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Mayor confirms next two routes to be served by New Bus for London

Posted: 6 August 2013 | Transport for London (TfL) | No comments yet

Route 9 and 390 to convert to iconic new buses before end of year…

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Route 9 and 390 to convert to iconic new buses before end of year.

  • New buses will significantly cut carbon emissions and improve air quality
  • Manufacture continues to boost economy across UK

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced that the third and fourth routes in the Capital to be served by the iconic New Bus for London will be the 9 and 390.

Following the conversion of route 24 on 22 June and the forthcoming conversion of the route 11 on 21 September, the next two routes will convert by the end of the year.

Route 9 is operated by London United and runs between Hammersmith and Aldwych, via Olympia, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Piccadilly, Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square.

New buses will appear on this route from Saturday 26 October. During peak hours 22 of the new buses will be in passenger service to carry the 17,000 people who travel on the route each day.

Route 390, which is a 24-hour bus route, is operated by Metroline and runs between Notting Hill Gate and Archway, via Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, King’s Cross and Tufnell Park.

New buses will appear on this route by the end of the year. During peak hours 20 of the new buses will be in passenger service to carry the 18,400 people who travel on the route each day.

Buses on both routes will operate with the rear door open and a conductor on the rear platform for the majority of the day.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘The conversion of two more bus routes continues to build the momentum of this project.

‘Even as these buses become an increasingly familiar sight on the streets of the Capital they continue to awe Londoners and visitors with their sinuous beauty and graceful motion.

Leon Daniels, Transport for London’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: ‘London’s increasingly green bus fleet continues to grow apace. The 600 New Bus for London vehicles entering passenger service over the next few years will bolster what is already the largest fleet of hybrid buses in Europe.

‘By 2016 twenty per cent of buses in the capital will be hybrid and these will be concentrated in central London – delivering the maximum air quality benefit where it is needed most.’

The New Bus for London is manufactured by the family-owned Wrightbus company in Northern Ireland.

The order for the 600 New Bus for London vehicles resulted in the opening of a new chassis plant in Antrim and the safeguarding of 220 jobs, including 18 apprenticeships and the creation of 50 new jobs.

As well as the manufacture of the chassis and superstructure in Northern Ireland, a number of components for the new bus are made by companies from around the UK; including engines from Darlington, seats from Telford, seat moquette from Huddersfield, wheelchair ramps from Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire), destination blinds from Middleton near Manchester, tyres from Ballymena and flooring from Liskeard (Cornwall).

All of these companies have received a boost as a result of the new bus project.

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