TfL's Tram-Like Buses to Reduce London’s Transport Emissions

In an impressive push towards environmental sustainability, the city of London is stepping up its game to reach an ambitious net zero carbon target by the year 2030.

How is this being achieved? With multiple green transport initiatives paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future.Transport for London (TfL) is spearheading this movement with the introduction of new zero-emission electric buses.

These buses are not just any buses: They are equipped with cutting-edge pantograph technology and can be charged in as little as six minutes at both ends of the route thanks to an arm-like structure attached to the top of the bus.

This initiative concludes a collaborative effort involving TfL, Go-Ahead London and Irizar.

Mete Coban, London's Deputy Mayor for the Environment, says: "Having electric bus fleets is key to the mayor’s aims of cleaning up London’s toxic air and making London a net-zero carbon city by 2030."

Striving for sustainable transport in London

The capital has seen significant strides in enhancing transport sustainability with more than 1,700 zero-emission buses now operational.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has demonstrated his commitment to improving transport across London through The Mayor’s Transport Strategy. This aims for 80% of all trips in London to be made by cycle, on foot or public transport by 2041.

His commitment is further solidified with the Accelerated Green Pathway adopted in 2022, targeting net zero carbon by 2030 and zero waste by 2050.

This ambitious plan includes a noteworthy target to reduce car vehicle kilometres travelled by 27% by 2030.

Tom Joyner, Managing Director of Go-Ahead London, says: "I am incredibly proud of the strides we've made this year in our journey toward a zero-emission future.

"This includes the exciting launch of the 358 route and the expansion of our pantograph technology, both strong testaments to our commitment to cleaner air and healthier communities."

The new ‘zero-emission’ electric buses

The new buses will run along London’s 358 route, which runs between Crystal Palace and Orpington.

To accommodate the 20 new buses and the two pantograph chargers — all supplied by Irizar — modifications have been made to Orpington station.

The changes include:

• Stop D will operate alongside services that already depart from here (B14, R1, R3, R4, R6, R9 and the non- TfL route 477) 
• Stop D will also become the departure point for three services taken from Stop F
• Stop E will stay the stop for seven routes - 358, 684, R1, R4, R5, R8, R10
• Stop F will turn into the stop for route 51

Lorna Murphy, Director of Buses at TfL, says: "Installing new rapid-charging pantograph infrastructure on one of London’s longest bus routes is an innovative step forward, helping us to run cleaner, greener services that get Londoners where they need to be."

The introduction of these buses also aims to align with the Mayor’s ‘Vision Zero’ goal, which seeks to eliminate all serious injuries and deaths from London’s transport network by 2041.
Additional safety measure are an added benefit, including:

As well as this, by eliminating the need for drivers to return to garages to charge the buses, these vehicles are anticipated to bring significant financial benefits to TfL and London’s wider transport network.

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