Arriva electrifies third London bus depot

Arriva has electrified a third London bus depot, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards a zero-emission future in the capital.

The operator’s Thornton Heath site in south London will run 109 zero-emission vehicles from spring 2025 following the successful installation of a new electricity substation and advanced charging facilities.

Thornton Heath is the third depot to benefit from Arriva’s £730m modernisation programme, which will see all 14 of its depots in the capital electrified by 2030 – supporting Transport for London (TfL) in its goal to fully decarbonise the city’s bus fleet by the same year. Arriva operates around 100 contracted routes on behalf of TfL, with a fleet of 1,500 buses.

Jens Abromeit, Managing Director, Arriva UK Bus, said: “I’m proud that our programme of depot electrification is gathering pace in London with this third depot now ready to serve a substantial fleet of zero-emission buses. This represents a significant investment for Arriva and a commitment to working in partnership with TfL to deliver on their decarbonisation agenda. With each depot we electrify, we are reducing emissions and improving air quality, whilst also setting new standards in passenger comfort.”

A new electricity substation was installed at Thornton Heath with 5km of underground cabling required to handle the increased demand from charging multiple buses simultaneously. The depot will initially service 22 electric buses, increasing to 109 once the project completes in spring next year, following the removal of diesel refuelling tanks from the site.

Thornton Heath is the third of Arriva’s depots in London to be electrified after Brixton Tramshed and Enfield were connected to the grid in 2021, servicing a fleet of 54 electric buses.

Work to electrify Arriva’s depots in Tottenham, Palmers Green, Croydon and Norwood is currently underway, with the remainder to follow.

Arriva UK Bus is one of the market leaders in London, operating around 17% of all bus services in the capital.

About Arriva Group:

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 34,400 people and delivering around 1.6 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into four business units: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.