Paddington says goodbye to bendies on route 436

On Saturday 19 November double deck buses began to operate on the route 436 as the deadline for ridding the Capital’s streets of bendy buses moves ever closer.

Just two bendy bus routes (29 and 207) now remain following the conversion of the route 436 which runs between Paddington and Lewisham.

Continuing with the Mayor and TfL’s commitment to invest in greener technology, around half of the new double deck buses being introduced on the route will be greener hybrid buses.

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 emissions and 30 per cent better fuel economy. This is a boost to the Mayor’s goal to deliver cleaner air for London. The introduction of double deck buses will also bring extra seating and improved air cooling.

Improvements will also be made to the frequency of the service with weekday peak frequencies increased to every five to six minutes instead of the current six to eight minutes.

When all bendy buses are removed from London’s streets, TfL estimates that there will be an annual saving to Londoners of more than £7m due to a vastly reduced rate of fare evasion on these routes.