50 The London Bus
specified in the contract.
Although the route is popular,
particularly with staff and
passengers travelling to
Heathrow, it only covers around
35% of its operating costs. This
is largely because of its overall
length (it is by some margin
the longest daytime route in
London), its limited stop nature
and the application of the low flat
fare of £1.50. It was therefore not
possible to justify new buses, but
something beyond the normal
London bus was clearly required.The vehicles selected were new
in 2010 and previously used
on East London Transit routes
in Barking. The work included
removal of the centre exit and
providing a powered wheelchair
ramp at the front door, fitting
luggage racks on the offside
lower deck and installing USB
chargers at all seats.Under the bonnet
A newly refurbished bus looks
as good as new, but further
mechanical work is necessaryto bring it up to current
standards. All refurbished buses
must be fitted with engine bay
fire suppression systems that
meet the latest requirements.
Additionally, some operators will
take the opportunity to make
other enhancements including
fitting external coolant level
indicators. These make the
driver’s life easier and reduce the
risk of breakdowns.
One area where a five-year-old
bus will falls short of a new one is
the exhaust emission levels fromModernising London’s buses
ABOVE & BELOW:
Before and after:
Go-Ahead London
WVL337, one of
the Wright Eclipse
Gemini 2-bodied
Volvo B9TLs
transformed at
Eastleigh from
a two-door East
London Transit
vehicle into a
one-door bus with
luggage racks for
airport service X26.