Two thirds of bendy buses converted and major savings being made

The Mayor is more than two thirds of the way towards fulfilling his pledge to rid the capital of bendy buses. The final bus will leave London in December and now Transport for London has revealed its latest financial calculations estimate that when all 12 routes are converted it will save over £7 million a year thanks to the anticipated reduction in fare evasion.

When every route is converted passengers will also be able to travel on almost 500 new vehicles that boast the latest clean engine technology. Over 50 of those buses will be hybrid double deck buses with the first 20 already on the capital’s roads.

When compared to standard diesel vehicles the new hybrid buses are cleaner, quieter and more efficient, delivering a minimum 30 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide and 30 per cent better fuel economy. Introducing this technology will deliver immediate and long term benefits to quality of life by reducing pollution and CO2 emissions.

Transport for London has also reviewed service patterns on the 12 routes being converted to ensure that they best match passenger demand. Every route has had, or will have when converted, an increase in frequency of buses at peak time. Plus the vast majority of passengers will see either the same or an increased frequency across the week.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: “More than two thirds of these cumbersome machines have now been banished from the capital with the remainder departing by the end of the year. They were never suited to London’s narrow thoroughfares and with their departure fare dodgers are now left with no place to hide. Even better we are getting some truly clean, green machines out there that are less polluting than their predecessors.”

A breakdown of the financial impact of removing bendy buses from London released today shows that when every bendy bus route has been converted there will be an annual saving of around £7.1 million due to a vastly reduced rate of fare evasion on these routes.