List of bus types used in London

This is a list of current and former bus types used by bus operators in London throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, with their year of first introduction.

Current

Alexander Dennis

First Bus London Alexander Dennis Enviro400H in July 2025

London Central BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400 EV in January 2025

• Alexander Dennis Enviro200 (2006)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro400/Enviro400H (2006/2008)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro400H City (2015)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC (2015)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC (2015)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV (2015)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV (2018)
• Alexander Dennis Enviro100EV (2025)

MCV

Lea Interchange Bus Company MCV EvoSeti bodied Volvo B5LH at Stratford City bus station in July 2025

• MCV EvoSeti (2016)
• MCV C093 EV/C103 EV (2024)
• MCV D113 EV (2024)

Optare/Switch

First Bus London Optare MetroDecker in May 2025

• Optare MetroCity/Switch Metrocity (2014)
• Optare Solo SR (2012)
• Optare MetroDecker EV (2019)

VDL

Arriva London VDL DB300 in July 2025

• VDL DB300 (Wright Gemini 2 body) (2009)

Volvo

London General Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Volvo B5LH in July 2025

Lea Interchange Bus Company Volvo BZL battery electric bus at Stratford bus station in July 2025

• Volvo B9TL (Alexander Dennis Enviro400/Wright Eclipse Gemini/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2/Optare Visionaire body) (2006)
• Volvo B5LH (Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC/MCV EvoSeti/Wright Eclipse Gemini/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 body) (2008)
• Volvo BZL (MCV body) (2024)
• Volvo BZL DD (MCV D113 EV body) (2024)

Wrightbus

The New Routemaster, introduced in 2012.

Lee Interchange Bus Company Wright StreetDeck HEV in July 2025

• Wright StreetLite (2012)
• New Routemaster (2012)
• Wright StreetDeck/StreetDeck HEV (2014/2018)
• Wright SRM (2016)
• Wright Eclipse Gemini (2001-2019)
• Wright StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEV (2021)
• Wright StreetDeck Electroliner (2023)
• Wright GB Kite Electroliner (2024)

Other

Arriva London BYD BD11 in 2025

Transport UK London Bus Caetano e.City Gold in 2025

• Mercedes-Benz Citaro (2002)
• Caetano e.City Gold (2020)
• Irizar ie tram (2024)
• BYD BD11 (2024)

• BYD B12 ^[1] (2026)

• BYD K8SR (2016)

Former

LGOC

The LGOC B-type is a model of double-decker bus that was introduced in London on 1910. It was both built and operated by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC).

• X-type (1909)
• B-type (1910)

AEC

Arguably the most famous of them all, the AEC Routemaster serviced London for over 50 years before being retired from general use.

• K-type (1919)
• S-type (1920)
• T-type (1920)
• NS-type (1922) ^[2]
• Regal (1929)
• Regent (1929)
• LT-type (1929)
• ST-type (1929)
• Q-type (1932)
• Regent III RT (1939)
• Regent II (1945)
• Regal III (1947)
• Regent III (1947)
• Regal IV (1949)
• AEC Routemaster (1954)
• Merlin/Swift (1964)

Leyland

An ex-London Regional Transport Leyland National. Designed for the National Bus Company, it eventually proved highly popular outside of the company.

• Leyland Atlantean (1965)
• Leyland National (1972)
• Leyland Olympian (1984)
• Leyland Tiger (1927)
• Leyland Titan (1927)
• Leyland Titan (B15) (1978)

Alexander Dennis

• Dennis Dart (Plaxton Pointer/Carlyle Works body) (1989)
• Dennis Dart SLF (Plaxton Pointer/Alexander ALX200/Caetano Nimbus/MCV Evolution/East Lancs Myllennium body) (1995)
• Dennis Lance/Lance SLF (1991/1993)
• Dennis Trident 2 (Alexander ALX400/East Lancs Lolyne/Plaxton President body) (1999)

MAN

• MAN 12.240 (MCV Evolution/East Lancs Esteem body) (2007)
• MAN 14.240 (MCV Evolution/Alexander Dennis Enviro200 body) (2007)

MCV

• MCV Evolution (2006)

MCW

• MCW Metrobus (1978)
• MCW Metrorider (1987)

Optare/Switch

• Optare Excel (1996)
• Optare MetroRider (1989)
• Optare Delta (1990)
• Optare Solo (1998)
• Optare Tempo (2009)
• Optare Versa (2010)

Scania

• Scania Metropolitan (1976)
• Scania N113CRL (Wright Pathfinder body) (1992)
• Scania N113DRB (1993)
• Scania N94UD (East Lancs OmniDekka/OmniCity body) (2003)
• Scania N230UD (East Lancs OmniDekka/East Lancs Olympus/OmniCity body) (2007)
• Scania OmniTown (OmniTown/East Lancs Myllennium/East Lancs Esteem) (2003)

VDL

• VDL DB250 (Alexander ALX400/Optare Spectra/Plaxton President/Wright Pulsar Gemini body)
• DAF/VDL SB120 (Wright Cadet/Merit/Electrocity/Wright Pulsar Hydrogen powered body)

Volvo

• Volvo Ailsa B55 (1983)
• Volvo B6 (1992)
• Volvo B7L/Ayats Bravo (2004)
• Volvo B7TL (Alexander ALX400/East Lancs Myllennium Vyking/Plaxton President/Wright Eclipse Gemini body) (1999)
• Volvo B10B (1993)
• Volvo Citybus
• Volvo Olympian (1993)

Wrightbus

• Wright Pulsar Gemini (2003)
• Wright StreetAir (2017)

Other

• Bristol LH (1975)
• DAF SB220 (East Lancs Myllennium/Optare Delta body) (1989)
• Daimler Fleetline (1979)

See also

• Transport portal
• London portal

• Buses in London
• List of bus routes in London

References

• Prince Marshall (1972), Wheels of London: The Story of London's Street Transport, The Sunday Times Magazine, ISBN   0723000689
• Colin Hartley Curtis (1979), Buses of London: An Illustrated Review, with Specifications and Brief History, of Every London Bus Type Purchased by London Transport Or Its Predecessors Since 1908, Pan Macmillan, ISBN   9780853291053
• Jane's Urban Transport Systems, (annual editions from 1981), Jane's Information Group
• London Bus Handbook, (annual editions from 1979), Capital Transport Publishing and British Bus Publishing

Notes

1. Williams, Mark (18 November 2024). "BYD unveils new single-deck electric and production 'decker". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
2. "1923 AEC NS bus – NS174" (2017). London Bus Museum. Retrieved 29 March 2017.