Transport for London orders 600 more hybrid buses to be running in London by 2016
Thu 20 September 2012
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Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed the purchase of 600 hybrid buses for the capital. TfL is to buy the buses from Wrightbus of Northern Ireland for delivery over four years from 2013 to 2016. This represents the largest single hybrid bus order placed in Europe and is expected to result in annual CO2 savings in excess of 20,000 tonnes.
The 600 buses represent a 200% increase in the current hybrid bus fleet which is set to grow by a further 180 vehicles already on order. When the final batch of vehicles is delivered in 2016, more than 1,000 hybrid buses will be in service on the streets of London.
TfL says the first 30 buses will enter service in April 2013. Each bus is expected to have an operational life of 14 years.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “These magnificent vehicles not only ooze London style but are a testament to British design, engineering and above all innovation. Not only do they deliver significant environmental benefits, they also reinstate the traditional hop-on, hop-off rear platform and passengers love them. By ordering large numbers of these fantastic machines we are also creating UK jobs. I promised an expansion of the existing fleet and I am confident they will be as iconic in London as phone boxes, Big Ben and Beefeaters.”
Hybrid technology, which combines batteries, a conventional diesel engine and an electric motor to propel the bus was first trialled by TfL in 2006. TfL says that hybrid buses typically deliver around a 30 per cent fuel efficiency saving and around a 20 per cent reduction in NOx emissions.
TfL says that in testing the new bus emitted less than half the CO2 and NOx of a current diesel bus. The buses also deliver better than twice the fuel economy. The introduction of the 600 buses is expected to reduce CO2 emissions in the Capital by around 20,600 tonnes a year.
The UK market for low carbon buses has been stimulated by the Government's Green Bus Funds 1, 2 and 3. The LowCVP worked closely with the Department for Transport in the design of the Green Bus Fund. See related story here.
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