London is leading the way with the largest zero-emission fleet in Western Europe. There are now more than 2,000 zero-emission buses on the capital’s streets helping to improve the city’s air quality and reducing its carbon emissions. This means two in every nine of London’s world-famous red buses have now gone green, which is more than 20 per cent of the entire bus fleet, increasing from 30 in 2016.
TfL’s target is to make its entire bus fleet zero-emission by 2030, putting the capital at the forefront of international efforts to make public transport greener. Zero-emission buses are helping to tackle the dangers of toxic air pollution and the climate emergency to protect the health of Londoners and the environment. Making buses zero-emission would save an estimated five million tonnes of carbon over the next two decades.
London’s iconic red bus fleet is one of the greenest in the world, with lower CO2 emissions per passenger kilometres compared to other global cities like New York and Vancouver. Since 2021, all new vehicles joining the fleet have been zero-emission, helping TfL become the green heartbeat of London. In addition, all of TfL’s other buses meet or exceed Euro VI emission standards, the same emissions standard as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Buses also help to cut congestion as they carry up to 80 times the number of passengers as a car, while taking up just three times as much space, making the most efficient use of road space.
TfL’s investment in zero-emission buses has helped to create around 3,000 jobs in green technology in locations like Ballymena, Falkirk and Scarborough, supporting economic growth in the UK. Across the past two years, TfL’s £12bn spend with more than 3,000 UK suppliers across multiple industries has driven activity in new and emerging sectors, with 30 per cent of TfL suppliers operating in low carbon industries and 10 per cent of TfL’s supply chain in cutting edge technology and data businesses.
A key example of TfL’s supply chain delivering for market growth is through the appointment of Wrightbus as Transport UK’s preferred supplier, demonstrating a strong commitment to the UK zero-emission bus industry. This will create new green jobs across the UK and support wider economic growth. As a start, Transport UK has placed an order of 75 zero-emission buses over 12 months, signalling confidence in the UK’s manufacturing industry allowing Wrightbus to ramp up production in Ballymena. On top of around 2,000 green jobs at its factory in Ulster, this will help Wrightbus support 7,200 supply chain jobs across 47 counties in the UK and Ireland to deliver British-sourced components for the manufacturing of zero-emission buses.
TfL Image – Specially wrapped 2000th zero-emission bus
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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s fantastic London is leading the charge with more than 2,000 zero-emission buses in the capital, the largest zero-emission bus fleet in Western Europe.
“I’m proud we’ve taken London’s bus network from strength to strength since I became Mayor in 2016, increasing the size of the network, making transport greener and improving bus safety and customer experience. The number of London’s world-famous red buses that have now gone green has increased from just 30 in 2016 to more than 2,000 today. This is helping to clean up London’s toxic air, protect the environment and the health of Londoners.
“I will continue to do everything I can to ensure buses remain the most accessible, affordable and sustainable form of transport as we continue to build a greener, fairer London for everyone.”
