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Congratulations to Marian Wudu on winning the Garage Hero (other) award at the London Bus Awards! Taking place on 14th July 2022, Marian won the award for her fantastic work keeping her Garage running during the height of the 2020 pandemic.

As the United Kingdom went into lockdown in March 2020 and the outbreak worsened in April 2020, Metroline’s Alperton garage experienced a significant drop in staff attendance.  It was during such a time that Marian stepped up to the challenge. With her can-do attitude, she took on extra responsibilities by doubling up as a Garage Administration Supervisor (GAS) and Mileage Clerk to support ad hoc business requirements such as scheduling the redeployment of GAS, who were able to drive, on the roads. To maximise mileage and prevent staff cuts, Marian ensured the right number of drivers were deployed to work overtime and paid accordingly.

Despite these extra responsibilities, Marian never missed the deadlines for her work as a Missing Trip Verification Clerk. She continued to maintain high standards with zero errors in her reports. Even when she was offered the option to work from home, Marian chose instead to work in office so as to better support the garage.

Her passion for her role did not stop there. She would often volunteer her help on weekends and evenings to ensure the continued smooth operations of the garage during the pandemic, such was her dedication.

Congratulations on the well deserved recognition Marian!

Want to find out what it is like to work for Metroline? You won’t just have one opportunity but two with our Recruitment Open Days at our Harrow Weald and Potters Bar sites taking place this month!

Come in and have a chat with our friendly Recruitment Team to find out all the benefits of joining Metroline.

Taking place at Harrow Weald on Thursday 23rd June  and at Potters Bar on Tuesday 28th June from 9.30AM to 2PM.

Visit our Recruitment Open Days page for the latest updates.

** Updated 17 February 2022**

Following an unsustainable decline in passenger numbers, Metroline have notified Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) that we will be deregistering route 84. This decision was not taken lightly and we have tried to try find viable solutions to maintain the service in some form.

We introduced a number of initiatives to stabilise passenger numbers, including investing in new ticket machines to offer convenient contactless payment options and revised timetables. Unfortunately, Covid-19 totally undermined our plans and has had a detrimental effect on the amount of people using the service.  This is compounded by operating costs significantly increasing.  We have been in communication with HCC whilst investigating the options, and with no support available at the level required, this route is no longer sustainable.

Discussions between HCC and other bus operators have resulted in Sullivan Buses registering a partial replacement service between Potters Bar and St Albans. Further details can be viewed on their website www.sullivanbuses.com.

HCC and Transport for London are still in discussions regarding providing any replacement service between Potters Bar and Barnet.

Metroline would like to apologise for the inconvenience this change will cause but would thank customers for their support in using the service over the years.

Earlier this year, Metroline was able to support the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme, a cornerstone of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs. Thirty new paid 6-month job placements were created at our London bus garages to provide opportunities for young people who are most at risk of long-term unemployment brought about by the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

We received many applications from young people from a range of backgrounds and gave them key roles across the business where they learnt about the company and the industry. Following a successful 6 months, some have chosen to stay at Metroline as full time employees. Hear what some of our successful former Kickstarters who have joined Metroline have to say:

After 82 years of operation, our Alperton garage closed at the end of the operating day on Friday 10 September.

Built by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1939, route 83 transferred in when the garage opened and was the last route to transfer out, along with its newer counterpart routes 483 and N83. The garage survived bomb damage during the Blitz and was expanded with its western extension in the late 1970s. During privatisation ownership passed to CentreWest, including a period branded as Challenger, and on to First Group before eventually joining Metroline in 2013. Under Metroline’s ownership, Alperton was award winning; London Bus Garage of the Year at the UK Bus Awards 2015, a finalist for the same award in 2019 and Garage of the Year at the 2019 Metroline Awards, recognising its regular position at the top of the London Buses league tables.

The Alperton Garage Farewell Open Day took place on 11th September 2021, a day after sending buses out into service for the last time. Families, former drivers, Bus enthusiasts and more all came down to see the Alperton Garage and the vintage buses on display.

Metroline is pleased to be able to support the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme, a cornerstone of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs. Here are some of the young people who have already joined Metroline as part of the scheme:

• Sadiq launches the first double-decker hydrogen bus fleet in England
• These 20 new hydrogen fuel cell double decker buses which will reduce TfL’s carbon footprint and further reduce harmful emissions to help ensure Londoners breathe cleaner air.
• The hydrogen buses join a fleet of over 500 electric buses – one of the largest fleets in Western Europe. The aim is to make all London buses zero emission by 2030.
• Mayor highlights the benefits that green investments from TfL is having in different parts of the country
• Customers will enjoy smoother, quieter journeys and USB charging points

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will today launch England’s first ever hydrogen double decker buses, marking another major step towards making the bus fleet zero-emission and cleaning up London’s toxic air.

The 20 new environmentally-friendly buses, the first of their kind to be launched in England, will produce no pollution from their exhausts and join more than 500 electric buses in the core fleet which are already zero-emission. The new hydrogen fuel cell double decker buses are first being introduced on route 7 between East Acton and Oxford Circus.

Hydrogen used in a fuel cell is free from harmful emissions. The only by-product is water from the chemical reaction of hydrogen with oxygen from air, a process that produces electricity to power the bus. The buses will help clean up the air and improve the health of Londoners by reducing the level of harmful nitrogen oxide in the air. Passengers will benefit from smoother, quieter journeys due to fewer vibrations and will be able to take advantage of free-to-use USB charging points.

The Mayor’s green transport investment is also supporting jobs across the UK. The buses were manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland, helping to create new jobs, and the gas cylinders are manufactured by Luxfer in Nottingham. The hydrogen for the buses is currently being produced at Air Liquide’s plant in Runcorn, harnessing waste hydrogen as a by-product from an industrial chlor-alkali plant. Oxford-based Ryze Hydrogen is responsible for transporting the fuel to the fuelling station. From 2023, the hydrogen will be even greener as it will be produced by electrolysis powered by a direct connection to an offshore windfarm.

A new, state of the art fuelling station completed by Danish engineering firm Nel Hydrogen will top up each hydrogen fuel cell bus just once per day in as little as five minutes.

In addition to around £6 million of funding from TfL, more than £5 million of funding has been provided by European bodies – by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, and the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), an executive agency of the European Commission – as well as £1 million from the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles.

TfL has paved the way for cheaper hydrogen buses across the rest of the UK, having led the UK procurement within the Joint Initiative for Hydrogen Vehicles across Europe (JIVE), to buy in bulk with other UK authorities. In total, the JIVE project seeks to deploy 139 new zero-emission fuel cell buses and associated refuelling infrastructure across five European countries and has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.

With sustained financial support from the Government, TfL could look to accelerate its plans for a zero-emission bus fleet from 2037 to 2030 in order to reduce carbon emissions and address the public health emergency caused by dirty air.

The Mayor will today visit Perivale bus depot in Ealing to see the new hydrogen double decker and new hydrogen refuelling station.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We have made real progress in London to clean up our air, but we still have a long way to go because toxic air pollution in our city is still leading to thousands of premature deaths every year and is stunting the growth of children’s lungs. As part of our world-leading ongoing efforts, I’m proud to announce England’s first hydrogen double decker buses, which don’t produce any harmful emissions, will now be put into service.

“Our investment in these hydrogen buses is not only helping us to clean up London’s air, but is supporting jobs and local economics across the UK. This is a great demonstration of how tackling air pollution and the climate crisis and boosting economic growth is about regions working together, investing in the very latest technology.

“I’ve worked hard to ensure TfL’s entire core bus fleet across London now meets the ULEZ standards, and this includes 500 electric buses. Our new investment in hydrogen buses will move us even closer to our ambition of making all London buses zero-emission by 2030.”

Interim Director of Buses, Transport for London, Geoff Hobbs said: “London may have one of the cleanest bus fleets in Europe, but we need to continue to act now to tackle climate change and the city’s toxic air quality. Introducing these hydrogen double decker buses to our fleet, alongside electric buses, diversifies our green bus portfolio and helps us use the right technology for the varying operational requirements of our vast network. This will help Londoners breathe cleaner air.”

“Our investment in hydrogen won’t just benefit London, either. Outside the capital, we are supporting jobs across the UK and our involvement with the industry across Europe is making cleaner fuels more affordable to cities all over Europe.”

Wrightbus CEO, Buta Atwal, said: “At Wrightbus, we’re incredibly proud to be launching our world-first zero emission hydrogen double deckers onto the streets of London to help turn its iconic red buses green. London residents – and visitors to the capital from around the world – can experience what it’s like to ride in a UK-made hydrogen-fuelled vehicle that produces no harmful emissions from its exhaust. Thanks to TfL’s visionary approach, the city will have the first fleet of hydrogen double deckers in England and the benefits to the city in terms of CO2 reduction will be significant. We hope that other cities around the country will follow London’s lead and help us in our ambition to decarbonise public transport and improve air quality.”

Sean O’Shea, CEO at Metroline said: “Hydrogen is an extremely promising renewable fuel for public transport vehicles and we are looking forward to proving its application on London’s roads. The hydrogen buses are an exciting new addition to our fleet, and highlight Metroline’s continued dedication to making London’s streets greener. Our engineering teams have been hard at work preparing the buses for service and we are proud to be operating the first hydrogen powered double-deck buses in London in the hope that it will further showcase the application of sustainable vehicles in the capital.”

Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen joint undertaking (FCH JU), said: “We are proud to see that thanks to our grant the JIVE project enables the market size scale-up of fuel cell buses in Europe and contributes to the price reduction for the entire value chain. With green hydrogen solutions we can improve the air quality of London and build a climate-neutral transport system for our future generations. London has long and successful history with fuel cell buses and played a key role in leading a joint procurement scheme on behalf of several UK cities for the deployment of world first double decker buses running on hydrogen”.

Jens Egholt Rasmussen, Senior Director Global Sales at Nel Hydrogen A/S, said: “In May 2019, we were proud to announce a contract for a bus H2Station™ solution for Transport for London. Today, I’m happy to confirm a dual bus H2Station™ has been commissioned and is now fully operational. While currently in the ramp-up phase, eventually, 20 buses will be fuelled at the station on a daily basis. Hydrogen buses are already a competitive alternative to battery buses, with significantly faster fuelling time and therefore, less downtime. They are also becoming more of a competitive alternative to diesel buses on a total cost of ownership basis. The market for such solutions is growing quickly and we see significant opportunities going forward. This is an important step in the right direction.”

Notes to editors

• London Mayor Sadiq Khan will visit Perivale bus depot in Ealing on Wednesday 23 June to take a ride on one of the new buses and see the new fuelling station completed by Danish firm Nel Hydrogen.
• The use of hydrogen powered buses in addition to battery electric allows TfL to match the right fuel with the operational requirements of the network. Hydrogen buses store large quantities of energy, which can make them well-suited to longer routes.
• As part of TfL’s wider work to make buses greener, by January this year all buses in its core fleet had been brought up to strict Euro VI emissions standards following a retrofitting programme. Since 2017, TfL has worked to phase out polluting diesel buses and to retrofit older buses with cleaner engines. Now completed, this will see harmful NOx emissions from buses fall by an average of 90 per cent. Transport for London has a total fleet size of c9,000.
  • The European funding is provided by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), an executive agency of the European Commission. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), which provided £1 million in funding, is a team working across government to support the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV).
  • The overall objective of the JIVE projects is to promote the commercialisation of fuel cell buses through the use of vehicles and infrastructure on a large-scale so that at the end of the project fuel cell buses are commercially viable for bus operators and can be incorporated into their fleets without subsidies.

Objectives of the JIVE and JIVE 2 projects:

• Achieve the deployment of nearly 300 fuel cell buses across Europe.
• Foster joint procurement processes, encourage manufacturers to develop and refine their fuel cell bus offers, allowing cities to access economies of scale.
• Validate large scale fleets of fuel cell buses in operation and encourage further uptake.
• Showcase fuel cell buses as an environmentally friendly option for public transport authorities, offering the same operational flexibility as diesel buses but without the harmful tailpipe emissions.
• Deploy largest hydrogen refuelling stations in Europe and operate them at near 100% reliability.
• Demonstrate routes to achieve low-cost renewable hydrogen.
• Share data and best practice to support the adoption of the technology and provide evidence of the suitability of fuel cell buses for a full roll-out.
  • The JIVE and JIVE2 projects have received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 735582 and 779563. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research.
  • The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is a unique public-private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. It aims to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, realising their potential as an instrument in achieving a carbon-lean energy system. Fuel cells, as an efficient conversion technology, and hydrogen, as a clean energy carrier, have a great potential to help fight carbon dioxide emissions, to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons and to contribute to economic growth. The objective of the FCH JU is to bring these benefits to Europeans through a concentrated effort from all sectors. The three members of the FCH JU are the European Commission, Hydrogen Europe and N.ERGHY. More info: www.fch.europa.eu
  • Face coverings are still required by law across the TfL network, including on buses, unless an exemption applies. TfL’s enforcement officers continue to take a hard line with this requirement and hand out fines to those who do not comply. To further reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, customers are also encouraged to travel at quieter times, which are currently between 08:15 and 16:00 and after 17:30 on weekdays, and before noon and after 18:00 at weekends. Customers are also asked to keep bus windows open to ensure a good supply of fresh air.
  • Information about quiet times to travel is available at https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/busiest-times-to-travel

 

We are continuing to keep our employees and customers safe with extensive cleaning on our buses. Watch the video below to see how we are working closely with our cleaning partners at Sasse Group and Cordant Group PLC to ensure our buses are fully sanitised every day for service.

Whilst on duty on Thursday 6th August, a customer took ill on Route 190 Driver Ayisha’s bus. Ayisha’s quick response saved a life and has made all at Metroline proud.

Watch her story below:

Metroline is proud to have gifted £100,000 of its unused apprenticeship levy towards apprenticeships and training within the Automotive and Electrical sector, to be delivered by Total People.

Gifting surplus levy allows large employers like Metroline to sponsor an apprenticeship in their chosen sector or industry, while at the same time supporting employment and skills development in SME businesses who benefit from fully funded apprenticeship training.

Leanne Shackleton, Levy Gifting Manager, Total People said: “This is a fantastic example of levy gifting from Metroline and one that is truly appreciated. Gifting unused levy really will change the lives of multiple apprentices in the sector by enabling them to upskill and take the next step in their career.”

Total People have worked with Metroline previously, providing additional training and support for Metroline’s award winning Engineering Apprenticeship programme, which last year saw a record number of young apprentices selected to join.

Stephen Harris, Managing Director, Metroline said: “Since Brunel and the Victorians the UK has always been at the forefront in delivering engineering expertise and innovation. Metroline has a proud tradition of providing award-winning and industry-leading apprenticeships and we are pleased we can assist in this way. Resources for this area of training are desperately needed in this country. Diverting our unused levy funding benefits similar businesses that understand the value of delivering apprenticeships.”

• Metroline set to pilot Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lights (VALLs) on 24 buses.
• Pioneering VALLs system creates illuminated footprint around vehicle which can improve safety for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and people with hearing impairments.
• Partnership between Metroline and JBDL is supported by the TfL Bus Safety Innovation Challenge

Leading London Bus operator Metroline is to pilot an innovative new lighting system designed to make the capital’s roads safer. The Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lights (VALLs) system illuminates the area on the sides of buses to help show road users that they are in close proximity to a bus which is especially important for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and people with hearing impairments.

The VALLs system is the first of its kind and has been developed in partnership with Jimmy Beam Downlights Limited (JBDL) using JBDL’s lighting system. Each VALL unit features a downlight with 4 LEDs, acting as a passive system with three functions that aims to prevent a collision between a bus and other road users by creating an illuminated ‘footprint’ which clearly identifies the lateral clearance area around the vehicle. This will provide cyclists and people with hearing impairments a more visual warning of a buses’ proximity and movements.

Metroline’s pilot of the system will begin in February using 24 buses, including night services in operation on route 6 from Willesden garage. Speaking about the initiative, Sinead Maguire, Head of Transport Safety for Metroline, said: “We are very excited to be leading this innovative pilot which marks an important step for the project and reinforces our commitment to Vision Zero and making London’s roads safer for all.”

The VALLs System features include:

• The ‘Slow Speed’ light facility: An automatic function operating through the system’s control box, the slow speed facility ensures that the VALLS switch on when the engine switches on, and remain on until the bus reaches a speed above 15kph (9mph), at which point they switch off.

• Synchronous flashing with Indicator: When the bus is indicating, the VALLs footprint will flash on the ground in conjunction with the indicator, providing a visual aid for other road users in close proximity such as cyclists and pedestrians as well as the hearing impaired who may lack sufficient warning of a turning bus in urban environments when lighting conditions deteriorate.

• Constant Lateral Clearance Area: The downlights remain active as long as the engine is on under 15kph, meaning the footprint is projected even in stop-start traffic. The driver can also activate the vehicle light switch, which overrides the slow speed automation and allows the footprint to be projected at all times.

Metroline and JBDL are both contributing to the funding of the project and were successful in their joint application to the Transport for London Bus Safety Innovation Challenge  for support. The TfL Bus Safety Innovation Challenge was established to identify new, innovative products and solutions which will improve the safety of the London bus network and work towards Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network.

The VALLs system will be piloted on Metroline’s buses from next month.