Route 9 and 390 to convert to iconic new buses before end of year.
"Even as these buses become an increasingly familiar sight on the streets of the Capital they continue to awe Londoners and visitors with their sinuous beauty and graceful motion."
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London

Even as these buses become an increasingly familiar sight on the streets of the Capital they continue to awe Londoners and visitors with their sinuous beauty and graceful motion.

  • New buses will significantly cut carbon emissions and improve air quality
  • Manufacture continues to boost economy across UK 


The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced that the third and fourth routes in the Capital to be served by the iconic New Bus for London will be the 9 and 390.

Following the conversion of route 24 on 22 June and the forthcoming conversion of the route 11 on 21 September, the next two routes will convert by the end of the year. 

Route 9 is operated by London United and runs between Hammersmith and Aldwych, via Olympia, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Piccadilly, Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square. 

New buses will appear on this route from Saturday 26 October. During peak hours 22 of the new buses will be in passenger service to carry the 17,000 people who travel on the route each day. 

Route 390, which is a 24-hour bus route, is operated by Metroline and runs between Notting Hill Gate and Archway, via Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, King's Cross and Tufnell Park. 

New buses will appear on this route by the end of the year. During peak hours 20 of the new buses will be in passenger service to carry the 18,400 people who travel on the route each day.

Buses on both routes will operate with the rear door open and a conductor on the rear platform for the majority of the day.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'The conversion of two more bus routes continues to build the momentum of this project. 

'Even as these buses become an increasingly familiar sight on the streets of the Capital they continue to awe Londoners and visitors with their sinuous beauty and graceful motion.

Leon Daniels, Transport for London's Managing Director of Surface Transport, said: 'London's increasingly green bus fleet continues to grow apace.  The 600 New Bus for London vehicles entering passenger service over the next few years will bolster what is already the largest fleet of hybrid buses in Europe. 

'By 2016 twenty per cent of buses in the capital will be hybrid and these will be concentrated in central London - delivering the maximum air quality benefit where it is needed most.' 

The New Bus for London is manufactured by the family-owned Wrightbus company in Northern Ireland. 

The order for the 600 New Bus for London vehicles resulted in the opening of a new chassis plant in Antrim and the safeguarding of 220 jobs, including 18 apprenticeships and the creation of 50 new jobs. 

As well as the manufacture of the chassis and superstructure in Northern Ireland, a number of components for the new bus are made by companies from around the UK; including engines from Darlington, seats from Telford, seat moquette from Huddersfield, wheelchair ramps from Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire), destination blinds from Middleton near Manchester, tyres from Ballymena and flooring from Liskeard (Cornwall). 

All of these companies have received a boost as a result of the new bus project.   

Notes to editors:

  • The New Bus for London is the greenest diesel electric hybrid bus in the world. In emissions tests a prototype bus, that had been in passenger service for eight months and that had driven more than 15,000 miles, was found to emit a quarter of the NOx and PM of a fleet average hybrid bus and 20 per cent less CO2. When all 600 New Bus for London vehicles are in service in 2016 it will reduce CO2 emissions in the capital by around 20,600 tonnes a year
  • The first bus route converted to operate entirely with New Bus for London vehicles was the 24. This route, which runs between Hampstead Heath and Pimlico, is operated by Metroline and converted on Saturday 22 June
  • The next route to convert to will be the 11, which runs between Liverpool Street and Fulham Broadway. The route, which is operated by Go Ahead, will convert from Saturday 21 September
  • The Wright Group was founded 1946 and is a family owned and managed company, has pioneered low floor buses in the UK, and has earned a reputation for producing vehicles which are stylish, durable, high in quality and packed with innovative features
  • Heatherwick Studio was founded by Thomas Heatherwick in 1994. A team of over 100 architects, designers and makers work from a combined studio and workshop in Kings Cross, London. The studio's current work includes: an urban design plan for the east of Hong Kong island; two large scale district developments in Shanghai; a new university building in Singapore; a new distillery in the south of England and a 200-passenger public boat for a river estuary in France
  • London United is a wholly owned subsidiary of RATP Dev SA, which operates public transportation in over 12 countries. The London United network of routes covers central, west and south west London
  • Metroline is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore based ComfortDelGro; one of the world's largest passenger land transport companies.  Metroline's principal business is the provision of bus services under contract to London Buses, operating through an area that extends from north to west London, including central London and the City