The information is out in the public domain on the Transport for London (TfL) and the UK Government's Find a Tender website, and it is not released through a Freedom of Information request.
New contract awards: Routes 10, 38 and N38
Route 10
Accepted Bid: £9,078,926 PA
Part of a joint bid with routes 38 and N38 totalling £17,064,024 PA.
TfL Bus Tenders — UK Government Find a Tender
Route 38
Accepted Bid: £6,491,726 PA
Part of a joint bid with routes 10 and N38 totalling £17,064,024 PA.
TfL Bus Tenders — UK Government Find a Tender
Route N38
Accepted Bid: £1,493,372 PA
Part of a joint bid with routes 10 and 38 totalling £17,064,024 PA.
TfL Bus Tenders — UK Government Find a Tender
Existing and previous contract figures
As Route 19 has not been retendered, here is the tender information on the TfL website which shows the cost as part of the accepted bid by Arriva London.
Route 19
Accepted Bid: £7,369,000 PA
TfL Bus Tenders
All of the above routes continue to use the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemaster buses under the new and current contracts.
Then taking a look at the previous contract for route 38/N38, award announced on 5th December 2022:
Accepted Bid: £10,500,303 PA
Comparing the old and new contract costs
For comparison, the new combined total for routes 38 and N38 stands at £7,985,098 per annum, representing a reduction of £2,515,205 per year, which is a decrease of 23.95% (roughly 24% cheaper) compared to the previous contract figure of £10,500,303 per annum.
Meanwhile, the newly introduced Route 10 contract alone costs £9,078,926 per annum, nearly matching the cost of the entire former 24-hour Route 38 and N38 operation despite its shorter day-only scope and 21-vehicle allocation.
Ultimately, while the retendered 38 and N38 portion yielded savings, adding Route 10 pushed the new joint contract total to £17,064,024 per annum, an increase of £6,563,721 (roughly 62.5%) compared to the old Route 38 and N38 contract alone. This heavy financial commitment significantly increased the overall cost of the corridor, helping explain why TfL pressed ahead with the restructure despite heavy public opposition during the consultation over severing Route 38's historic link to Victoria, which it had served for 114 years since 16th June 1912.
Transport for London’s consultation report confirms revised changes to routes 19 and 38 and new route 10. Despite opposition, the plans will proceed with adjustments, including extending route 10 to Newington Green and improving N38 operating hours. haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/bus-routes-1...
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 11:25 AM
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For further context on how TfL manages route changes and consultations, a Freedom of Information release (FOI-1627-2627) regarding the withdrawal of bus route 347 revealed that the public consultation for proposed changes to routes 346, 347, and 497 cost approximately £8,400. Furthermore, physically dismantling the infrastructure for the withdrawn 347 service, including removing seven bus stops at around £175 per stop (£1,225 total), taking down timetables (£700), and updating e-tiles and flags (£3,000), demonstrates the relatively modest administrative and physical costs involved in route alterations compared to major multi-million-pound contract variations.
TfL's bus operating costs and subsidy
For further context, TfL spends billions of pounds each year operating London's bus network. In 2016/17, direct bus operating costs were approximately £2.086 billion, while passenger fare income was £1.474 billion. Other operating income contributed a further £13 million.
By 2018/19, direct operating costs had increased to £2.109 billion, with passenger income at £1.468 billion. Passenger income subsequently fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching approximately £709 million in 2020/21, before recovering to around £1.51 billion in 2024/25.
TfL also requires substantial financial support towards running bus services. The reported bus operating subsidy was around £600 million in 2017/18, rising to a projected £870 million in 2024/25, £1.118 billion in 2025/26, and £1.278 billion in 2026/27. Meanwhile, planned bus contract payments are expected to reach approximately £2.824 billion in 2026/27.
These figures provide an indication of the scale of expenditure involved in maintaining London's bus network, alongside the income received from passengers and the subsidy required to operate services.
What should the money be used for instead?
This is a complex question, especially given that TfL's priorities focus on improving bus services and introducing new routes, including expanding the Superloop network. On top of that, major infrastructure schemes are competing for funding, such as the Bakerloo Line Extension to Lewisham (even though the current annual contract payment for the Bakerloop BL1 express bus sits at just £4,931,033 PA) and the West London Orbital, a proposed new route for the London Overground, among other projects.
In reality, improving performance on routes 19 and 38 could have been achieved through targeted bus priority measures, including new bus lanes and traffic light priority to prevent buses getting stuck in heavy congestion.
Alternatively, the extra £6.56 million per annum could be used to accelerate investment in new zero-emission buses across London. While vehicle procurement on tendered routes normally falls to private operators as part of their contract bids, additional funding could directly support fleet electrification ahead of the launch of TfL's publicly owned operator, Buses for London.
Finally, that money could go towards improving working conditions for London bus drivers by funding additional toilet facilities and mess rooms at route termini. Notably, the £6.56 million annual increase on this single corridor is more than the latest £6 million package TfL committed to installing 53 new driver toilet facilities across the network.
To wrap up the article, here is a screen capture of the video showing the real-time maps of routes 10, 19 and 38 on their first and second days of passenger service, which I posted on social media.
First day of London Buses changes: new route 10 (Newington Green – Battersea Bridge), route 19 (Finsbury Park – Victoria), and route 38 cut to Holborn. All using hybrid New Routemasters. Screen captured at 12:20 on Saturday 14 November 2026.
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) November 14, 2026 at 12:39 PM
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Observing London Buses routes 10, 19, and 38 on the second day since the changes were implemented. TfL's real-time API system hasn't yet been updated to reflect the latest route changes. Screen captured at 12:30 on Sunday, 15 November 2026. https://t.co/gT8y9E71vd
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) November 15, 2026
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