1. On the section of the south circular which passes through the London borough of Richmond how much of the pollution (especially NO2 and PM2.5 and PM10) is coming from buses? And what is the breakdown by type of bus? 2. Why isn't this area on the list to have a low emission bus route as the pollution on the road (from council monitoring) demonstrates that it urgently needs one? 3. Which bus routes running through this area have 'greener' buses, when were they introduced and how many are there as a percentage of the total fleet running through that area? 4. What is the percentage of air pollution caused by buses, London-wide.

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TfL Ref: FOI-4777-1718

Thank you for your email received by us on 7 March 2018 asking for information about bus pollution. I sincerely apologise for the delay in replying.

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.

I have answered your request in the order you have asked them.

1. On the section of the south circular which passes through the London borough of Richmond how much of the pollution (especially NO2 and PM2.5 and PM10) is coming from buses? And what is the breakdown by type of bus?

In terms of emissions, London’s buses are estimated to contribute between 15 – 20% of road transport NOx London-wide, however this varies by road due to the different mix of traffic. On the section of the south circular through Richmond, buses were estimated to contribute between 10 to 20% of road transport NOx emissions which is below the initial criteria for Low Emission Bus Zone. For PM, buses are estimated to contribute less than 10% of road transport emissions.

Please see the London Datastore https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/llaqm-bespoke-borough-by-borough-air-quality-modelling-and-data which has a spreadsheet that shows the sources of pollution broken down by Borough and type in the data and resources section towards the bottom right of the page.

2. Why isn't this area on the list to have a low emission bus route as the pollution on the road (from council monitoring) demonstrates that it urgently needs one?

LEBZ are targeted at some of the highest polluted areas where buses were estimate to contribute over 40% of the road transport NOx. However, due to the design of the LEBZ which affects all buses on identified routes, rather than just the actual zone itself, this means that many areas of London will see benefits from the LEBZ.  This is also the case for the section of the south circular in Richmond, as well as other roads in Richmond. The attached map shows both roads with the cleanest buses being rolled out due to the central ULEZ and those areas with buses which also run through the LEBZ.

All areas of the London will benefit significantly from clean buses as TFL has committed to all buses meeting either Euro VI or better by September 2020.

The major is currently consulting on measures to expand the central ULEZ to ensure that all vehicles across London contribute to improving air quality and help London meet legal limits.

3. Which bus routes running through this area have 'greener' buses, when were they introduced and how many are there as a percentage of the total fleet running through that area?

Transport for London is leading by example and is working on delivering air quality initiatives to cut tailpipe emissions from the bus fleet as quickly as possible.

Around 32 routes and just over 430 buses currently operate in Richmond, of which 12 routes and about 130 buses operate with low emission Euro VI buses.

Whilst Richmond does not have a Low Emission Bus Zone, TfL is working to deliver wider air quality benefits across London and will be raising the whole fleet to at least the Euro VI engine emission standard by 2020.

Route contracts awarded with Euro V1 buses are as follows:

65

110

216

265

285

411

430

481

H22

R68

R70

4. What is the percentage of air pollution caused by buses, London-wide.

Please see our response to point 2 above.

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.

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

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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