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.

London Bus Tender Awards – Four Bus Routes in Havering to Use Double-Deck Electric Buses

Alexander Dennis Enviro100EV and Enviro400EV
Image by Alexander Dennis

Transport for London (TfL) has announced in the London Bus Tender awards that four routes in Havering have been retained by Stagecoach London, with brand new double-deck electric buses.

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

Route 165
Retained by: Stagecoach East London
Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR): 13
Vehicles: New electric double deck
Contract Start Date: 27th September 2025
Contract End Date: 24th September 2032

London Bus Tender Awards: New Electric Buses for Route 106

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that route 106 will transition to new double-deck electric buses operated by Go-Ahead London General.

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

Let's Discuss the Rear Open Platform of a Bus

Last Updated: 18th May 2026

The open platform of various double-deck buses

The open platform had been the most unique and controversial feature, especially when it was in use in London for regular passenger services.

I'm not an expert in history, especially with the (double-deck) trams and trolleybuses prior to 1962.

If we go back a century, trams, trolleybuses, and buses had open platforms (or steps) where anyone could board and enter at any time, similar to the hail-and-ride system.

This was especially true for horse buses, where fixed bus stop points were unknown. Essentially, it was hail-and-ride everywhere at the time.

London Bus Tender Award: Stagecoach Wins Route 138 From Go-Ahead Metrobus, Using Existing Single-Deck Buses

We are now in February 2025, and Transport for London (TfL) has announced the award of a new tender for Route 138.

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

Route 138
Current Operator: Go-Ahead Metrobus
New Operator: Stagecoach Selkent
Peak Vehicle Requirement: 3
Vehicles: Existing diesel single deck
Contract Start Date: 15th March 2025
Contract End Date 15th March 2030

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

FOI Insights on London Underground Train Cancellations and Station Closures Due to Staff Shortages and the Status of CSA Recruitment

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed the frequency and duration of closures at London Underground stations.

Request ID: FOI-3172-2425
Date published: 30 January 2025

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

Celebrating 25 Years of Transport for London

TfL Image - TfL 25 Roundel

Transport for London (TfL) celebrates its 25th anniversary, marking its creation alongside the Greater London Authority (GLA). Both of these authorities were established as part of Tony Blair’s New Labour 1997 manifesto commitment to create a new London-wide authority, a step that had been absent since the Greater London Council was abolished in 1986. In 1998, 72% of the electorate voted in favour of establishing the Greater London Authority, alongside the Mayor of London, the London Assembly, and Transport for London. The voter turnout was 34%.

Subsequently, the government passed the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which created the GLA and TfL. Elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly were held on 4th May 2000.

This led to significant changes in public transport in London.

Transport for London’s 2024 Consultation Reports on Bus Service Changes Reveal Ongoing Demand for the New Routemaster and Tram Buses

Last updated - 18 September 2025

Silhouette of the New Routemaster and Irizar ie tram

This is a follow-up to my previous article from last year, where I gathered information from Transport for London’s consultation reports and highlighted the requests for zero-emission New Routemaster (NRM) and tram-style buses.

Let’s take a look at the 2024 consultation reports I have researched:

London Bus Tender Awards: Retentions for Routes 285 and 326 with Existing Buses

Here’s another round of London Bus Tender Awards for January 2025, which shows that Transport for London and London Sovereign have retained routes 285 and 326.

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