Sustainable transport in London
London’s buses are by far the most polluting of TfL’s services, with bus emissions accounting for 52% of TfL’s total carbon emissions in 2023/24. 11 In 2022, the average London bus produced 79gCO 2 e/pkm. 12 In comparison, London’s heavy rail systems 13 averaged 26-30gCO 2 e/pkm, while the light rail systems 14 averaged 23gCO 2 e/pkm. This difference is expected, given that diesel and hybrid diesel- electric vehicles make up over three-quarters of London’s bus fleet, 15 while TfL’s rail systems are fully electrified. Nevertheless, buses are less polluting than cars on a passenger-kilometre basis, given that London buses can carry up to 87 passengers. 16 A typical car journey from East Croydon to Wimbledon was estimated to produce 1.7kgCO 2 e in 2021; using London buses was estimated to produce 1.2kgCO 2 e – about a 30% reduction. 17
Figure carbon emissions by energy type in 2023/24. Source: Transport for 1: TfL London, ‘Safety, health and environment annual report 2023/24’, 44.
Due to their large contribution to carbon emissions, improvements on the bus network would have the greatest impact on TfL’s overall environmental sustainability. The first electric buses in London began operation in 2016 on just three routes. Now, there are over 2,000 zero-emission 18 buses operating on 137 bus routes. 19
Electric buses form the main bulk of London’s zero-emission bus network, but they have their limitations, given that carbon-based fuels, mostly natural gas and biofuels, still generate around half of the UK’s electricity. 20 As such, electric buses still produce indirect carbon emissions, although these can be greatly reduced as the UK continues to shift towards renewable energy sources.
Figure 2: London bus fleet by power source. Data from Transport for London, ‘Bus fleet audit’, 1.
11 Transport for London, ‘Safety, health and environment annual report 2023/24’, 44. 12 Graham Hurt, ‘FOI request detail: Spend based conversion to average distance’, Transport for London, January 15, 2024, accessed August 21, 2025, https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-ofinformation/foi-request- detail?referenceId=FOI-3373-2324. 13 London Underground, London Overground and Elizabeth Line/Crossrail (formerly TfL Rail). 14 Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink. 15 Transport for London, ‘Bus fleet audit’, March 31, 2025, 1, https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publicationsand- reports/bus-fleet-data-and-audits. 16 Articulated ‘bendy’ buses, phased out in 2011, could carry up to 140 passengers. 17 Department for Transport, ‘Transport and environment statistics: 2023 (2021 data)’, October 19, 2023, accessed August 21, 2025, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-and-environmentstatistics- 2023/transport-and-environment-statistics-2023#greenhouse-gases-journey-emissioncomparisons. 18 Electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses. 19 Jess Warren, ‘TfL now has 2,000 zero-emission buses in London’, BBC News , June 6, 2025, accessed August 21, 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0j72d2x7zpo. 20 International Energy Agency, ‘United Kingdom: Electricity’, accessed August 23, 2025, https://www.iea.org/countries/united-kingdom/electricity#where-does-united-kingdom-get-itselectricity.
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