The head of Transport for London (TfL) has insisted that it will honour a pledge to order only low emission buses from 2018 but admitted that it was ‘slightly lazy’ to describe the pledge merely as an ‘aim’ in the organisation’s business plan.
In November, London mayor Sadiq Khan said that ‘that no more pure diesel double-deck buses will be added to the capital’s fleet from 2018’.
However, as Transport Network noted on Tuesday, TfL’s business plan, published last month, says that it will ‘phase out the purchase of conventional diesel buses and aim only to procure green vehicles (hybrid or zero emission) from 2018’.
Green Party London Assembly member and former mayoral candidate Sian Berry questioned TfL commissioner Mike Brown about the pledge at a meeting at London’s City Hall on Wednesday morning (4 January).
Mr Brown said ‘It may say "aim" but actually the contractual levers [with bus operators] will deliver that. Perhaps “aim” was a slightly lazy use of the word.’
Caroline Russell AM, who leads on transport for the Green Pary London Assembly group, told Transport Network: ‘It’s not good enough that the mayor has said he will stop buying dirty diesel buses by 2018. There is an air pollution crisis in London so he should stop immediately.'
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