Lord Sadiq Khan has announced a fleet of 100 publicly-owned buses for London, marking the first large-scale move for 30 years to bring London buses into public control.
The London Mayor hailed Buses for London, which has been set up working with the Unite union, to try to boost services in the capital.
First route and rollout
Route 6, which runs between Willesden and Victoria Station, will be the first service operated by Buses for London when it launches in late 2027. A further four routes will be announced over the coming year, to come into operation from 2028.
Their performance will then be reviewed and a decision made on whether to roll out publicly-owned buses more widely across the capital.
Depot and zero-emission fleet
The operational base for Buses for London will be the Park Royal Depot in west London, and it will initially run around 100 zero-emission buses. TfL is working in partnership with the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation to develop the site.
Transport for London currently contracts bus services to eight privately-owned operators across the capital's almost 700 bus routes. City Hall believes the new publicly-owned bus company will give TfL greater control over how services are run.
Mayor's statement
Lord Khan said: "London's iconic red buses are a vital lifeline for many people, which I'm committed to supporting. Sometimes that means taking bold new approaches, so that our world-leading transport network can deliver even more for all those who rely on it."
The aim is to boost reliability and safety, while reinvesting profits to further improve the capital's transport network.
Context and response
The bus announcement comes after the Labour Government started taking rail services back into public ownership. However, there are some doubts over the success of the move, with claims that London commuter services on South Western Railway have deteriorated.
Lord Khan, who took up his seat in the House of Lords recently, insisted: "This is an opportunity to really reimagine our bus network so that it provides better value for money, supports our climate goals, makes our roads safer, and overall just works better for passengers and drivers alike. I look forward to seeing Buses for London build on the success of our world-leading bus network as we continue to create a greener, fairer, more prosperous city for everyone."
London buses were last in public ownership on any significant scale in the mid 1990s. East Thames Buses, a small arm's length subsidiary of TfL, operated between 1999 and 2009 after a bus company failed. It was eventually sold to Go-Ahead London.
Lorna Murphy, TfL's director of buses, said: "Today's announcement marks an exciting new chapter for London's buses and an important first step in exploring how a publicly owned bus company could support the future of the capital's transport network. The depot will provide a base for cleaner, greener services, helping us to build on the progress we've already made towards a more sustainable transport system."
