Transport for London Reveals Usage and Revenue for Bakerloop BL1 Bus Route

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed the usage and costs of the Bakerloop BL1 express bus service, which runs parallel to the proposed London Underground Bakerloo line extension.

Request ID: FOI-3475-2526
Date published: 09 January 2026

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses for Routes 102, 322, 233 and SL10

Transport for London has released the first announcement of the London Bus Tender Awards for 2026.

It confirms that routes 102, 322, 433, and Superloop Route SL10 will be served by new electric buses as part of the new route contracts.

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

Superloop Route SL11 to Temporarily Use New Routemasters, Plus Contract Costs Revealed for Routes 8 and 16, and Consultation to Amend Routes 19 and 38

This round-up focuses on the latest news concerning the New Routemaster bus, along with other significant updates from the London bus network.

It has been reported by the London Omnibus Traction Society (LOTS) that the Superloop route SL11 (Thamesmead – North Greenwich) is planned to temporarily use the three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters (NRMs). This temporary measure will be implemented while the operating company, Go-Ahead London Central, awaits the delivery of its new double-deck electric buses, as part of its new route contract.

Transport for London to launch Bakerloop BL1 express bus route on 27 September 2025 with free travel for first week

Bakerloop Bus
TfL Image

It has been revealed that TfL will be launching the Bakerloop BL1 route from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham. The service will be operated by Go-Ahead London, who won the bid to run the route at £4,931,033 per annum using existing electric buses. The service will be free to use for the first week after its launch.

TfL press release:

London Bus Tender Awards: Metroline Retains Route E9 and Superloop Route SL8 with New Double-Deck Electric Buses

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that Metroline has retained Route E9 and Superloop Route SL8, both of which will operate with new double-deck electric buses.

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

Route 207/N207
Current Operator: Transport UK West London
New Operator: Transport UK West London
PVR: 25
Vehicles: Existing hybrid double deck
Contract Start Date: 4th April 2026
Contract End Date: 6th April 2029

London Bus Tender Awards: Stagecoach to Operate Superloop Route SL12 and Route 205 with New Electric Buses

As we are in September 2025, after a month’s wait, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that Superloop route SL12 has been awarded to Stagecoach London, who will be using double-deck electric buses along with route 205.

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

Route 205/N205
Current Operator: Stagecoach East London
New Operator: Stagecoach East London
PVR: 17
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 29th August 2026
Contract End Date: 26th August 2033

London Bus Tender Awards: Go-Ahead London to Operate Superloop Route SL11 with New Electric Buses from January 2026

As we enter the new month of August 2025, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that route SL11/N472 has been awarded to Go-Ahead London Central, with new electric double-deck buses.

LBSL intends to enter into a new contract for the following route with the operator listed below:

London Bus Tender Awards: Arriva Retains Superloop Route SL2 with New Electric Buses

TfL Image

Transport for London (TfL) has announced, in the latest London Bus Tender Awards, that Arriva London has retained the Superloop route SL2. The route will be operated with new electric double-deck buses and is expected to launch sometime next year. This announcement coincides with TfL’s 25th anniversary, which is highlighted in the social media posts embedded below.

London Bus Services Limited (LBSL) intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

Route 43 (24h)
Retained by: Metroline
PVR: 26
Vehicles: Existing electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 31st January 2026
Contract End Date: 28th January 2033

London Bus Tender Awards: Route 149 to Continue Using New Routemasters, New Electric Buses for Route 275, and Go-Ahead London Central Wins Bakerloop Express BL1 Contract – Launching in September 2025

 

Bakerloop BL1 Bus - TfL Image

In this special London Bus Tender Awards update, it has been revealed that Arriva London has retained route 149 and will continue to operate three-door, two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters.

The Bakerloop Express BL1 route, part of the Superloop network, has been awarded to Go-Ahead London Central, who will introduce electric buses. The service is expected to launch on 27 September 2025.

Transport for London Shouldn't Debrand the Bakerloop BL1 Bus; It Should Be Used to Promote the Consultation

Drawings of the Bakerloop BL1 Bus - TfL Image

The purpose of this article is to further elaborate on my point made on social media that Transport for London (TfL) revealed in a Freedom of Information request that it has spent a total of £13,515.28 to brand one double-deck electric bus (BYD BD11) in the Superloop/Bakerloop BL1 livery for press publicity.

Consultation for the Bakerloop BL1 is Now Open!

Map of the proposed Bakerloop BL1 - TfL Image

Transport for London has opened the consultation for the Bakerloop BL1, which is proposed to run from Waterloo to Lewisham town centre via Elephant & Castle. TfL is beginning to fulfill the Mayor's manifesto commitment to expand the Superloop express bus services.

#TfL has launched a consultation on the ‘Bakerloop’ express bus, linking areas from Waterloo to Lewisham via Elephant & Castle. The new route, building on the #Superloop, aims to improve travel in south-east #London. Feedback is open until 14 March 2025. tfl-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/bakerlo...

[image or embed]

— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) January 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM

BL1 – Proposed express bus route between Waterloo and Lewisham town centre

The BL1 Bakerloop would run:

• Seven days a week
• Operating between 05:00 and 00:30 (it would not operate through the night)
• Every 12 minutes during the daytime from Monday to Saturday
• Every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays

My Standards for Providing Bus Services: Tailoring Vehicle Types and Door Configurations to Meet Route Needs

NRMs with route branding
Drawings © TfL

I will be explaining and suggesting my standards for the type of vehicles used for particular bus services in London and elsewhere.

Transport for London Reveals Costs for Branding the Superloop Express Bus Routes

Livery drawing of Superloop Route SL1 Bus - Source

A Freedom of Information request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed figures for the branding of the Superloop bus routes, which include vinyl wraps, bus stop branding, and bus stop customer information.

Request ID: FOI-2302-2425
Date published: 14 November 2024

SL1
🚍 Vehicle Vinyl Wraps: £71,200.00
🚏 Bus Stop Branding: £24,383.33
🏷️ Printed at Stop Customer Information: £8,891.66
Total for SL1: £104,474.99

London Bus Tender Awards: New Routemasters To Continue On Route 390 — New Double-Deck Electric Buses For Superloop Routes SL5 And SL7

TfL Image - CGI of shuttle bus service

As we are approaching the end of September 2024, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the three-door, two-staircase New Routemasters will continue on route 390 while the Superloop routes SL5 and SL7 will soon convert to double-deck electric buses.

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

Route 37 (24hr)
Retained By: Go-Ahead London Central
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 19
Vehicles: Existing hybrid double deck
Contract Start Date: 31st May 2025
Contract End Date: 2nd June 2028

Superloop Updates: Perceptions Report Reveals Success, Expenditure Revealed, Bus Priority Plans, And Upcoming New Routes

The Superloop Is Coming - Image by GLA

This is a follow-up to my previous article "Updates On TfL's Superloop Express Services: Reports About Performance And Reliability."

A Freedom of Information Request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed further updates about the Superloop, which is a network of express branded bus services in Greater London.

Let's take a read:

Request ID: FOI-1129-2425
Date published: 05 August 2024

Updates On TfL's Superloop Express Services: Reports About Performance And Reliability

Map of the Superloop express bus services
Image by TfL

In this article, I will go through one item of Transport for London's (TfL) Customer Service and Operational Performance Panel, which is due to be held on 10 July 2024.

London Bus Tender Awards: New Double-Deck Electric Buses For Routes 341 And Superloop SL3

Bus type suggestions for London Buses, Superloop (including SL3) and East London Transit

The recent London Bus Tender Awards have revealed that routes 341 and Superloop SL3 will be using new zero-emission double-deck electric buses. Hereby replacing the three-door, two-staircase hybrid buses named New Routemaster used for the SL3.

12th April 2024

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

Making A Case For New Rapid Transit Lines (Including New Tram Lines) By Increasing Bus Priority Measures

To tackle traffic congestion and pollution, London is in dire need of more bus priority measures and light rail services, including trams (also known as streetcars for North American readers), as it will help improve the economy.

The first generation of trams operated from 1860 to 1952, serving most of the London County Council area except for the west end of London. The type of trams London had were double-deck.

Then came trolleybuses, which served the London Passenger Transport Area from 1931 until 1962, as they were replaced by the diesel-engined AEC Routemaster.

TfL Confirms a Review for the Superloop Could Appear on the London Underground Tube Map and Why the SL3 is Using New Routemasters?

The Superloop is Coming - Released by FOI Request

Taking a look through the Freedom of Information (FOI) requests on the Transport for London (TfL) website, I have noticed one interesting FOI request about the Superloop. Then I noticed that the person who made the request had sent them links to my tweets and my article for reference to their questions.

I have added a comment to TfL's answer to the question.

Request ID: FOI-3938-2324
Date published: 23 February 2024

1. What has enabled the New Routemaster to be used on the SL3? Can you release details about this?
Surplus New Routemasters (NRM) vehicles were available for use on route SL3 as a result of other route contract changes a few months ago.

Suggestion: Transport for London Should Revive the Old Speedbus Proposal From the 1970s as Part of Phase 2 of the Superloop

Followers on Twitter/X may have noticed that I have been suggesting that Transport for London (TfL) revive the Speedbus proposal, which first launched in 1973, which is 50 years ago!

This is in response to Andy Lord, the Commissioner of TfL, stating that he has the ambition of launching "phase two of Superloop".

This is also in response to the London Assembly Transport Committee's recommendation to expand the new Superloop services along with more bus priority measures.