Start of Low floor buses - a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London
- ️Thu Jan 09 2014
Dear Mr Lee
Our Ref: FOI-1654-1314
Thank you for your e-mail received on 2 December 2013 asking for
information about transport accessibility.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can
confirm we hold some of the information you require.
We do not hold any records on the selection of routes for low-floor
wheelchair-accessible buses going back to 1994. Anecdotally, we believe
the 222 was the first single deck route to be selected in or around 1993.
Close to this time, route 120 was converted to low floor vehicles. Both
routes were operating Dennis Lance/Wright bodied buses. The trial then
moved on to include Scania/Wright low-floor single-deck buses on route 101
a year or so later.
The trials proved the viability of low-floor buses and, from around
1996/7, the majority if not all single-deck vehicles on the network were
of this type. The first double-deck route to be made low-floor was the 242
in December 1998 on which Alexander Dennis bodied DAF vehicles were
operated. The last new high-floor double deck buses entered services in or
around 1999. After that high-floor vehicles were rapidly replaced and by
the end of 2005 the entire network became low-floor wheelchair accessible
in line with TfL’s target.
Please see the list below of London Underground (LU) and London Overground
stations that have been made step-free:
Fully Step Free from Fully Step Free
Station Mode Street to Platform from Street to
Train
Acton Town LU 2008 No
Anerley Overground 2010 2010
Blackfriars LU 2011 No
Caledonian Road & Overground 2010 2010
Barnsbury
Camden Road Overground 2012 2012
Canada Water Overground 2010 No
Canonbury Overground 2011 2011
Clapham Junction Overground 2011 2011
Crystal Palace Overground 2013 2014
Dalston Junction Overground 2010 2010
Denmark Hill Overground 2013 2013
Edgware LU 2009 2012
Farringdon LU 2012 2013
Finchley Central LU 2008 2013
Forest Hill Overground 2010 2010
Golders Green LU 2008 No
Gospel Oak Overground 2012 2012
Green Park LU 2011 2011
Hackney Central Overground 2012 2012
Haggerston Overground 2010 2010
Hainault LU 2009 2013
Harrow & Wealdstone Overground 2012 No
Hendon Central LU 2008 2012
High Barnet LU 2009 2013
Highbury & Islington Overground 2011 2011
Hoxton Overground 2010 2010
Imperial Wharf Overground 2008 2008
King's Cross St. LU 2010 2012
Pancras
Kingsbury LU 2010 2010
New Cross Overground 2010 2010
Oakwood LU 2008 2012
Pinner LU 2008 2012
Roding Valley LU 2008 2013
Shepherd's Bush Overground 2008 2008
Shoreditch High Street Overground 2010 2010
Southfields LU 2010 2012
Stratford Overground 2009 2009
Sydenham Overground 2010 2010
Wembley Central LU 2012 No
Wembley Central Overground 2012 2012
West Croydon Overground 2012 2012
Wood Lane LU 2008 2013
Unfortunately, to provide you with information on the month these stations
were made step free would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by
the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a
request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the
information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other
information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25
per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
We do not hold this information centrally and so would have to try and
identify a member of staff who would know where this information, if it
still exists, may be held and then trying to retrieve it. As you have
requested information for several stations this could involve contacting
several different staff members who were involved at the time the works
were carried out, some of whom may no longer work for TfL.
To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450
limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more
easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. If
you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act
request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act
allows you to request recorded information held by Transport for London.
You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely
as you can, specifying the types of document that you are looking for.
Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive
your revised request.
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to
contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[1][TfL request email]