Wed 13th May 2026 in category: LOTS
Welcome to the new-look LOTS website. This has all the content of the old site plus it brings in the LOTS Publications Archive previously hosted on the LTSV website. More importantly, this new website will allow us to add new features and services. Work on these is still ongoing so some sections (for example the Member's Area) are not yet available. If you find any problems with this new website, please get in touch. E-mail to lotstlbeditor@gmail.com is the best way to do this.

Tue 12th May 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes:

116 re-awarded to First Bus London United using existing hybrid double-decks for 3.5 years starting on 22nd August 2026. PVR 8.
117 re-awarded to First Bus London United using existing diesel single-decks for 3.5 years starting on 4th September 2026. Note that the start date was advised as 4th September 2027. PVR 11.
667 re-awarded to Stagecoach East London using existing hybrid double-decks for 7 years starting on 13th March 2027. PVR 4.

Fri 1st May 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes:

140/N140 re-awarded to Metroline using existing hybrid double-decks for 3 years starting on 5th September 2026. PVR 18.
182 re-awarded to Metroline using existing hybrid double-decks for 3 years starting on 5th September 2026. PVR 20.
186 re-awarded to Metroline using existing hybrid double-decks for 3 years starting on 18th July 2026. PVR 18.
632 re-awarded to Metroline using existing New Routemaster double-decks for 3 years starting on 10th October 2026. PVR 3.

Wed 22nd April 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contract for the following routes:

128 (24h) re-awarded to Stagecoach East London using new electric double-decks for 7 years starting on 10th October 2026. PVR 15.
359 awarded to Transport UK London using new electric single-decks for 7 years starting on 17th October 2026. PVR 2. Currently operated by Go-Ahead Metrobus.

Fri 20th March 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

127 retained by Go-Ahead Metrobus with new electric double-decks (PVR 15), starting 10/04/2027.
198 retained by Arriva London South with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 12), starting 22/08/2026.
SL14 (new route Stratford to Chingford Hatch) awarded to Stagecoach Lea Interchange with existing electric double-decks (PVR 13), starting 01/05/2027.

Wed 18th March 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

209 awarded to First London United (previously Go-Ahead London General) with new electric single-decks (PVR 7), starting 15/08/2026.
378 awarded to Transport UK London (previously Go-Ahead London General) with new electric single-decks (PVR 5), starting 15/08/2026.

Sun 8th March 2026 in category: Bus News
1. Metroline took over route H32 from Transport UK on Saturday 7th March and has initially been using LT-class New Routemasters from its own fleet. To enable this, a few additional WDE-class StreetDeck Electroliners have transferred into Cricklewood for use on route 16. The LTs latterly used on the H32 by Transport UK (143-153 and 638) are likely to return once re-lettered, with LT153 being the first to do so.

2. Delivery of Wrightbus StreetDeck (DEL) and GB Kite (SEL) Electroliners for Go-Ahead London routes at Bexleyheath (486, B11, B12 and B15) has started. DELs already delivered are now starting to go to New Cross for use on route 172.

3. Arriva London started putting its EYX-class electrics to work on route 312 on 2nd March. These are the first of the new all-BYD single-deck model to enter TfL service.

4. Transport UK has placed orders for a total of 163 new buses for use on routes 109, 119, 156, 267, 344, 407, 433, 490 and P13. Details (types, fleetnumbers, allocations) will be in the March TLB.

5. Stagecoach East London withdrew the last of its BYD/ADL electric double-deckers in February, following the entry into service of more Wrightbus StreetDecks at Barking and Rainham. Stagecoach Selkent continues to use the BYD/ADL type on routes 160 and 180.

6. First Bus London has withdrawn its small VDW-class of seven Volvo B9TLs, latterly used as part of the allocation on route 452.

7. The five TfL-owned Routemasters put up for auction this week were all sold, achieving some impressively high prices.

Sun 1st March 2026 in category: Bus News
1. Arriva London has taken delivery of many more EZ-class Volvo BZLs, although it looks as though they will have a mixture of 75 and 26-registrations, as 26 of the buses had not been licensed before the end of February. Just nine of the class have so far entered service (at Tottenham), of which EZ4 made a first and last appearance (see below) on route 123 on 25th February.

2. Route 123 passed from Arriva London to Go-Ahead London on 28th February, using hybrid double-deckers from Northumberland Park Garage. Several MHVs have transferred in from Putney (released by new DEL electrics going on to route 22), but EHVs and WHVs have also been used, along with some WVL and WVN diesels moved on from their temporary use on route SL11.

3. The ED-class BYDs at Arriva Croydon have been spreading their wings and have now appeared on all four routes due to get the type (60, 405, 412 and 466) although they are currently focused on the 405 and 466.

4. The Wright Kite single-deckers ordered by Transport UK for route 493 (taken over from Go-Ahead London on 28th March) are now coming across the Irish Sea. The full batch will be numbered 1773-1792.

5. Deliveries to Stagecoach London have included more StreetDecks from the batches ordered for Barking and Rainham (82228-82274), with examples in store at Plumstead and West Ham. Note that 82214-82227, also for Rainham, have yet to appear.

6. Several more buses have had accidents in the past week, including Go-Ahead LT273 hitting a tree and LT879 a lorry. EBD148 has also had a bump during its 'holiday' in Plymouth.

7. Route H32 passes from Transport UK to Metroline on 7th March, but will most likely continue with the existing LT-class New Routemasters.

Sun 22nd February 2026 in category: Archive
Time for a catch up. Details of the new titles published over the past few months have been added, while full PDFs are now available for TLB713/714 (Jan/Feb 2024) and LBM46-50 (from 1983/1984).

Sun 22nd February 2026 in category: Bus News
1. As well as lots of older buses, Go-Ahead London has now sent several brand new buses to south west England. 20 out of the 25 EBD-class double-deckers ordered for route 88 have been dispatched to Plymouth Citybus, with the first entering service this weekend. All of these moves are to allow for the expansion of Go-Ahead operations in Cornwall to cover for the withdrawal by First.

2. The first of the Volvo BZL/MCV single-deckers ordered by Go-Ahead London are now arriving, two being seen heading up from Southampton Docks in the past week. A total of 25 buses classified as SVMs are due for routes 299, R2 and R11.

3. The first of a previously unreported order for Enviro400EV double-deckers for Go-Ahead London has been completed by ADL and posed for photos at the factory. It was lettered as DEF1 and is believed to be part of a large batch for south east London routes (51, 178, 244, 291 and SL11). Also being shown off was SEO35, from the forthcoming batch of Enviro100EVs for routes 162 and 322, and which has slightly revised styling.

4. Four buses were damaged in three accidents in two days last week. Go-Ahead London EBD136 ran into MHV74 near Elephant & Castle, Arriva T284 hit the underpass wall in Croydon, and First Bus London WKE37102 bumped into a building at North Acton.

5. The five TfL-owned Routemasters that have been in store at West Ham garage for over five years (since the heritage routes last ran) are due to be sold at auction on 4th March.

Fri 20th February 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

24 (24hr) retained by Transport UK London with existing New Routemaster double-decks (PVR 18), starting 07/11/2026.
27 (24hr) retained by Transport UK London with existing New Routemaster double-decks (PVR 19), starting 07/11/2026.
235 retained by First London United with existing electric single-decks (PVR 23), starting 09/01/2027.
267 retained by Transport UK West London with new and existing electric double-decks (PVR 16), starting 07/11/2026.
286 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 11), starting 11/07/2026.

Tue 10th February 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

52 (24hr) retained by Metroline Travel with new electric double-decks (PVR 17), starting 05/12/2026.
70 retained by First London United with existing electric single-decks (PVR 18), starting 20/06/2026.
100 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with existing electric single-decks (PVR 8), starting 16/01/2027.
132 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with existing electric double-decks (PVR 16), starting 03/10/2026.
135 retained by Stagecoach Lea Interchange with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 15), starting 16/05/2026.
212 retained by Go-Ahead London General with existing electric double-decks (PVR 12), starting 06/03/2027.
234 retained by Metroline Travel with new electric single-decks (PVR 13), starting 30/01/2027.
357 retained by Go-Ahead London General with existing electric double-decks (PVR 8, electric single-deck on Sundays), starting 27/02/2027.
375 retained by Arriva London North with existing diesel single-deck (PVR 1), starting 04/07/2026.
W15 retained by Go-Ahead London General with existing electric single-decks (PVR 20), starting 06/03/2027.

Fri 16th January 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

109/N109 retained by Transport UK London with new electric double-decks (PVR 25), starting 30/01/2027.
119 (24hr) awarded to Transport UK London (previously Go-Ahead Metrobus) with new electric double-decks (PVR 15), starting 22/08/2026.
197 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with new electric double-decks (PVR 12), starting 29/08/2026.
353 retained by Go-Ahead Metrobus with new electric double-decks (PVR 8), starting 17/10/2026.
407 retained by Transport UK London with new electric double-decks (PVR 20), starting 31/10/2026.
645 awarded to Transport UK London (previously Arriva London South) with new electric double-decks (as part of route 407 contract), starting 31/10/2026.
664 awarded to Transport UK London (previously Go-Ahead Metrobus) with new electric double-decks (PVR 2), starting 29/08/2026.

Tue 6th January 2026 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

102 (24hr) retained by Arriva London North with new electric double-decks (PVR 23), starting 07/11/2026.
111 retained by Transport UK West London with existing electric double-decks (PVR 26), starting 25/04/2026.
183 retained by First London Sovereign with existing electric double-decks (PVR 21), starting 05/09/2026.
322 awarded to Go-Ahead London Central (previously Transport UK London) with new electric single-decks (PVR 11), starting 25/04/2026.
350 retained by Transport UK West London with existing diesel single-decks (PVR 6), starting 25/04/2026.
433 retained by Transport UK London with new and existing electric single-decks (PVR 9), starting 16/05/2026.
695 awarded to Metroline West (previously First London United) with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 3), starting 05/09/2026.
698 awarded to Metroline West (previously First London United) with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 2), starting 05/09/2026.
SL9 retained by First London Sovereign with existing electric double-decks (PVR 17), starting 05/09/2026.
SL10 retained by First London Sovereign with new and existing electric double-decks (PVR 12), starting 05/09/2026.

Thu 18th December 2025 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

21/N21 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with existing New Routemaster double-decks (PVR 25), starting 10/10/2026.
126 retained by Go-Ahead London Central with new electric single-decks (PVR 11), starting 20/03/2027.
313 awarded to Metroline Travel (previously Arriva London North) with existing electric double-decks (PVR 8), starting 07/11/2026.

Sun 14th December 2025 in category: Bus News
1. Uno took over route 292 (from Metroline) on 6th December. New electric buses were specified but, to start with, the route has seen a pair of ex-demonstrator BYD B11E02s, 3 or 4 5-year old BYD/ADL E400EVs loaned from Stagecoach London, some of the diesel E400s recently acquired from First Bus London plus various existing fleet double-deckers.

2. Arriva has started taking delivery of the large batch of BYD B11E02s for Croydon routes (ED79-145), and the first few have already been put in service, mainly on route 466.

3. Arriva has also taken their first EZ-class Volvo BZL/MCV double-deckers. 72 are on order for Tottenham routes 41, 243 and 341.

4. Metroline has started putting the batch of WDE-class StreetDeck Electroliners ordered for Potters Bar route 263 (WDE3211-3232) into service. They are working the 263 but also on the 317.

5. Go-Ahead London has been receiving Wrightbus GB Kite Electroliners single-deckers ordered for route 444 (SEL40-53), although none are in use yet. However, one-off SEL54 ordered for a PVR increase on Merton route 219 entered service on 8th December.

6. Go-Ahead London now has 40 DEL-class StreetDeck Electroliners in service at Bexleyheath, which should complete the allocations to routes 99, 269 and 401. Buses DEL60-99 were ordered for these routes, but in reality other buses numbered between DEL30 and DEL133 are those used.

7. Following the fire on Metrobus Hydroliner 6069 in Crawley on 2nd December, all of the operator's hydrogen buses were withdrawn from service as a precaution. Various provincial buses have been drafted in to provide cover, and these will be detailed in the January TLB.

8. Route 283 (East Acton and Hammersmith) was withdrawn on 13th December, replaced by a re-routing of route 72. There are no further TfL route changes planned for the last two weekends of the year.

Sat 29th November 2025 in category: Bus News
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.

Thu 27th November 2025 in category: Bus News
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

29/N29 retained by Arriva London North with new electric double-decks (PVR 31), starting 09/01/2027.
177 retained by Stagecoach Selkent with existing hybrid double-decks (PVR 21), starting 23/05/2026.
364 retained by Go-Ahead Blue Triangle with existing diesel single-decks (PVR 14), starting 31/10/2026.
H32 awarded to Metroline (previously Transport UK West London) with existing New Routemaster double-decks (PVR 11), starting 07/03/2026.

Sun 23rd November 2025 in category: Bus News
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.