358 Buses
Question No: 2025/0546
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Since the introduction of the new ‘Tram Buses’ on route 358 how many vehicles have broken down because of a) a lack of electrical power or b) other reasons?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
The operator is responsible for managing fleet availability and vehicle maintenance. This includes the deployment of spare vehicles which are incorporated into the fleet as contingency, should breakdowns occur.
Transport for London (TfL) has oversight of vehicle breakdowns through lost mileage data. Please see my answer to MQ 2025/0548.
TfL is working with the operator in these early stages of the new service to develop metrics that are best suited to evaluating the opportunity charging technology longer-term.
Question No: 2025/0549
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
How does the level of lost mileage since the introduction of the new ‘Tram Buses’ on route 358 compare to the figures for the diesel buses which previously operated the route?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2025/0548.
Route 358 is currently operating with the electric ieTram buses and being supported by the diesel fleet in the early stages of this technology. It is therefore not yet possible to directly compare the data on lost mileage for the two fleet types. As the service matures, Transport for London will be in a better position to provide a more meaningful comparison between electric and diesel operation.
The period since the launch of the ieTram buses has been impacted by traffic mileage losses owing to roadworks on the route, which have increased the lost mileage on route 358 in the short term.
Question No: 2025/0550
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
On what dates were each of the Irizar ‘Tram Buses’ for use on route 358 delivered from Spain? What was the cost of storage in the UK?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
The vehicle delivery schedule and the cost of bus storage is the responsibility of the operator. The vehicles were delivered from Spain to align with the installation of the pantograph chargers, supporting testing and training before the launch of the service.
Question No: 2025/0551
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
What is the estimated depreciation of each ‘Tram Bus’ whilst in storage?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
The cost of purchasing and depreciating vehicles is the responsibility of the operator and is embedded within the route contract.
Question No: 2025/0552
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
What is the purchase price of each ‘Tram Bus’, and how does this compare with other electric single deck buses purchased by London bus operators?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
The cost of purchasing vehicles is the responsibility of the operator and is embedded within the route contract price.
Question No: 2025/0553
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Given that the Irizar ‘Tram Buses’ are a one-off purchase, what is the cost of maintaining each vehicle and training/familiarising staff compared with other types of vehicle?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
The cost of maintaining the Irizar buses on route 358 is the responsibility of the operator and is embedded within the route contract price. Training and familiarisation for maintaining and driving new vehicles is a process carried out by the operator when any new bus is introduced on the network.
Question No: 2025/0554
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
What was the cost of purchasing and installing the pantograph chargers at each of the four locations for routes 132 and 358, including staff time and obtaining planning permission?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
Route 132 utilises one privately owned pantograph charger at Bexleyheath bus garage. The cost of this charger, as well as staff time and any required planning permissions, is embedded within the route contract.
The cost of installing the two pantograph chargers for route 358, alongside staff and overheads, are embedded in the total cost of the bus route contract.
The cost of the pantograph charging infrastructure is coupled with the tender for the operation of the route 358. The total cost is therefore embedded within the award of this operating contract and Transport for London is unable to provide a breakdown due to commercial confidentiality.
Question No: 2025/0555
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Who owns or rents the land on which the pantograph at Orpington Station was constructed, and how much is being paid to use the land?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
Transport for London (TfL) leases the land on which the pantograph structure has been erected. TfL’s immediate landlord is now the Arch Company, but when the lease was completed in 1999, London Regional Transport (LRT) entered into the lease with Railtrack PLC for an annual peppercorn rent (nominal amount). LRT paid Network Rail a premium in 1999.
Question No: 2025/0556
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Excluding the buses on routes 132 and 358, how many miles does an a) double deck and b) single deck electric bus operate between charges?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
Operated mileage varies across the bus network, and charging schedules are aligned to service frequency requirements, the vehicle type and battery capacity. The operator is responsible for managing the sequence of vehicle charging for each bus type per route.
Question No: 2025/0557
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Before proceeding to install pantograph chargers on routes 132 and 358, what studies were made of similar installations in other towns & cities in the UK and overseas?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 28th February 2025
As part of the development of the route 358 pantograph charging project, Transport for London (TfL) engaged with other UK operators which had installed pantograph charging technology. Birmingham Airport and The Harrogate Bus Company hosted TfL at their charging sites as part of a knowledge sharing exercise. TfL representatives also visited the Jema and Irizar pantograph charger installation in Amiens, France.
Question No: 2025/0547
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Since the introduction of the new ‘Tram Buses’ on route 358, how many times has a vehicle had to turn short of its destination and passengers required to leave the bus as a result?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 5th March 2025
Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2025/0548.
Since the launch of the new ieTram bus fleet on route 358, the route has lost approximately eight per cent of its scheduled mileage. Approximately five per cent of this lost mileage is attributed to traffic and other on-road issues.
As part of their service control strategy, bus operating companies may change the start and/or end point of specific buses in response to network disruption to ensure the lowest average wait time for customers and ensure adherence to driver hours regulations. As these changes are implemented dynamically - either proactively before a vehicle starts its trip or reactively based on unanticipated mid-journey delays - it is not possible to provide a figure for the number of times a bus has been turned short of the advertised destination and resulted in passengers being required to leave the bus.
By installing rapid-charging pantograph infrastructure on one of London's longest bus routes, this innovative trial will provide valuable learning for the future.
Transport for London continue to work closely with the bus operator responsible for running the route 358, alongside other stakeholders, to improve the reliability of the service for its customers.
Question No: 2025/0548
Question: Thomas Turrell AM (Bexley and Bromley) - 25th February 2025
Since the introduction of the new ‘Tram Buses’ on route 358 how much mileage has been lost as a result of vehicles breaking down or vehicles turning short of their destination?
Answer: Sir Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): 5th March 2025
Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2025/0547.
Since the launch of the new ieTram bus fleet on route 358, the route has lost approximately eight per cent of its scheduled mileage. This includes all instances of vehicles failing to run as scheduled for any reason, including vehicle unavailability, traffic delays, etc.
2.1 per cent of this lost mileage is attributed to vehicle breakdowns or mechanical issues. This includes lost mileage for the diesel fleet which has been supporting the route in the early stages of the new technology.
