Kinetic has announced that United Kingdom bus operator Go-Ahead London, who it owns, has delivered a saving of 40,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions across 10 years of emissions-free electric bus operations on behalf of Transport for London (TfL).
Kinetic says the reduction in emissions is equivalent to taking 24,000 cars off the road and that the impact has delivered cleaner air for Londoners while setting a benchmark for public transport decarbonisation for cities in the UK.
Last month, Go-Ahead London hosted a celebration at its Camberwell depot to mark the 10th anniversary of the operation of London’s first modern day emission-free bus, which was trialled on December 18, 2013.
At the event. pictures were displayed of the ‘clean bus of the future’ drawn by pupils from Highshore School and guests were served with a zero-emissions bus themed birthday cake.
Go-Ahead London operates 520 zero-emission buses on behalf of TfL and expects to increase this number to 1,000 by the end of 2026.
Across the entire UK, the Go-Ahead Group operates 670 zero-emissions buses. Kinetic says an additional 106 electric vehicles, partly funded by the UK government’s ZEBRA scheme, will soon be deployed in Oxford.
Go-Ahead London managing director David Cutts says it’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since its first electric bus was introduced.
“The technology has developed at a rapid pace and electric buses are rapidly become the norm, rather than the exception, on London’s streets,” Cutts says.
“We’re proud to work in partnership with Transport for London to deliver cleaner air and quieter journeys for Londoners.
“The Go-Ahead Group as a whole has been able to take experience from London and apply it to the roll-out of zero-emissions buses across the UK.”
TfL head of buses business development Tom Cunnington says that London’s iconic red buses provide lower CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than global cities such as New York, Paris and Vancouver.
“With more than 1,300 zero-emissions buses on our roads, our program of decarbonising the fleet is playing a crucial role in the journey to net-zero,” Cunnington says.
“Zero-emissions buses help Londoners breathe cleaner air and reduce the impact of road transport on our environment.
“We’re really proud to be celebrating this milestone with Go-Ahead London who are marking 10 years of their emissions-free electric bus services on our roads.
“We are working closely with capital’s bus operators to convert the whole fleet and remain on track to be a fully zero-emissions fleet by 2034, which could be accelerated to 2030 with further government funding.”