Fatalities and injuries of ZEBs,Trams and conventional diesel engined vehicles
Request ID: FOI-3209-2324 Date published: 16 January 2024
You asked
at a public meeting a view was expressed that Electric Buses were more dangerous to pedestrians than the alternative diesel engined vehicles. TFL is one of the largest operators of ZEBs and electric trams in the UK, so I would be interested to know what data TFL may hold on this issue.
The allegation suggests that the quieter operation of a ZEB is a danger to pedestrians and cyclists is this true?
What I would like to know is:
1. What fatalities and injuries from all causes have been experienced in the last 10 years, involving the bus fleet.
2. What fatalities and injuries from all causes have been experienced in the last 10 years, involving the tram fleet.
3. How many pedestrians have been killed or injured by buses in the last 10 years?
4. How many cyclists have been killed or injured by buses in the last 10 years?
5. How many pedestrians and cyclists have been killed or injured by ZEBs in the last 10 years?
6. What is the fatality/injury rate of cyclists and pedestrians of ZEBs and conventional buses? Is the ZEB fleet experiencing more fatalities per vehicle, than the (declining) fleet of diesel buses?
7. Any other data on ZEBs, Diesel vehicles and accident rates.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3209-2324
Thank you for your request received on 11 December 2023 asking for information about collisions involving zero emission buses (ZEBs), trams, and conventional diesel engine vehicles.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.
With more than 1,300 zero emission buses on our roads, our programme of decarbonising the fleet is playing a crucial role in the journey to net-zero. Zero emission buses help Londoners breathe cleaner air and reduce the impact of road transport on our environment. We continue to work closely with capital’s bus operators to convert the whole fleet and remain on track to be a fully zero-emission fleet by 2034, which could be accelerated to 2030 with further Government funding.
Acoustic conspicuity and the potential risk of quieter running buses (e.g. electric and hybrid) was looked at in detail as part of the development of the Bus Safety Standard in 2018. This research is available on our website (https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-safety-standard-acoustic-conspicuity.pdf). An Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) is a system to make quieter running buses identifiable to pedestrians and cyclists, and other road users outside the vehicle. It is intended to help Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) detect the presence of a bus and reduce the collision risk it represents if they were to cross in front of it. UN ECE Regulation 138 required that electric and hybrid vehicles be fitted with AVAS from 2021. We committed to introducing this earlier, and since 2019 AVAS has been required on all new buses entering the fleet as part of our Bus Safety Standard. We exceeded the regulatory requirements through the development of a unique Urban Bus Sound which maximises acoustic conspicuity. Last year we also developed a responsive AVAS where the sound levels vary depending on the background noise in order to further improve acoustic conspicuity. There are currently 1,109 buses fitted with AVAS (November 2023 figures) through the Bus Safety Standard. This figure will continue to increase as new buses enter customer service as part of our commitment to have a fully zero emission fleet. We also have a programme to retrofit AVAS, which includes upgrading buses that already have AVAS to responsive AVAS and retrofitting AVAS to electric buses in scope that do not currently have AVAS. Please note the following when reviewing the information below: • The data for buses comes from our incident reporting system that relies on the bus operators inputting the data into the system • This database is different to the STATS19 data that is collected by the London police forces which is used for tracking progress against the Mayor’s Transport Strategy aims and ambitions, and for publications such as the annual Casualties in Greater London Factsheet and the online Road Safety dashboard • The definition of “serious” changed from 1 April 2020 therefore comparing figures before and after this date is not appropriate • Bus fatality data only goes back to 2014 • 2023 bus figures are incomplete and only go up to September 2023 – with the 2023 figures being provisional at this stage • 2023 tram figures only go up to the date of extract – 13 December 2023 – with 2023 figures being provisional at this stage
You asked:
1. What fatalities and injuries from all causes have been experienced in the last 10 years, involving the bus fleet?
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Fatality Total
0
0
14
21
14
16
18
13
12
11
7
5
Serious Total
1291
1106
1604
1714
1659
1701
1483
1601
425
137
127
76
Minor Total
5665
5199
4737
4393
4624
5205
4896
4135
3053
3809
4931
3741
All injuries total
6956
6305
6355
6128
6297
6922
6397
5749
3490
3958
5065
3822
2. What fatalities and injuries from all causes have been experienced in the last 10 years, involving the tram fleet?
We only hold tram data back to 1 April 2017 and it is recorded by financial year:
Victim Category and Injury Type
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Total
Customer
20
26
15
10
11
13
11
106
Killed
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Minor
18
26
15
10
11
10
11
101
Serious
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
4
Workforce
13
18
16
8
14
20
12
101
Killed
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Minor
13
18
15
8
14
20
12
100
Serious
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
Total
33
44
31
18
25
33
23
207
3. How many pedestrians have been killed or injured by buses in the last 10 years?
Pedestrians
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Fatalities
0
0
5
9
8
7
8
5
3
2
2
2
Serious
162
157
208
215
195
164
156
182
55
15
21
4
Slight
395
368
276
256
271
248
222
155
143
172
227
185
Total
557
525
489
480
474
419
386
342
201
189
250
191
4. How many cyclists have been killed or injured by buses in the last 10 years?
Cyclists
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Fatalities
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
Serious
0
0
13
25
31
29
32
25
9
7
2
1
Slight
0
0
34
42
64
62
43
28
47
67
83
46
Total
0
0
47
67
96
91
76
53
56
74
87
47
5. How many pedestrians and cyclists have been killed or injured by ZEBs in the last 10 years?
Pedestrians - ZEBs
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Fatalities
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Serious
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
1
0
0
1
0
Slight
0
0
0
1
1
2
2
3
2
5
19
12
Total
0
0
0
1
2
3
5
4
2
5
20
12
Cyclists - ZEBs
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Fatalities
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Serious
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
Slight
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
2
4
11
2
Total
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
2
5
11
2
6. What is the fatality/injury rate of cyclists and pedestrians of ZEBs and conventional buses? Is the ZEB fleet experiencing more fatalities per vehicle, than the (declining) fleet of diesel buses? 7. Any other data on ZEBs, Diesel vehicles and accident rates
We do not hold this information. Due to the complexity of calculating the mileage of the buses by fuel type in an ever changing fleet we do not calculate this data and therefore do not hold these rates.
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. Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
