Route 25 Debendification Confirmed

Conversion is scheduled for 25th June 2011, which gives us the provisional contracted changes as follows:

• 18 – 13th November 2010 – 48 double deckers replacing 32 bendies (ratio 1.5:1)
• 149 – 23rd October 2010 – 35 double deckers replacing 27 bendies  (ratio 1.29:1)
• 25 – 25th June 2011 – 59 double deckers replacing 43 bendies  (ratio 1.37:1)

Since the only other double decker debendification (the 38) had a ratio of 1.53:1, so experience or possibly cost appears to be dictating lower capacity replacements on the later routes.

For the record, the calendar now looks like this:

Done

Route    Tender    5    5+    Old PVR    New PVR    Revised End Date
507    1-Jun-2002    1-Jun-2007    1-Jun-2009    9    15    25-Jul-2009
521    1-Jun-2002    1-Jun-2007    1-Jun-2009    19    32    29-Aug-2009
38    20-Jul-2002    20-Jul-2007    20-Jul-2009    47    72    16-Nov-2009

Awarded
18    23-Aug-2003    23-Aug-2008    23-Aug-2010    32    48    13-Nov-2010
149    18-Oct-2003    18-Oct-2008    18-Oct-2010    27    35    23-Oct-2010
25    26-Jun-2004    26-Jun-2009    26-Jun-2011    44    59   25-Jun-2011

Subject to contract (dates and PVR provisional)

73    1-May-2004    1-May-2009    1-May-2011    43    66    1-May-2011
12    31-Jul-2004    31-Jul-2009    31-Jul-2011    31    47    31-Jul-2011
207    9-Apr-2005    9-Apr-2010    9-Apr-2012    26    40    31-Dec-2011
29    14-Jan-2006    14-Jan-2011    14-Jan-2013    29    44    31-Dec-2011
436    9-Feb-2008    9-Feb-2013    9-Feb-2015    26    40    31-Dec-2011
453    16-Feb-2008    16-Feb-2013    16-Feb-2015    23    35    31-Dec-2011

Making a sum total of 356 bendies replaced by 533 new diesel buses, of which 331 will have to be delivered in 2011 just as TfL find out what new Transport Secretary Phil ‘Slasher’ Hammond intends to do to their budget.  Sweet timing, Boris.  Sweat those assets.