TfL changes New Routemaster Route 8 boarding to front door only

TfL have announced plans to change the boarding of the three-door two-staircase New Routemaster buses to front door entry to ensure passengers pay their fare by the driver.

London bus tender awards for late July 2019

TfL has recently announced new contract awards for their London bus services.

One of the notable routes mentioned is the 25 which TfL awarded the new contract to Stagecoach London.

2019 London Buses fleet list and Big Red Book

Transport for London has released the bus fleet audit report and the London Bus fleet list on their website.

A brief mention from the London Bus Fleet Audit report:

Opinion: Design criticisms of Wrightbus Gemini 3 and SRM

This is more of an 'essay' type article because I have some criticisms with the design of the Wrightbus double deck products such as the Gemini 3 and SRM. I have criticised the Wrightbus double deck products in my previous articles and therefore I will lay out my ideas which could possibly inspire the manufacturer to make changes.

Double Deck Hydrogen buses for Aberdeen, Scotland

As Liverpool and London authorities purchased double deck hydrogen buses for their services, the news has come that Aberdeen will be getting double deck hydrogen buses, jointly funded by Aberdeen City Council, European Union (FCH JU) and Scottish Government.

Extracts from Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking news release

The new additions to the hydrogen fleet will underline the city’s role as a pioneer in green energy.

The contract which was signed this month will deliver 15 city buses. The project has been funded by Aberdeen City Council, European Union (FCH JU) and Scottish Government with an investment of about £500k per vehicle, building on the initial research funding contributed by the Scottish Cities Alliance.

Electric bus types revealed for London bus routes 94, C10 & P5

Hot off the press is the news that RATP-Dev placed an order for 29 of the Alexander Dennis BYD Enviro400EV for use on their London Buses Route 94 contract.

Extracts from Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD Europe jointly announced today that the companies’ electric vehicle partnership, which delivers the leading UK electric bus, has already topped 100 double deck bus sales. ADL is a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s largest independent global bus manufacturers and BYD is a global leader in batteries and electric buses.

The zero emission 'New Routemaster spin-off' Enviro400EV City finally entered service on London Buses Route 43

Finally, after a very long wait, the spin-off of the New Routemaster, the pure electric Enviro400EV City which is jointly manufactured by Alexander Dennis and BYD has entered in to service on London Bus route 43 as of 1st July 2019.

Bus designs have evolved to reflect similarity to the New Routemaster bus and I’d like to say a new chapter has started with the iconic Enviro400 City which has gone pure electric.

According to London Vehicle Finder, the first five of the BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV City entered service on route 43 on 1st July 2019 - here's the mini fleet list.

London Bus tender awards for late June 2019

This is a quick news update about London Bus services.

Recently I mentioned that London Bus route 67 converted to New Routemaster operation as part of the Central London bus reshaping plan; the new tender awards have revealed Arriva London lost the route 67 contract to Go-Ahead London General.

Should London Buses use a standard interior colour scheme?

As the new battery-electric Enviro400EV City (jointly manufactured by BYD and Alexander Dennis) is set to serve London Buses Route 43 anytime soon, it has been revealed that Metroline has chosen to use their own interior livery instead of the burgundy (dark red) and brass (gold coloured railings) with the TfL/LT Roundel seating moquette. The interior colour design is based on the New Routemaster bus (including their own seating moquette) which reflects similarity with the classic AEC Routemaster bus.

Route 67 converts to New Routemaster operation as part of Central London bus route changes

We have recently seen London bus service changes which occurred on 15th June 2019. The changes affected routes 3, 4, 9/N9, 14, 35, 40, 45, 46, 53, 59, 67, 76, 100, 134, 149, 171, 172, 205/N205, 242, 341, 343, 388, 468, 476 and RV1. You can read more on the Central London bus route changes on the TfL website.

A small number of the routes are served with New Routemaster buses and were affected. This has enabled a number of New Routemaster buses to serve another route which is route 67.