Request ID: FOI-0293-2223 Date published: 07 June 2022
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
As elected councillor in the Borough of Haringey I find incredibly difficult to find answers to my emails sent to TfL. The last one is pending a response since February 2022.
Q1: who I can ask for the assessment about the new electric bus model suitability for the 184 route, previously I have been told that 'the type of bus that is used on a particular corridor/ road is determined in consideration of a number of factors like road widths and low bridges' . Can I ask what impact assessment was done for the bus 184 and if in particular impact of weights and width were considered along the specific route, since this model is much heavier and wider than the previous one, with houses rattling and shaking more in the past. Have different models being considered?
Q2. I have been mentioned by a resident in Palace Gate Road that their car has been scratched 4 times recently by the new 184 bus model as the bus it is larger than the previous model to be and therefore is more difficult to manouever within the tight space left when both bus and a car coming in the opposite way try to navigate the width of Palace Gate Road (which is the road leading to Alexandra Park Road). Would it be possible to know with whom can residents get in touch when their cars are scratched and damage by the 184 bus?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0293-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9th May 2022 asking for information about bus route 184.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Your questions are answered in turn below:
Q1: who I can ask for the assessment about the new electric bus model suitability for the 184 route, previously I have been told that 'the type of bus that is used on a particular corridor/ road is determined in consideration of a number of factors like road widths and low bridges' . Can I ask what impact assessment was done for the bus 184 and if in particular impact of weights and width were considered along the specific route, since this model is much heavier and wider than the previous one, with houses rattling and shaking more in the past. Have different models being considered?
Answer: TfL does not carry out “impact assessments” to determine the deployment of a specific vehicle on a particular route. It should be noted that buses in London are operated by bus operators under contract with TfL. We do not buy the vehicles and do not specify the exact model to be used on any given route, but we do provide a general specification as part of the tendering process. For this particular route we specified that single deck vehicles with a minimum length of 10.8m and capacity for 60 passengers should be used, with the school journeys to be operated by double deck vehicles. The vehicles on route 184 meet the regulatory requirements for new vehicles, adhere to any local highway regulations and have been deemed suitable for operation on the route by the bus operator on behalf of TfL
We are currently in a climate emergency and the Mayor has set an ambitious target for London to be a net zero carbon city by the end of this decade. Choosing to take the bus is already a highly sustainable option but we are continuing to invest in our bus fleet to ensure that, in future, it will be a zero carbon option. As a simple rule of thumb all new electric buses are fractionally wider, longer and heavier than their diesel predecessors. It would not be possible to deliver the environmental improvements without at least one (if not more) of these factors becoming greater.
Q2. I have been mentioned by a resident in Palace Gate Road that their car has been scratched 4 times recently by the new 184 bus model as the bus it is larger than the previous model to be and therefore is more difficult to manouever within the tight space left when both bus and a car coming in the opposite way try to navigate the width of Palace Gate Road (which is the road leading to Alexandra Park Road). Would it be possible to know with whom can residents get in touch when their cars are scratched and damage by the 184 bus?
Answer: Residents should contact TfL’s Customer Services team who will then pass the matter on to the relevant operator. Please see the following page of our website for details of how to contact Customer Services:
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
