Sadiq Khan praises electric vehicle transition with huge milestone - 'London is leading the charge'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has celebrated the electric vehicle revolution as he unveiled the 3,000th zero emission bus, which is set to travel around the capital in the near future.

London's 3,000th zero emission bus has been confirmed, with Sir Sadiq Khan showcasing the fully electric double-decker.

It was produced by Northern Ireland-based manufacturer Wrightbus, and will operate on the 165 route between Romford and Rainham.

The vast majority of Transport for London's bus fleet is zero emission, with most being fully electric, while it operates around 20 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

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As part of sustainability efforts, all new London buses built since 2021 have been zero emission, with Mayor Khan pushing this momentum forward.

The capital had just 30 electric buses in 2016, although this number has soared over the last decade, as more than a third of London buses are zero-emission models.

This total is expected to double before the end of the decade, with TfL previously revealing a goal of having all 9,000 of its buses being zero emission by 2030.

With additional funding from the central Government, Transport for London believes that this could still be achieved.

Sir Sadiq Khan said: "I'm proud that London is leading the charge in sustainable transport with 3,000 of our iconic red buses now going green - which is a hundred times more than when I took office in 2016, and one of the largest zero-emission bus fleets in Europe."

He noted that he had worked with Transport for London to take the bus network from "strength to strength" over his tenure as Mayor.

In addition to boosting the number of zero and low emission buses to support its climate goals, Sir Khan has also introduced the "game-changing" Superloop.

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This is a network of 12 express routes which improve connections and journey times between crucial hubs like Canary Wharf, Heathrow Airport and Waterloo.

Lorna Murphy, director of buses at TfL, echoed Sir Khan's praise for the zero emission bus network, saying that it was making a real difference to the capital.

She added: "This is more than a milestone; it is real visible change - cleaner journeys for Londoners every day.

"With a third of London's fleet of iconic buses now zero-emission, it is even easier for customers to travel around the city in a sustainable, affordable and accessible way."

Zero emission buses are also being rolled out with the Mayor's Vision Zero goals in mind, which aim to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2041.

This includes speed limiting technology, audible warnings to alert pedestrians and other road users and camera monitoring systems to enhance driver visibility in place of traditional mirrors.

Speaking last year, Bono Ge, BYD's UK chief, told the Everything Electric London conference that the Chinese brand had been seen across the capital for many years through its spread of electric buses.

He explained that a staggering 75 per cent of electric buses were from BYD, with more than 1,200 being EVs.

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