Mayor announces low emission bus routes in London
Tue 09 August 2016
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Sadiq Khan, London's Mayor, has announced plans for the first of a series of ‘Low Emission Bus Zones’ which he says will "prioritise the greenest buses on the worst polluted routes, as part of his far-reaching plans to clean up the capital’s toxic air".
From February 2017, the first route along Putney High Street will see exclusive use of hybrid or diesel buses with top-of-the-range anti-pollutant systems that meet or exceed Euro VI emissions standards. The second route - between Brixton and Streatham - will be converted in October 2017.
The Mayor had promised the introduction of Low Emission Bus Zones in his manifesto and these are the first to be announced. The Mayor says that they will all be operational by 2020 and are expected to reduce NOx emissions from buses along these routes by around 84 per cent.
The zones will be focused on London’s worst air quality hotspots outside central London and prioritised in areas where buses would otherwise contribute significantly to road transport emissions.
Other measures to be introduced by TfL which are intended to reduce emissions from the capital’s bus fleet, include:
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Making sure all buses operating in the central Ultra Low Emission Zone comply a year earlier by 2019, meaning each of the 3,100 double-deck buses operating in the zone will be Euro VI hybrid
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Expanding the ULEZ retrofit programme up to 3,000 buses outside the central zone
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Procuring only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018
The LowCVP has been working with stakeholders in the bus industry to encourage the introduction of low emission buses in the UK over several years. The Partnership recently published 'The Journey of the Green Bus' which explains the progress that has been made in the last decade or so.
The Partnership will be showcasing this progress at the upcoming Low Carbon Vehicle Event 2016, to be held at Millbrook Proving Ground on September 14-15.
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