New tram-like bus involved in crash on launch day

The new buses include a charging point on the roof, allowing them to be re-charged regularly

Transport for London (TfL) has said it is investigating after one of its new electric "tram-like" buses collided with a car on the day the new fleet was launched.

The Go-Ahead London bus was reportedly involved in the crash on Sevenoaks Road in Orpington, south-east London, on 20 November, when the new 358 buses came into service.

During a Bromley Council meeting, Labour councillor Kathy Bance said the bus collided with a car belonging to a Bromley Labour councillor’s wife.

A TfL spokesperson said no-one was injured and it was understood the collision was minor.

The spokesperson said TfL was working with the bus operator, Go-Ahead London, to investigate the crash.

The new 358 buses made their first journeys on 20 November

The new buses include a charging point on the roof, allowing them to be re-charged regularly.

There are 20 buses with the pantograph technology that now cover the 358 route from Crystal Palace to Orpington.

'Green benefits'

Pantograph technology was initially introduced to London in 2022 for the 132 route at Bexleyheath bus garage.

TfL has said the innovation will allow fewer buses to be required on the 358 route, bringing savings to be used in other areas of the London network.

It said the buses come with extra safety benefits, including speed limiting technology and audible warnings for pedestrians.

Lorna Murphy, director of buses at TfL, previously said: “The green benefits are obviously that we’re reducing our carbon emissions.

"On a bus like this, we can carry up to 80 times the amount of people that can go in a car in just three times the space."