LDN: ETs are coming....

Dear All,

a few months ago, Metroline obtained 6 second hand tridents from Metrobus.
Those tridents were replaced by new double decks [scanias] - from route 261.

Metroline classify those buses as ETs- East Lancs Tridents.
The buses are allocated to Harow Weald garage [HD] and work routes 140 182 H12 and school bus 640.

Here is ET766 loading up in Harrow.

regards

Looks great after refurbishment, but I wonder what is the maximum bus age of TfL's regulation? Isn't it 5 years??

Hi,

It is a very good question! and the answer is not simple... here is a very long answer!

It depends on the route contract, the general requirements of London Buses and Transport for London, and whether vehicles are owned or leased. seems like max age would be 12.

formally, the age and profile of vehicles allocated to a route is specified in the route operating contract . typically, the contract would specify low floor double deck with 60/1 seats each, and vehicle age minimum
any changes to the contract is by written agreement- example: change the number of vehicles or the route itself.
[in the case of routes 140 182 H12 it is a mix of 2001 -2003 range of vehicles- so the ETs are OK...]

The contract system was changed in 2000-2, so, a normal bus route would now be QSI contract- i.e. quality service route. this is issued for 5 years extendable to 7 years.
The first such contract- for route 3- by Travel London, has just expired, and won- again by travel London. this is for  22 'existing vehicles' plus 5 'new' buses to account for service enhancement. [quoting the announcement from  London Buses]
In theory it means that if the origional buses for route 3- dating back to 2000/1- were to be used on route 3 again, they would serve for 14 years.

but...
London Buses changed their requirements for the double deck design. the central staircase, with narrow stairs is now out of favour, and the straight staircase in now the norm. there are other issues too- mainly the engine emission standard.
The nimimum approved now is Euro 2 and above. and in 2008 or 2009, a Low Emission Zone would be introduced in central London, banning buses not equiped with Euro2 and above engines. This will mean that all buses built before 2001 would have to be withdrawn.

In route 3 case, it appears that 'existing buses' would be a batch of buses ordered in 2002 for a route lost by Travel London, plus 5 E400 buses [and not the origional batch!]
So, it appears that the max age of the buses on route 3 when the tender expires would be 12 years [the new contract runs to 2014!].

the batch of tenders awarded in 2000-2 onwards was for 5 years [the pre-QSI system], and the majority of them was re-awarded to existing operators with existing buses- but as a QSI contract. this means a max age of 12 for the buses deployed- with buses refurbished mid life.

finally- leased or owned?
It appears that some bus companies leased the buses for the duration of the contract. So it is cheaper to tender for a new contract with new vehicles rather than lease the vehicles again and refurbish them. this is the case with Metrobus , routes 161 & 261 - and the ETs!

Regards

Yoram




Regards

Yoram.