L1/Group News May-June 2014

General Notes:

The Loaned Fleet (with same numbers): 
ex-Metroline VP317-347, 466-472, 474, 476, 477, 479. Code VPN  These will be returned in June, as they are replaced by new TEs.

The L1/Card, after just 7 months of use, is being re-branded as it will soon be accepted not just by the L1/Group. L'Card, as it will now be known (from July 2014 - some L1/Cards will still be sold thereafter under limited stock), will soon be accepted by Reading Buses across the whole of Reading and Newbury (jetblack 1) and Thames Travel (within Berkshire and around Bracknell only, mainly on ex-Courtney Buses routes).

The last TE, TE1999 (chassis) is being constructed at this moment, the first TP, TP2000 demonstrator, will be used by all garages before being allocated to Route X91 at HN. Both buses will be showbuses. Note that TE1900-1999 are all E45H to the new MMC style, TE1900 will be in service from June 2014 for Route U4 (HN).

Another new showbus will be a new TE6, to replace the TE6 that was sadly lost in the M4 accident in November 2013. This will get a special interior, original Heathrow Buses logos and numberplate HN52ADL, 52 denoting as the number killed.

9 new showbuses (and one modified) for 'Bus of the Year' have been released earlier on Tube Strike week - TE1110-TE1119 all have had new liveries, and interiors (vinyl floor design and new moquette, and where needed, painted bars) to match:
TE1110 - Shillbeer livery (interior like DM2646)
TE1111 - London Transport RM1 livery + interior (ENVIRO 450H TE1111) - existing showbus
TE1112 - Low Floor Livery 1990s (interior like LU LLWs)
TE1113 - London Transport 1980s (M1) livery + interior
TE1114 - Heathrow Buses livery 2003 (as in TAN1) + interior
TE1115 - London Transport RT1 livery + interior
TE1116 - Green Line 1960s (RMC) livery + interior
TE1117 - London Country 1930s (ST821) livery + interior
TE1118 - Beeline livery 1990s
TE1119 - Romford Buses livery 2004 + interior
All buses will have their retrospective liveries until December 2014, then they will unfortunately either be repainted in red (except TE1111, which will be repainted in 1980s livery like RM111) or move outside London (TE1116, TE1117, TE1118). All buses will keep their existing interiors afterwards.

TE1256, the E45H demonstrator with non-standard doors which moved across each of the garages over 25 weeks (three weeks at each garage, 4 at UP), has returned back at HN on Route X91.
It has turned out that the rear door of the outward swinging style is successful and is currently out on all new E45H, and retrofitted on some converted E42H.

More early TEs are leaving the fleet after TE2-70 have left for Abellio & London United. TE71, 72, 74-110 are destined to leave the fleet by July 2014. TE1, TE73 will not be sold.
TE112, 113, 116, 118, 119, 121-139, 141-203 are next to go - they are going to London Sovereign (240), Arriva London North (348), London United (6/6N).
More early TEs will go to various provincial operators, including Stagecoach Manchester, First Manchester, Wellglade/Southern Vectis, Yellow Buses/RATP and Lothian.

The modified E40H/E45Hs (as opposed to the new-build E45Hs), approx up to TE1000, are now re-classed as E42H (Enviro 425). Therefore, the unmodified E400H (TE1) stays as it is, the modified E40H to E45H standard are classed as E42H, and those built as E45Hs stay as E45H.


For the Regent Street cavalcade (22nd June), we will bring LT111, TE111, DE111 and SEG1.

L1/Heathrow Buses

Heathrow North (HN)

Route 457 (Heathrow North Garage-Feltham via Stanwell) , a new route for TfL, has been won by us and will use new hybrid Optare TempoSR 10.7m (OTM) from 31st May 2014

7series, Beeline and Surrey Local routes have had frequency changes. New Route 73A is an extension of Route 73 on certain Brooklands Museum events days.

Hydrogen and CNG buses at Southall have infrastructure at Heathrow North.
Seven Scania KUB270/Enviro 300SG (12m) will be shared between 7series X74 and new 7series X75:
SEG4-10 (LR63 CNK-P, R)

When gained from 1st November, Routes H13 and H14 will run from HN using E27H/Wright Nebulas (classed AW).

Route 461 has been extended to Staines from Addlestone in April 2014, existing buses ex-TfL will be transferred, after refurbishment.

Due to the re-opening of Bracknell Garage, Route 74 will now have a full L1/Heathrow Buses service Mon-Sat. Sunday will still be shared between London OmniBus and Carousel Buses. This will occur from the 28th June.

For better reliability, routes N95 and N117 have been re-routed from 31st May 2014. 
Route N95 will run via Park Lane, Piccadilly instead of via Oxford Street, Regent Street between Marble Arch and Piccadilly Circus. 
Route N117 will be rerouted via 495 (and thus Kew Riverside) and London Road between Chalker's Corner/Mortlake and Busch Corner/Isleworth. Affected areas including Twickenham and Richmond will have alternatives including Routes 281N, N22 and an extended N335, which is extended via the former N117 route to Twickenham.
This will save each route a PVR of 1 on weekdays.

Southall (SA)

Route 456 is not fully double decker due to reasons below:

Hydrogen, Electric, and Compressed Natural Gas single deck buses (ironically) will be trialled on the 456 for TfL and L1/Group:

Two hydrogen VDL SB200/Wright Pular 2s:
WS9-10 (HY63 GEN, HY63 GEM)

Two BYD Electric Buses:
BE1-2 (LT63 BYD, LS63 BYD)

Two Optare TempoSR Electric (10.7m):
OSE3-4 (OP63 ARE, LT63 TSR)

Three CNG Scania KUB270/Enviro 300SG (12m):
SEG1-3 (LR63 CNG, LR63 CNH, LR63 CNJ)

Two CNG MAN Ecocity/Caetano:
MCG4-5 (YN63 YTS, YN63 YTT) 

These buses will run extra services on the route every day. The infrastructure for the electric buses to run are based in Southall Garage. Hydrogen and CNG tanks will be based at Heathrow North Garage.
12m buses are prohibited from running between Southall and Greenford due to tight turns at Southall North, hence the 12m buses will only run between Southall Town Hall and Chiswick.

The Volvo B5TL demonstrator for Route 456, coded VTN1090 is now permanently on Route 456 at SA.

Route 456 will also gain TfL-sanctioned demonstrators, including the E45H/Enviro 400MMC demonstrator (TE1899), Streetdeck/Gemini 3 (DT1898), Optare Metrodecker (OD1897)

School journeys from Twyford School on Route 207 will be operated by London United instead of us from September. Other peak hour extras will still be run by Southall.

Brentford (DI)

Route 239 has been lost on tender and will leave on the 31st May 2014
Part of Route 480 has been retained, a sole double deck working between East Acton and Richmond (return), but the rest will move to Tower Transit.

Due to a PVR increase due to increased demand for the route, Route 392 will now have a PVR of 45, supplemented initially by existing TEs, before new NBfL addon orders from the 311 and 74 orders.

LTs 115, 116, 117, 125, 127, 369, 371 are repainted into a Adidas 'World Cup' all over advert - on Route 311/392

Wembley (WE)

Route 224 has been lost on tender and will leave on the 31st May 2014 - DEs will be distributed to outside the company.

Route 335 is now partly run from Wembley using MCs ex-Southall Garage.

Fulwell (F) and Walton (WT)

Route 411 will be gaining new Optare TempoSR diesels temporarily before the permanent Optare TempoSR Hybrids arrive, when the route is gained. These diesels will then transfer to non-London (Hemel Hempstead) operations.

Walton Garage has been acquired as an outstation for Fulwell, which will temporarily store some buses for Routes 411 and 418 when gained.

Also, from 1st November Routes 74 and N74 will be run from Fulwell, where new NBfLs will be introduced (on 74, N74 will get new TEs).

Bracknell (BL)
Bracknell will re-open in 21st June 2014, moving most Bracknell-based Beeline routes to the bus garage.

The following routes will move to Bracknell:
Beeline: 151/A, 153, 155, 171, 172, 190, 194, X94, part of 191
7series: part of 72

Hemel Hempstead (HE)
Routes are settling to normal with E25H, Optare TempoSRs and newer E45H replacing the old assortment. L'Card is used on all routes.

L1/Romford Buses

Upminster (UP)

Routes 66 and 499 have had their contracts novated to L1/Romford Buses. Existing E45H/E42H (for 66) and existing E25H (for 499) have been transferred from the conversion to NBfL for the 15 and double deck conversion of the 456. Grays Garage is not part of the sale.

Hackney (HO)

E45H (long) are now being used for 55/N55, recently gained from Stagecoach. Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2 (x5 - the last new Wright Gemini 2s), Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 3 (VT x15) and Plaxton President (x9) are being used on 48, recently gained from Stagecoach.

Fleet Numbers:
TEL1401-40 (55), VW1441-5, VT1446-1458, VP1459-1467 (48).

Stratford (SD)

Route 8 will be converted to NBfL buses on 1st November 2014. SD will host these buses.

Route 15 will lose 2 LTs - LT99 has transferred to London United for the 9, and LT164 has moved to DI for the 392. These will be compensated when 8 will get LTs

Upton Park (U)

No new news.