Mayor and TfL continue drive to improve air quality in Putney

Transport for London has begun to install innovative pollution reducing equipment on 94 double deck buses travelling through Putney as part of a £10m bus retrofit programme funded by TfL and the Department for Transport.

• 94 buses to be fitted with catalysts that remove up to 88 per cent of NOx emissions
• 45 new buses - including 10 hybrids - already operating on Putney High Street
• Part of wider plans to deliver 1,600 hybrid buses across London by 2016

Reducing emissions

This programme is the largest of its type in the world helping to reduce emissions from up to 1,000 buses across the Capital. 

The equipment, which was successfully trialled last year, involves fitting an innovative system called Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). 

Trials showed that the system reduces harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by up to 88 per cent.
 
This fleet of cleaner buses follows the Mayor's pledge to work with the local borough and community to improve pollution levels in Putney.
 
Mike Weston, London Buses Operations Director, said: 'Following a successful trial we are pleased to introduce innovative equipment to buses which will make a significant impact on reducing pollution emissions in Putney. 

'This, in addition to the introduction of newer buses including greener hybrids vehicles, is helping the Mayor and TfL deliver better air quality for people in Putney.'

Greener buses

The Mayor has made it a top priority to reduce the environmental impact of London's bus fleet. 

The city already has the largest hybrid fleet in Europe with more than 330 hybrid buses on the street and a further 150 on order. 

Earlier this year the Mayor made a commitment to deliver 600 New bus for London vehicles which, alongside a commitment to deliver 600 conventional hybrids over the next three years, will take the total number of hybrid buses in London to over 1,600 by 2016. 

This represents roughly 20 per cent of London's fleet of 8,500 buses. 

All buses already achieve Euro IV standard for particulate matter (PM) pollution and, as a result, emissions of particulate matter from the fleet have dropped from over 200 tonnes in 1997 to 17 tonnes in 2012.

Improving air quality

The introduction of specialist SCR equipment is one of a range of measures designed to improve air quality in Putney. 

A total of 45 new buses have already been introduced on routes 74 and 220, including 10 hybrid buses. 

By summer, once the SCR retrofit is fully complete and following the introduction of replacement new buses (where older buses were not suitable for conversion), 85 per cent of the buses that pass through Putney will meet Euro IV standards delivering improved air quality. 

The Mayor is also working with the London Borough of Wandsworth to deliver further improvements. 

A targeted business engagement programme will reduce the number of deliveries at peak times, preventing the stop-start traffic conditions which exacerbate pollution emissions.

The Mayor has a comprehensive programme of measures to improving air quality in London, including tighter Low Emission Zone standards, taxi age limits for the oldest, most polluting taxis and retrofitting over 56,000 homes and 400 public buildings with energy efficiency measures to reduce their emissions.

Notes to editors:

• NOx is primarily made up of two pollutants, nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)  
• The SCR process involves the injection of urea into the exhaust pipe. The urea decomposes and hydrolyses to ammonia (NH3) which reacts with NOx and reduces it to harmless nitrogen and water
• The Mayor will be announcing further air quality measures to be delivered in his second term at an event to be held on 13 February