TfL self-driving buses and tubes trials AND renewable powered vehicles
Request ID: FOI-2577-2122 Date published: 03 March 2022
You asked
I want to know what plans Transport for London has to trial self-driving buses and Underground trains on its network (excluding Docklands Light Railway)
I'd also like to know what TfL's plans are to roll out Electric and/or Hydrogen powered buses and/or tubes/trains on its network.
We answered
TfL Ref: 2577-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 8 February 2022 asking for information about self-driving buses and tubes.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked: I want to know what plans Transport for London has to trial self-driving buses and Underground trains on its network (excluding Docklands Light Railway). I'd also like to know what TfL's plans are to roll out Electric and/or Hydrogen powered buses and/or tubes/trains on its network.
Our train operators perform a safety critical role on the transport network and, alongside all of our frontline staff, have been essential to keeping London moving during the pandemic. As part of our funding agreement, the Government asked us to revisit our 2020 feasibility study into driverless trains, which determined that, while some operational savings may be achievable, the overall case is not financially positive given the high capital costs, the majority of which need to be met up-front. The possibilities, costs and benefits of driverless trains have been reviewed previously, and we will continue to keep these under review, but it is not a priority. Our focus remains on confirming a long-term, sustainable funding agreement with Government to ensure we can continue to operate effectively and support London’s recovery from the pandemic. We have no plans for driverless buses.
There are no diesel passenger trains running on the Underground; our fleet is electric. With regard to our buses, we aim to make the fleet of 9,000 buses entirely zero-emission by 2034. With sustained Government funding, this could be brought forward to 2030.
There are currently more than 700 zero-emissions buses in the London fleet. These can be found on several routes including the 43, 94 and the 134.In September 2021, the Mayor of London announced that all new buses entering the fleet are now zero-emission; before that, by January 2021, all buses in TfL’s fleet had been brought up to strict Euro VI emissions standards. More information on what we are doing to improve our bus fleet is available on our website: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/improving-buses
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
