Three single-decker buses are to be converted to create a fleet of “bike buses” to transport cyclists through the Silvertown tunnel.
Transport for London has awarded a three-year contract to Stagecoach East London to provide the service, which will be free for at least the first year of operation.
It is also understood to have awarded new contracts for two of the limited-stop Superloop routes in outer London that will see one route, the SL5, upgraded from single deckers to electric double deckers.
The Silvertown tunnel is due to open in the first three months of 2025 but a precise opening date is yet to be announced.
The bike bus will be the only way for cyclists to travel through Mayor Sadiq Khan’s £2bn new road tunnel, which will link North Greenwich with Canning Town and the wider Royal Docks area on the north side of the Thames.
Drivers face tolls of up to £4 to use the Silvertown tunnel, with the exact rate due to be revealed in December.
The three buses – which will be converted from existing electric buses - will provide a service of “at least” five buses an hour in each direction. It is proposed that they will operate between 6.30am and 9.30pm, seven days a week.
Cyclists will not be allowed to ride through the two-lane, twin-bore Silvertown tunnel as TfL believes this would be “unsafe”. Cyclists are already banned from riding through the adjacent Blackwall tunnel.
TfL said it awarded the bike bus contract to Stagecoach after a “competitive tender” process. The value of the contract has not yet been revealed, but details are expected to emerge shortly.
TfL said it was “now preparing the roads, vehicles and infrastructure for the new cross-river bus network and cycle shuttle bus”.
A spokesman said: “Further details about the route, including the final locations of the bus stops, will be confirmed later this year ahead of the Silvertown tunnel opening in Spring 2025.”
During the consultation, some cyclists questioned whether the likely delay in waiting for the bus would make it worth catching.
TfL first suggested the bike bus after saying it could not afford to build a walking and cycling bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf.
Cyclists will have to load their bikes on to the bus. The bus will not carry other passengers. It is likely to feature a bespoke livery to distinguish it from the capital’s conventional red bus network.
Under the draft proposals, the bike bus was intended to be able to carry all types of bike, including large adapted trikes used by people with mobility issues.
Cyclists looking to cross the river in east London currently have the option of using the cable car – which is free in the morning for cyclists – or walk their bike through the Greenwich or Woolwich foot tunnels, though both suffer frequent lift closures, meaning bikes have to be carried up and down many steps.
Other options include the Woolwich ferry or riding through the Rotherhithe tunnel, which many cyclists do not recommend due to traffic levels and pollution.
TfL ditched the proposed Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf walking and cycling bridge in 2019 after estimated costs rose to £463m.
The SL5 Superloop, which links Bromley and Croydon, will be upgraded to electric double deckers from April 2025, with 10 buses an hour at peak times.
At present, only single deckers can be used on the SL5 route because of low trees. The new contract will run for seven years.
The SL7 route, between West Croydon and Heathrow airport, will be upgraded to electric double deckers and will have 21 buses an hour at peak times. The contract will also run until 2032.
The Superloop, which forms an “outer ring” of suburban buses, was completed in Spring 2024, except for the SL4 which will start running when the Silvertown tunnel opens.
In July, a TfL analysis of the mayor’s £6m initiative found it had increased the number of Londoners using buses but has been blighted by delays.
Six of the nine Superloop routes had fewer than 10,000 passengers a day, despite buses typically operating every 10 to 15 minutes.
Mr Khan said the core objectives of the Superloop were to provide faster journeys between key outer London town centres and transport hubs.
He has promised to deliver a second Superloop network in his third term. This will include a “Bakerloop” service along the proposed Bakerloo line extension, offering faster services between Elephant and Castle and Lewisham.
