London Buses today published plans to introduce easy access, quick boarding 18-metre long bendy buses on route 73 between Victoria and Stoke Newington/Tottenham.

Bringing more comfortable and reliable bus travel to Islington and Stoke Newington the bendy buses are be able to carry over 130 people, at least 50 more than the vehicles that currently serve the route. Passengers will be able to board or alight using all three doors and will be required to pay before boarding.

London Buses Performance Director Clare Kavanagh said:

"The 73 is one of our busiest routes with around 15 million people a year using it. These improvements will bring quicker boarding for passengers and at the busiest times many more people will be able to board the first bus that comes along.

"Bendy cash-free buses have already brought quicker services to other parts of the capital. The new accessible vehicles will be particularly welcomed by people with children in buggies, those with mobility difficulties or people with lots of shopping."

To help passengers pay before they board ticket machines selling single tickets and one-day bus passes will be available along the route.

It is proposed that some buses would continue to operate in service beyond Stoke Newington to Tottenham Swan as they do currently.

The N73 (Victoria to Walthamstow) will continue to use double deck buses.

The improvements are planned to be introduced in early autumn 2004 following consultation with local boroughs, the London Transport Users Committee and other stakeholders.

  1. The service will be operated by Arriva on behalf of London Buses. It will operate under a new Quality Incentive Contract where operators are incentivised to achieve set quality and reliability targets.
  2. London Buses will be working with the boroughs to make any necessary road or bus stop alterations.
  3. London Buses manages bus services in London for the Mayor's Transport for London. It plans routes, specifies service levels and monitors service quality. It is also responsible for bus stations, bus stops, security initiatives and passenger information. The bus services are operated by private operators, which work under contract to London Buses.
  4. The London bus network is one of the largest and most comprehensive urban systems in the world. Each weekday 7,500 London buses carry 5.4 million passengers on more than 700 different routes.

For more information contact the TfL press office on 020 7941 4881 or 7941 4141 (and for out of hours).