London buses: New vehicles have phone holders and skylights

The new buses include mobile phone holders and charging points

A fleet of all-electric, "ultra-modern" buses with a "cutting-edge design" is being introduced on a London bus route.

Transport for London (TfL) said passengers would be able to "work or relax" on board, with access to mobile phone holders and charging points.

The buses also have a new look with skylights, larger windows and wood-effect floors to create an "open-feel".

They are being unveiled on Route 63 as part of attempts to drive passenger numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels.

Passengers on the upper deck can enjoy better views

The new buses also have high-backed seats, up-to-date digital signage boards, bigger wheelchair and buggy areas, and improved CCTV.

TfL said investing in vehicles which are "cleaner and safer" was "essential to growing bus use in London".

Louise Cheeseman, TfL's director of buses, said the new vehicles demonstrated an ambition to "improve everything from comfort to journey speeds, and make buses the obvious choice over the car".

TfL says passengers expect to be given "up to date" and "real-time" information

Transport bosses will use feedback from passengers travelling on the route, which goes between Honor Oak and King's Cross station, to "inform plans for the wider bus network".

The new fleet will mean there are now 650 zero-emissions buses in the capital.

Last autumn, London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to electrify all of London's buses by 2034 and said all new buses ordered would be zero-emission.

However, TfL has said its plans are dependent on a permanent funding deal being agreed with the government, with the transport body currently facing a £1.9bn hole in its budget.

Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said: "The reality is that without a long-term funding deal, innovation like this on our buses and across the capital's entire transport network is at risk of stalling, disrupting services, putting jobs at risk and stifling the economic recovery of London and the country."

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