As Mayor and TfL continue drive to improve air quality in Putney

The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have announced plans to start operating a fleet of cleaner buses in Putney that will deliver significant reductions in NOx emissions, improving air quality for local people.

Transport for London has begun to install innovative pollution reducing filters on 94 double deck buses travelling through Putney as part of a £10m bus retrofit programme funded by TfL and the Department for Transport.

This programme is the largest of its type in the world helping to reduce emissions from up to 1,000 buses across the capital. The equipment, which was successfully trialled last year, involves fitting an innovative system called Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). Trials showed that the system reduces harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by up to 88 per cent.

This fleet of cleaner buses follows the Mayor's pledge to work with the local borough and community to improve pollution levels in Putney.

Mike Weston, London Buses Operations Director, said: “Following a successful trial we are pleased to introduce innovative equipment to buses which will make a significant impact on reducing pollution emissions in Putney. This, in addition to the introduction of newer buses including greener hybrids vehicles, is helping the Mayor and TfL deliver better air quality for people in Putney.”

Deputy leader of Wandsworth Council Jonathan Cook said:
“We are pleased the Mayor is pressing ahead with upgrades to Putney bus fleet which come as a direct result of the council’s air quality research. We will be monitoring the impacts on NOx levels very closely in the months ahead.”

The Mayor has made it a top priority to reduce the environmental impact of London's bus fleet. The city already has the largest hybrid fleet in Europe with more than 330 hybrid buses on the street and a further 150 on order.

Earlier this year the Mayor made a commitment to deliver 600 New bus for London vehicles which, alongside a commitment to deliver 600 conventional hybrids over the next three years, will take the total number of hybrid buses in London to over 1,600 by 2016. This represents roughly 20 per cent of London’s fleet of 8,500 buses. All buses already achieve Euro IV standard for particulate matter (PM) pollution and, as a result, emissions of particulate matter from the fleet have dropped from over 200 tonnes in 1997 to 17 tonnes in 2012.

The introduction of specialist SCR equipment is one of a range of measures designed to improve air quality in Putney. A total of 45 new buses have already been introduced on routes 74 and 220, including 10 hybrid buses. By summer, once the SCR retrofit is fully complete and following the introduction of replacement new buses (where older buses were not suitable for conversion), 85 per cent of the buses that pass through Putney will meet Euro IV standards delivering improved air quality. The Mayor is also working with the London Borough of Wandsworth to deliver further improvements. A targeted business engagement programme will reduce the number of deliveries at peak times, preventing the stop-start traffic conditions which exacerbate pollution emissions.

January 25, 2013