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Sadiq Khan threatens to take Boris buses off London's roads in funding row

The New Routemaster hit London's roads in 2012 under then-mayor Boris Johnson - Tony Kyriacou / Rex Features
The New Routemaster hit London's roads in 2012 under then-mayor Boris Johnson - Tony Kyriacou / Rex Features

Sadiq Khan is threatening to scrap one of the biggest legacies of Boris Johnson’s time as London mayor as a row over funding the capital’s public transport system escalates.

The mayor says “Boris buses” are at risk of coming off the roads because Transport for London cannot afford to refurbish them.

Meanwhile, plans to electrify all of London’s buses will need to be delayed until at least 2037 because of Westminster’s refusal to fund TfL properly, Mr Khan claimed.

The first Boris bus, or New Routemaster as they are formally called, went into service in 2012 and became a symbol of Mr Johnson’s second term as London mayor.

The double-decker vehicle paid homage to the original, which began operating in the capital in 1956.

As they were rolled out, Mr Johnson said the hop-on-hop-off buses were "the most high tech piece of motoring technology I've ever seen".

The now Prime Minister has made little secret of his passion for buses, once admitting that he makes model buses out of old wine crates as a hobby.

Some 1,000 Boris buses now operate across London and are approaching their mid-life refurbishment.

TfL said: “If the Government fails to provide the funding required, TfL may be unable to refurbish these buses.”

The transport body is dependent on government bailouts after a sharp fall in fares left the authority with a gaping hole in its finances. Taxpayers have spent about £5bn keeping services running since the start of the pandemic.

Ministers have refused to bow to Mr Khan’s demands for “long-term funding”, instead offering a series of short-term arrangements. The latest deal expires in February.

The mayor claims that without the certainty of a multi-year agreement, TfL cannot invest for the future.

Mr Johnson has blamed Mr Khan for TfL’s financial plight, saying his decision to freeze fares is behind the authorities problems - a claim the mayor has denied.

He said: “It is so important that the Government urgently comes forward with the long-term funding TfL desperately needs so we can keep services running and deliver much-needed improvements to our transport infrastructure.

“It is no exaggeration to say that tens of thousands of highly skilled jobs, many of which would be from outside the capital, will be at risk if ministers fail to properly fund TfL.

“In addition, our strides towards bus electrification will be halted, and the capital will suffer with fewer buses on the roads and an unreliable Tube service with ageing trains.”