Sadiq Khan could axe Boris Johnson’s buses as London Mayor looks to promote electric and hydrogen vehicles – GB News.
Sadiq Khan could be set to scrap Boris Johnson’s London buses in a bid to further clean the air across the capital.
The so-called “Boris Buses” were ordered by the previous mayor and were rolled out on roads in 2012, replacing older Routemasters vehicles.
It is estimated that the scheme cost £350million with the “New Bus For London” (NB4L) being described as the “cleanest, greenest bus on the streets of London by miles” at the time.
However, the decision to move towards cleaner forms of transport could see the buses taken off the road in favour of alternatives.
Sadiq Khan originally announced that all new London buses would be zero emission in September 2021.
The commitment to ensure a 100 per cent zero emission bus fleet was originally set to 2037, although in the update in 2021, Khan brought the deadline closer by three years.
In his recent London Mayoral election victory, his manifesto stated that the deadline would be moved again, this time to the end of the decade.
This brings much of his transport targets in line with his ambitious goal of making London a net zero-carbon city by 2030.
A further aim of the newly-reelected Mayor is to have 8,600 of the capital’s buses to be powered by electric batteries or hydrogen.
Speaking previously, Khan said:
By 2030, all the buses in London will be zero emission.
“Some may need to be retrofitted but I think all will be new buses by 2030. It means any bus that is not zero emission will be off our streets by 2030.”
In 2016, it was announced that Sadiq Khan would end the purchase of more Boris Buses to help pay for a freeze on fare prices.
It comes as the Labour mayor continues to support the development of initiatives to cut emissions, including the pledge to have 40,000 electric vehicle charging points across the capital.
According to Zapmap, there are currently 19,834 chargers across London – more than double the number of devices found in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales combined.
Speaking at his victory speech earlier this month, Sadiq Khan said making London a cleaner city was one of his key aims.
He added: “My determination to ensure London leads from the front with world-leading green action remains as strong as ever.
“We have already made great strides cleaning up our air and will continue to tackle pollution whether it is found on our streets or in our rivers.”
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Sadiq Khan could axe Boris Johnson’s buses as London Mayor looks to promote electric and hydrogen vehicles – GB News. source