I'm writing to request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act the following information, which I cannot find in your online reference sources: • The total number of hours operated by all buses in the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available. • The total number of hours operated by New Routemaster (NRM) buses and, separately, other hybrid buses on routes as part of the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available. • The total number of hours operated in diesel-only mode by New Routemaster (NRM) buses and, separately, other hybrid buses on routes as part of the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available. • Any other TfL data or reports showing or discussing how much time NRM buses and/or other hybrid buses have operated in diesel-only mode while operating routes as part of the London bus fleet.

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Our ref: FOI-2375-1718

Thank you for your email received on 21 November 2017 asking for information about bus operations.

Your request has been processed in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. You asked for:

• The total number of hours operated by all buses in the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available.
• The total number of hours operated by New Routemaster (NRM) buses and, separately, other hybrid buses on routes as part of the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available.
• The total number of hours operated in diesel-only mode by NRM buses and, separately, other hybrid buses on routes as part of the London bus fleet per year, for the three most recent years for which figures are available.
• Any other TfL data or reports showing or discussing how much time NRM buses and/or other hybrid buses have operated in diesel-only mode while operating routes as part of the London bus fleet.

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you requested.

We do not record the number of hours per vehicle a bus operates.

All bus routes have a provision for engineering spares (usually 2) to cover for when the allocated vehicles are in for routine or short-notice maintenance but it’s up to the operator to manage their fleet and allocate buses to routes according to the contract requirements.

Similarly the bus operators do not record or notify us when they operate in diesel or electric mode. This is determined by the speed of the bus so for slow speeds the diesel engine cuts out and the bus can crawl along in traffic or pull away from a stop in electric mode and then when the bus reaches a pre-determined speed, the diesel engine cuts back in and takes over.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Melissa Nichols

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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