Route 295 (24h)
Current Operator: London Transit
New Operator: London United
PVR: 19
Vehicles: Existing electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 24th October 2026
Contract End Date: 21st October 2033

Route 371
Retained by: London United
PVR: 13
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 3rd July 2027
Contract End Date: 30th June 2034

Route 406/418
Retained by: London United
PVR: 14
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 26th June 2027
Contract End Date: 23rd June 2034

Route K5
Retained by: London United
PVR: 6
Vehicles: New electric single deck
Contract Start Date: 3rd July 2027
Contract End Date: 30th June 2034

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

I would like to point out that when NRMs entered service on route 148 in 2014, it was the first route to operate under One Person Operation (OPO). As a result, the open platform was not used for hop-on, hop-off boarding, though all-door open boarding was still permitted at bus stops.

So, which bus routes are the NRMs leaving? 🤔

As TfL continues its push towards a fully zero-emission bus network, several contracts currently operated with the iconic three-door, two-staircase hybrid NRMs are set to transition to battery-electric double-deckers. The routes affected are listed below:

Route 8/N8: Converting to new electric double-deckers from 27th June 2026, though services will continue to be operated by NRMs until the new electric fleet arrives.

Route 16: Awarded to Metroline with a fleet of 16 new electric double-deckers from 10th October 2026.

Route 267: Awarded to Transport UK, transitioning to 16 electric double-deckers (a mix of new and existing vehicles) from 7th November 2026.

Route 313: Awarded to Metroline with 8 electric double-deckers from 7th November 2026.

Although I understand this will be a disappointment for some bus passengers as the NRMs reach their 14-year life cycle in passenger service, I mentioned in my article earlier this year that there remains an ongoing demand for zero-emission New Routemasters.

As I have said before, the concept of a bespoke bus for London is kinda obsolete. However, I still believe in creativity within bus services—including bus design—and I previously suggested that different types of bus service should feature a specific number of doors. For example, three-door double-deckers on high-frequency and Bus Rapid Transit routes would help speed up boarding and alighting times at bus stops.

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 released tender specification documents following an FOI request for bus routes linked to Bexleyheath, Plumstead and Dartford garages, confirming the information was held and provided. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 3:14 PM

West #Yorkshire has launched the final consultation on its Mass #Transit Spatial Development Framework. The draft plan will guide future development alongside the network and runs for consultation until 27 September 2026. www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/sdfreg19

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 11:37 PM

Transport for London Freedom of Information release: TfL said most current corporate head offices are fully air conditioned, while others have limited or no air conditioning. Some older buildings use temporary cooling in hot weather, and some sites are unused. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 5:52 PM

SYMCA has launched a public consultation to help design a new £90m Supertram fleet for South Yorkshire. Residents can complete an online survey or attend local exhibitions between 10 August and 18 September 2026 to shape the network's future. www.southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk/news/article...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 11:35 PM

The UK Government has backed the Commercialising Connector project with £3.88m to introduce Level 4 self-driving Alexander Dennis buses in Cambridgeshire, testing driverless public transport operations on local busways. www.alexander-dennis.com/commercialis...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 11, 2026 at 12:23 PM

🚲 London’s Cycleway network has expanded to 450 km—five times its 2016 size and longer than the Tube. Transport for London and local boroughs delivered the extensions to improve safety, boost daily cycling, and reduce traffic congestion across the city. tfl-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/londons...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 12, 2026 at 12:27 PM

🇭🇰 Citybus will launch three new routes linking Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories with Huanggang Port. Road tests and driver training are under way, with launch dates and full service details to be announced in due course following final preparations and testing.

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 13, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Transport for London Freedom of Information release: Only 4.3% of TfL-contracted buses have full passenger-saloon air conditioning, while 24.6% have cab-only air conditioning. Reports of buses being too hot rose from 115 in 2023 to 580 in 2025. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 13, 2026 at 5:27 PM

#Transport for #London recorded 15,481 bus collision incidents involving damage in 2025, after a peak of 16,133 in 2024. A further 7,968 were recorded to 1 July 2026. Models included the New Routemaster and ADL Enviro 400H MMC. Figures include minor damage and reflect an improved methodology.

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 13, 2026 at 6:06 PM

Transport for London Freedom of Information release: TfL has confirmed it holds information on the branding of BYD BD11 buses for Superloop Routes SL2 and SL11. It provided General Arrangement drawings for both, while SL12 was excluded as its branding work is ongoing. tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...

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— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) August 13, 2026 at 6:39 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.
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