Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram visited London to see some of the city’s state-of-the-art electric buses, on a fact-finding mission to see what could be delivered in the Liverpool City Region.
On a tour of Abellio London’s Walworth Bus Depot, where 38% of the buses are electric, Steve met Abellio London staff and saw some of the infrastructure required to maintain and operate an electric bus fleet. He also travelled on one of the buses which usually operates route 63, a route that went electric in January, and heard how popular the new buses have been with passengers.
Abellio London operates c. 10% of the London bus market in partnership with TfL, and with 800 buses across 6 depots is the fastest growing operator in the London bus network. By October this year 125 of Abellio London’s buses will be electric, contributing to the Mayor of London’s ambition to accelerate the transition to a greener future for London, with cleaner air for all.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said:
“Buses are the backbone of our region’s public transport system. With so many people relying on their services every day, I want to make our buses cheaper, easier, faster and cleaner than ever before – without sacrificing the health of our planet.
“We’ve already taken some significant steps towards achieving that, having invested in a new, zero-emission hydrogen bus fleet to complement our new £500m battery-operated trains – but I want to go even further, to build a transport network to rival that of London’s standards.
“Every time I visit the capital, it’s a reminder of just how well a regulated bus model can work – and how far our area is being held back under our current deregulated system. It’s one of the main reasons that I’m working to take back public control of our network, so that we can direct any profit we make back into our public transport system. Our plans include an investment in green corridors and electric buses, to create a healthier, cleaner environment that supports our ambitious target to be net zero by 2040, at least a decade before national government.”
Abellio UK MD Dominic Booth said:
“The work we are doing at Abellio London to modernise our bus fleet delivers a better experience for our customers whilst also tackling air pollution in London.
I was delighted to show Steve the technology we have introduced and talk to him and his team about how that could be delivered as part of his plans to transform bus services in the Liverpool City Region.”
Abellio London Operations Director Lorna Murphy said:
“The team at Abellio London has worked tirelessly to deliver new zero emission electric buses to our fleet, and I was pleased to showcase that work to Steve and his team today. We are proud to be innovators in this area, working with TfL to deliver on the Mayor’s vision to transform London’s bus fleet and deliver cleaner air for Londoners.”
