In May 2000, Londoners went to the polls to vote for their first directly elected Mayor and a new city government.  The new Mayor and Greater London Assembly would also have powers over a new integrated transport authority, bringing together all the UK capital’s public transport modes  so Transport for London was born. Ken Livingstone was duly elected Mayor of London, taking office with the pledge that improving London’s transport system would be his ”top priority” and in fact the Mayor chairs the board of Transport for London.  Everyday in London  a city of 7.3 million inhabitants  the public transport system copes with around four million bus journeys, three million Tube journeys and 136,000 on the Docklands Light Railway.  Thousands more travel using the National Rail network, the Croydon Tramlink system and taxis, and there are over 30,000 vehicles on London’s roads each day.

London Buses London Buses is a subsidiary of Transport for London and is responsible for the planning, procurement and marketing of the London bus network with private contractors being responsible, under individual route contracts, for the operation of the network.  Contracts are awarded to operators, which can run the best service at the most cost effective price.

There are some 5,500 buses running on 700 routes regulated by London Buses, including a flourishing and comprehensive network of night buses. London Buses also manages the infrastructure (bus stops, shelters, stands and stations).  There are 10,000 bus shelters, 17,000 bus stops, 100 terminal points and 40 bus stations.  During the financial year ended March 31, 2000, the London bus network carried 1,296 million passengers.  The current operating area covers 1,580 sq. km (610 sq. miles). Following the introduction of competitive tendering in 1985, the requirement for subsidy was consistently reduced until the operating deficit was eliminated in 1997/98.  However, more recently increasing bus contract prices and expansion of the network means that the deficit for 1999/2000 increased to £40m (compared with a total annual network revenue of £630m). Since the beginning of 1995, when the sale of its own operating companies was completed, London Buses has worked closely with its contracted operators to encourage a resurgence in bus travel throughout London.  With a new Mayor of London and integrated transport authority committed to improving public transport, buses will be given even greater priority over other road users, which should attract even more passengers. Over a third of the London bus fleet is ‘low-floor’ wheelchair accessible vehicles.  Buses are also being fitted with the latest technology to aid bus location and provide passengers at principal stops with ‘real-time’ waiting time information.  At present, over 1,000 stops have this information.

Transport for London Apart from London's buses, Transport for London regulates:  - the Docklands Light Railway  which runs from the City of London financial district to the new docklands developments in the east of London and beyond;  - the Tramlink system  a new tramway serving the Croydon area of south London;  - the River Services on the Thames;  - London's main road network;  - Cycling and pedestrian access; and,  - London's famous ‘Black Cab’ taxis, plus the city's minicabs; Transport for London also has some powers over the city’s privatised National Rail network.

The Tube The more eagle-eyed among you though will have spotted that missing from the list above is the famous London Underground  the oldest underground railway system in the world  or as it more commonly known, ‘the Tube’.  This is because Transport for London and the UK government are still in negotiations over how an estimated £15bn should be raised and spent on improving and extending the Tube over the next 30 years. In order to meet his manifesto commitment of improving London’s transport system, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone hired Bob Kiley as his Commissioner of Transport for London.  Mr Kiley  widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on public transportation systems  is credited with regenerating both the Boston and New York subways, respectively the world’s second and third oldest subway systems. Although, as Commissioner of Transport for London, Bob Kiley will have responsibility for virtually all public transport modes in London, his main responsibility will be to revitalise the Tube.  Having already achieved it in Boston and New York, Bob Kiley is going for his hat-trick.

The Mayor's Transport Strategy The Mayor, working with Transport for London, recently published his Transport Strategy, currently in draft form for public consultation, which proposes a plan for the next decade and beyond.  The Mayor’s Transport Strategy realises that if London is to retain its position as a great world city  alongside those such as New York, Paris and Tokyo  then heavy and sustained investment in London’s transport infrastructure is imperative. Accessibility and mobility for all is a central plank of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, as are environmental considerations, with advanced plans for low or zero emissions buses  including EvoBus’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses  and taxis.  London is also the largest city in the world to be working towards implementation of a congestion charging scheme for non-public transport vehicles entering the city centre. The ten key priorities of the Transport Strategy are:  - reducing traffic congestion, particularly in central London and London town centres;  - overcoming the backlog of investment on the Underground so as to safely increase capacity, reduce overcrowding, and increase both reliability and frequency of services;  - making radical improvements to bus services in London, including overcoming unreliability and slow journey times;  - better integration of the National Rail system with London’s other transport systems to facilitate commuting, reduce overcrowding and move towards a London-wide, high frequency ‘turn-up-and-go’ metro service;  - facilitating car travel in outer London, whilst developing and promoting alternatives of public transport, walking and cycling so that the proportion of trips made by the car is reduced;  - supporting boroughs’ local transport initiatives, including improved access to local town centres and regeneration areas, walking and cycling schemes, safer routes to school, road safety improvements, better maintenance of roads and bridges, and improved co-ordination of streetworks;  - making distribution of goods and services in London more reliable and efficient, whilst minimising environmental impacts;  - bringing forward new integration initiatives to improve key interchanges, enhance safety and security, and provide much better information and waiting environments;  - improving the accessibility of London’s transport system so that everyone, regardless of any disability, can enjoy the benefits of living, working and visiting the Capital, thus improving social inclusion;  - increasing the capacity of London’s transport systems by major new cross-London rail links, improved orbital rail links in inner London, new Thames river crossings in east London, and new guided bus or tram projects in central, inner and outer London. The Transport Strategy also provides strong support for a number of new initiatives, including new cross-London rail links, improved orbital rail links in inner London, new Thames River crossings in East London and new guided bus or tram projects in central, inner and outer London. It's a massive task, but for the first time in a generation, London has a Mayor and an integrated transport authority working in harmony for the benefit of all Londoners, commuters  and visitors to the city that we at Transport for London regard as the greatest in the world.

For more information please contact: Stuart Ross Press Office Transport for London Windsor House 42-50 Victoria Street London SW1H 0TL T: 00 44 20 7941 4191 F: 00 44 20 7941 4560 Email: stuartross@tfl.gov.uk

Link to official Transport for London website ...