Society news

This page gives up-to-date major news items to supplement our monthly newsletter, •The London Bus• (TLB). Items noted here will be incorporated in the next issue of TLB in greater detail. Reports more than a month old and already reported in TLB are deleted. Each issue of TLB is typically 40 pages containing references to around 300 routes and 1000 vehicles, together with the business and political news, the publicity output of the companies, forthcoming exhibitions and rallies, and much more. To get the full picture, why not join now? Go to the Membership Page for details.

If you need to contact us with anything to do with membership, subscriptions to TLB or LBM and queries over postal sales, email lotsmemsec@gmail.com and it will be passed to the correct person. Reports for TLB/LBM or queries to other society officers can go via the TLB Editor lotstlbeditor@gmail.com and it will be passed to the correct person.

For queries about Postal Sales, please email lotspostalsales@gmail.com. This E mail address may also be used for ordering from Postal Sales if wishing to pay by direct debit bank transfer - for details see Page 1 of the Sales Bulletin.

Meetings

We meet at The Gallery at Alan Baxter, 77 Cowcross Street, Farringdon. A three minute walk from Farringdon Station (Met/Circle/H&C lines, Elizabeth line and Thameslink). Exit from Farringdon station (Met side), turn east and go up Cowcross Street until you reach the Leon restaurant. Opposite there is a passageway, cross the cobbled courtyard to the far right corner and go down the stairs to the basement meeting room known as 'The Gallery'. We would advise that you do not drive to the venue, parking space is rare and charges apply for 24 hours. There are several coffee shops and a Wetherspoons on Farringdon Road.

Doors open at 6pm, meetings start at 6.30pm and finish at 8pm, then Q&As and sales stand but all out by 9pm when the venue is locked.

Next meeting:
9 February: "Confessions of a Bus Spotter." A presentation by Kim Rennie looking back over 50 years.

The London Bus (TLB)

New and recent LOTS publications

For queries about Postal Sales, please email lotspostalsales@gmail.com. This email address may also be used for ordering from Postal Sales if wishing to pay by direct debit bank transfer - for details see Page 1 of the Sales list.

Please address your orders to LOTS Postal Sales, Lombard Business Park, 8 Lombard Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 3TZ. Orders are processed weekly. Make sure that the 'Postal Sales' name is included prominently, so we can give your order our best attention. You can use the Sales List printed off from this website this list to order, or a letter is perfectly acceptable. In either case, please don’t staple cheques to the form.

NEW London Bus Review 2024 – Greater London & Beyond (£18.50).
This title has been confirmed as being delivered from the printers and is now available for purchase.

London Bus Magazine No 213, Autumn 2025)  (£6.00).
Including articles on London Transport Blind Design and Merlins in Ulster.

SUP-45C London Bus Garages Allocation and Routes (£6.50).
List of all London bus garages with route and bus allocations as at 1 September 2025. 60 pages with 8 colour photos.

SUP-46A London Transport Trolleybuses - Allocations and Disposals 1948-1962 (free digital download). Allocation histories and disposals for all LT trolleybuses. 102 pages.

SUP-47A London’s Advert Buses 1969-2024 (£8.00).
All known all-over advert buses in the London area (not London Country). Over 1000 buses and over 4000 adverts listed, with dates. 76 pages, 18 colour photos.
View sample pages.

SUP-48A Country Area Bus Route Directory - Part 1: North and East (£7.50).
SUP-49A Country Area Bus Route Directory - Part 2: South and West (£7.50).
SUPs 48A and 49A together list all bus routes in our 'country' area, showing the main points served, the operator/s, days/times of operation and basic frequencies. There is also an overview of each of the operators covered. Correct to 1st September. A5, 52 pages (part 1) or 60 pages (part 2), each 8 colour photos.

See the Publications page for details of LOTS publications or the Sales Bulletin on the Sales page for our current stocklist.

Vacancies

LOTS requires a new sub-editor (or perhaps two) to cover the Current Vehicle News section in TLB. Please e-mail lotstlbeditor@gmail.com if you think you may be interested in helping out.

Non-members may wish to look at a sample issue of TLB.
Hopefully this will whet your appetite for joining LOTS!

Industry and general news

Major news items to supplement our monthly newsletter:

1. Sutton local routes S1 and S4 both started new tenders today (Saturday 29th), and effectively swapped operators. The S1 is now run by Transport UK, mainly using 9m Enviro 200s that had previously been on the S4, but with new electric buses to follow soon. The S4 is now at Go-Ahead's Croydon garage and uses 9m SEs latterly on the G1 plus a couple of WS-class StreetLites.

2. Bromley routes 61 and 261 also started new contracts today, staying with Stagecoach Selkent and due to get new electrics. To start with, just the nine E400EVs ordered for the 287 (80418-80426) are in use, the numbers being made up with diesels.

3. Arriva has started receiving BYD buses from the batch ED79-145, which are due for Croydon (TC) routes 60, 405, 412 and 466, all of which started new contracts this autumn. It is reported that the the charging infrastructure at TC is not yet complete.

4. Arriva has also received EZ29, the first of 51 Volvo/MCV double-deckers ordered for Tottenham (AR) routes 243 and 341. Another 21 were later added for the 41 (also AR). However, the 243 and 341 have already been converted to electric using ES-class buses intended for south London. It remains to be seen where the EZs end up.

5. Go-Ahead has taken delivery of most of the SEL-class single-deckers for route 444 (SEL40-53), while the earlier batches of the type (SEL12-39) are still gradually entering service at Camberwell on routes 355 and 360.

6. Next weekend (6th December) new contracts start on various routes. Of these, Go-Ahead London 51, 178, 244, 291 and B11 plus Uno 292 (ex Metroline) all stipulate new electric buses, though it is unlikely that any will be available from the start.

7. A reminder that the opening of the new Zero 2 bus museum at Great Yeldham has had to be postponed. Originally planned for 6th December, it will now occur on 3rd April 2026.  

Thursday 27 November

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

New electric vehicles may enter service after the contract start date, dependent on infrastructure and/ or vehicle delivery timescales.

The diesel and hybrid vehicles detailed above will meet Euro VI emissions standards. 

The start and end dates for the above contracts are detailed in the following table:

Monday 24 November

London Bus Review 2024 – Greater London & Beyond has been confirmed as being delivered from the printers and is available to buy at the LOTS meeting this evening or by post. 

1. All but three of the EBD-class BYDs for Go-Ahead London's route 188 (EBD114-138) are now in service, and they have started making odd appearances on other routes such as the 1, 35 and 185. The batch for route 88 (EBD139-163) remains in store for now.

2. Go-Ahead's Bexleyheath garage now has 38 DEL-class StreetDeck Electroliners in service, out of a planned total of 40 for routes 99, 269 and 401, although the buses are not all from the originally intended batch (DEL60-99). The DELs also appear on school route 601, with a few appearances on the B16.

3. The arrivals at BX have released several E-class Enviro 400s to Morden Wharf where they have converted most of route 244 to double-deck. This back roads route has always been single-deck but was recently retendered on the basis of using electric double-deckers.

4. The single Volvo BZL/MCV double-decker ordered for school workings on Stagecoach London route W13 has finally arrived, initially carrying incorrect fleetnumber 86266 (it should be 86226) and not yet in service. StreetDecks are now delivered up to 82207, with examples entering service at Rainham (route 287) and Catford (47/199).

5. Transport UK's latest Wrightbus Kite single-deckers are gradually entering service on routes C10 and P5, and the first of the Caetano e-City Gold buses replaced have been withdrawn.

6. The LT-class New Routemasters latterly used on Stagecoach London Superloop route SL3 have officially been transferred back to TfL and are planned to be temporarily used by Go-Ahead London on new Superloop route SL11 in the new year.

7. Metroline has started putting new BDE-class BYDs from the batch BDE2998-3014 into service on route W8 from Potters Bar. There is also one (BDE2990) at Holloway, so far only used on school route 603.

8. Go-Ahead London now has 15 out of a planned 28 SEL-class Wright Kite single-deckers in service at Camberwell. They are mainly used on route 355 but also on the 360.  

Wednesday 12 November

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operator listed below: 

New electric vehicles may enter service after the contract start date, dependent on infrastructure and/ or vehicle delivery timescales.

The hybrid vehicles detailed above will meet Euro VI emissions standards. 

The start and end dates for the above contracts are detailed in the following table: 

Coming events

29 November
103 event not going ahead on this date.

6 December CANCELLED
Zero2 Bus Museum opening has been delayed. Will not now be opening on 6 December.

13 December
20th Anniversary Route 159 Road Run starting at the Ace Café. Up to 20 buses on site and a commemorative programme followed by an optional West End Lights Tour.

8 February 2026
70th anniversary of RM1 entering service. Roadrun for RMs and invited vehicles from the Ace Café via Golder's Green over Route 2 to Crystal Palace.

A national event list can be found here.