Mayor unveils first fully electric bus routes for central London

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans for central London to have two all-electric bus routes by the end of the year.

The 507 and 521 are scheduled to exclusively run a 51-strong fleet of all-electric buses by the end of 2016, as part of plans to dramatically improve air quality.

The fleet of 51 all electric buses, made in Britain by Chinese company BYD and British manufacturer ADL, will join the 22 all-electric buses already in operation in outer London, taking the capital one step closer to Khan’s aim of 300 zero emission buses by 2020.

Khan said: “It’s vital that we act now to clean-up our capital’s toxic air and do everything we can to help prevent the thousands of deaths it causes each year.

“I’ve set out a comprehensive plan to improve our air, and the transformation of London’s bus fleet will play a key role in making our transport cleaner and healthier.

“These first two electric bus routes right through the heart of London are another step towards the end of conventional diesel buses on our roads. This will deliver extensive air quality benefits and position us as a true world leader in adopting ultra low emission vehicle technology.”

Leon Daniels, TfL’s managing director of surface transport, said: “These are the first two electric routes that travel through the heart of the capital. They will mean better air quality and better journeys for customers – with less noise and vibration than traditional buses. Today is a real game-changer in the drive to green the capital’s transport network.”

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