London’s newest Superloop route slowly sees correct buses appear

London’s newest Superloop route is appearing to slowly see more New Routemasters appearing after many vehicles weren’t ready when it commenced.

Superloop route SL11 between North Greenwich and Abbey Wood was supposed to be fully operated by New Routemasters (though all are more than a decade old now) until new electric vehicles arrived – though many were in poor condition.

That followed buses being put into storage last spring having formerly operated route SL3 ensuring 16 year old unbranded buses were pulled in late on, though since then there has been a slight uptick in New Routemasters.

It’s slow going though, as three at certain times when introduced is up to five in recent days including today.

Though looking at the numbers running today – as seen on the excellent bustimes.org website – does raise another question: surely there should be more running of all types? Just eight are tracking across the whole route and having experienced some pretty long waits recenty, data at bus stops shows gaps of up to 15 minutes.

Combine that with many stops along the route having seen a net reduction in buses when the 472 was cut and it’s not great provision given the areas served. Of course it could be some buses arne’t tracking which does happen, though anecdotally waits are longer than they should be.

Hopefully more New Routemasters can soon be made ready for service in advance of new electric buses – which aren’t imminent. TfL have stated they’re working to get more fit for operation alongside operator Go-Ahead.

London’s 1,000-strong New Routemaster fleet has been undergoing a refresh with 735 now having seen work according to a Transport for London update given late last year.