A Bus Called "Tram"
16 February 2025
ABOVE: Go-Ahead London (Metrobus) Irizar ie Tram IE14 (LJ74 BRF) stands underneath the "opportunity charging" infrastructure at Crystal Palace Bus Station, albeit not connected to it at this point. All photos in this article taken on Thursday 23 January 2025, unless otherwise stated.
It's a drizzly Thursday morning in Crystal Palace, South London, and the charging equipment doesn't want to connect to the bus...
I've come to have a look at a new design of bus (for Britain) that has recently entered service on Transport for London route 358 (Crystal Palace to Orpington). You might have heard of it, as every bus blogger in Britain has been to have a look - the ie Tram from Spanish company Irizar.
These are buses that have been designed to look like trams, hence the brand name. I'll leave you to decide whether they do...
ABOVE: ie Tram IE15 (LJ74 BPZ) is in Station Road, Orpington, at the start of an afternoon journey on the long run to Crystal Palace. An ADL Enviro400 MMC on route 208 (Lewisham to Orpington) can be seen in the background.
In fact, so many articles have already been written, and videos released, about the ie Tram that I might be coming a bit late to the party. But all those visits were made, and articles released, when the buses first hit the road in November 2024, so those people saw the warts-and-all, teething trouble operations whereas I, two months on, should see a service with all those teething troubles overcome and everything running well.
Except that the charging equipment doesn't want to connect to the bus...
ABOVE: The charging equipment is lowered in order to (hopefully) make contact with IE14 (LF74 BRF)
For the uninitiated, these ie Tram buses are amongst an increasing number nationwide to use what is known as "opportunity charging", only in this case using a revolutionary, eye-catching design that says "I'm different".
The term "opportunity charging" refers to the practice of charging a battery for short periods of time throughout the day, whenever the opportunity arises, as opposed to charging in full all at once. This allows the same battery to be used continuously, and eliminates the need for vehicle swaps during the day (as most electrics can't keep going all day on one charge).
To support this, charging infrastructure has installed at both ends of the 358 route, so that a bus can pick up a booster in the few minutes that it is laying-over between trips. It must be like taking five minutes on the sunbed at lunchtime to top-up that tan, or having 'forty winks' in the middle of the afternoon, perhaps!
It's very simple, really. The bus positions itself underneath the charging equipment, which then descends to make contact with the bus for a few minutes' charging...
But it doesn't seem to be working in this case. The charging connector descends, then retreats again into its hood. The driver moves the bus back a little bit, and then forward again, and the same thing happens again. No idea what the problem is here, but it takes 10-15 minutes to get lined up exactly to the point that the equipment can make contact, so that charging can begin.
By this time of course, a queue has built up. And I don't just mean a queue of passengers...
ABOVE: Two further ie Trams await their turn for some opportunity charging at Crystal Palace Bus Station, whilst IE 14 struggles to make contact.
Charging, once actually underway, will take about five minutes, but the bus has now been designated as "Not in Service", and, when charging has been completed, it drives off to goodness-knows-where.
Once this first bus has got out of the way (30 minutes after the published TfL schedule says it should have started out for Orpington), the next one can move forward and charge, and this time the process is smooth. But this one then also zooms away "Not in Service". After a gap of about 25 minutes on what should be a 12-minute frequency service, a 358 pulls up in service and I am finally on my way.
TfL chose route 358 for its opportunity-charging pilot for a number of reasons. At about 15 miles in length, it is one of the longest daytime routes on the network, and there were suitable points at both ends of the route to install the necessary charging points.
It's also a tough environment for a bus service, passing through heavily-congested areas of outer South and South East London - Penge, Beckenham, Elmers End and the major suburb of Bromley. If these buses can cope here, they should be able to cope anywhere...
And there's a clear reason why the 358 has to be a single-decker, in the form of a low bridge in Shortlands, near Bromley. This low bridge also restricts another extremely busy route to single-deckers - route 227 (Crystal Palace to Bromley North). I suspect that both routes would justify the use of double-deckers if they could be accommodated.
ABOVE: The restrictive low bridge underneath the railway at Shortlands station, on Sunday 2 February 2025.
So, with the need to stick to single-decker buses, TfL and its contracted operator for this service, Go Ahead London (Metrobus), went for something different, and ordered a batch of Irizar ie Trams. Marketed as "a tram on the tarmac", the Irizar ie tram is "a 100% electric, zero-emission bus with the appearance of a tram that combines the large capacity, ease of access and internal configuration of a tram with the flexibility of a city bus".
When I first saw photographs of these buses, they looked rather small, especially when compared to the 12-metre long Mercedes-Benz Citaros that were previously on the route. But that's because I saw the pictures out of context, without other reference points to make comparisons with. Because these buses have odd dimensions compared to other single-deckers. It's all down to the increased amount of roof space that is becoming the norm with electric single-deck buses - the batteries and charging equipment have to go somewhere after all.
In fact, these buses are over 11 feet high (3.4 metres). By way of comparison, an ADL Enviro200 is about 9 feet 4 inches high (2.86 metres). The extra height is most pronounced when a more standard single-decker bus is in close proximity:
ABOVE: A comparison of the relative sizes of the ie Tram with other single-decker buses can be made here by looking at the ADL Enviro200 behind IE 14 at Crystal Palace Bus Station. The Enviro is also working route 358.
The highly-curved and tram-like front results in a very narrow front entrance door:
ABOVE: The narrow entrance door on the ie Tram is demonstrated on IE 4 (LJ23 FHV) as it passes the pick-up point on route 358 at Crystal Palace, whilst "Not in Service". Note also the unusual position of the driver's rear-view mirror; the circular item visible immediately in front of the entrance door inside. These would usually be more central.
This narrow door means that those passengers with buggies must use the middle doors, thus legitimising what is pretty much standard practice anyway across London! These passengers must then fight their way to the front of the bus in order to 'touch in' with their payment, which can be challenging if the bus is busy (on my trip, one such passenger could not get through so had a free ride).
You might also have noticed the windows at low-level behind the (hidden) front wheel. This is part of the apparent desired effect to make these buses look more like trams, but there have been concerns expressed that they might be 'intrusive' in some respects. However, you will note that the seats behind those windows are pretty low-down, so maybe that criticism is over-stated?
There's a wooden floor along the length of the vehicle:
The rear-seats are quite high-up from the vehicle floor...
The seats are comfortable, though, and the legroom (in the seat I choose near the back, anyway) is good, especially for a single-decker. There are four bays of four seats - two in the forward section and two in the rear - to help make the best use of the space around the wheels.
The overall ambience is pretty good as well. Irizar says that the interior design "seeks to offer the user the sensation of openness and luminosity". It's certainly bright, even on a dull day such as the one I have chosen.
I'm not so sure about the claim that "the ... arrangement of the seats inside the vehicle [ensures] that passengers can enter and exit smoothly at stations and move around freely inside the vehicle". ("Stations?!") In practice it's the same situation as on any other London bus, where people congregate around the exit doors and access to the rear area is restricted by the volume of bodies blocking the way!
What is really noticeable, though, is how smoothly the bus actually runs. The electric motor is little more than a purr, even on the occasional fast stretches, and the bumps in the road (there are sure to be some!) are barely felt.
ABOVE: The side and rear profile can be seen on IE 6 (LJ73 CHV), yet another bus leaving Crystal Palace without picking up any passengers! Note how the wheels, especially those at the back, are hidden to make this look more like a vehicle on a track.
The journey as far as Bromley is busy for an off-peak service. There's a very slow section towards Anerley, thanks to temporary traffic lights and roadworks, but otherwise overall progress is reasonable, by London standards anyway.
One positive (no pun intended when we're talking about electrically-powered buses) is that the buses do not need to be charged at the end of every trip, so unscheduled short-turns can be made to get them back on course after a significant delay.
But that's a curse as well as a blessing. I note a bus in the opposite direction terminating short of Crystal Palace, at Elmers End Green. Short-turns are a bit of a problem on this route, and lead to wider frequencies at the ends of the route. A Sunday cut (and I did observe some when I revisited just over a week later) can mean a 40-minute gap in the service.
ABOVE: Elmers End Green, as the weather turns for the worse...
We reach Bromley. This major retail and commercial centre has a population of about 88,000 people. Bromley was chartered as a market town in 1158. Its location on a coaching route, and the opening of a railway station in 1858, were key to its development into an urban town. Bromley also has its own team of Morris dancers, "The Ravensbourne Morris Men", founded in 1947 - sounds fun!
It's always a busy place, and the bus is once again caught in a jam near Bromley North station. An extraordinary number of bus routes pass through here, and there seem to be as many buses in the jam as there are cars! I leave the bus here for a comfort break.
ABOVE: A rear view of IE 16 (LJ74 BPY) at Bromley South station on Sunday 2 February 2025. The service is terminating short of Orpington, at Green Street Green (presumably at the depot). This will mean a 40-minute gap in the service to / from Orpington.
I have read suggestions in the past about splitting the 358 at Bromley, to make two more manageable routes. The section beyond Bromley to Orpington could be double-decked if the route were to be divided, but, ironically, this end of the route probably doesn't justify the double-deckers that are so obviously needed on the Crystal Palace section.
It certainly feels a lot quieter on this section compared to what has gone before. The downside for me is that an ADL Enviro200 has turned up to carry me on this latter leg. And, with the first hints of Storm Éowyn blowing through Bromley High Street (not too bad overall for the south-east, but still blustery and chilly), I'm not in a hurry to hang around for the next bus that may or may not come in 12 minutes.
We head past Bromley Common and Bromley Bus Garage, and reach the Princess Royal University Hospital in Locksbottom, where a man with his arm in a sling boards - has he been partaking of the Hospital's services?
Then comes Farnborough, a village in Greater London (sounds like a contradiction in terms). Soon after that is Green Street Green, where the 358's operating base sits right alongside the pretty common. Well it would be pretty if it wasn't now teeming down with rain.
And so to Orpington High Street. Orpington has been around for a long time - Stone Age tools and Bronze Age pottery fragments have been found here, and the ruins of Crofton Roman Villa have been found near Orpington Station.
ABOVE: IE 18 (LJ74 CZP), in a now very wet Orpington High Street
After a double-run of the High Street, it's time to head for the station and journey's end. Buses terminate at the small bus station right outside the railway station's eastern entrance.
Another opportunity charging point has been provided here, but this one is a little less practical than the one at Crystal Palce, as the second bus in the 'queue' needs to move forward and reverse back onto the appropriate stand. I can't help thinking that there should have been two charging points installed at each end, which would improve the offered "opportunities" significantly...
ABOVE IE18 (LJ74 CZP, right) is charging at Orpington Station whilst IE 2 ((LX23 BKA, left) is either awaiting its turn or has already been charged. Both buses are displaying Elmers End as their destination, suggesting a lengthy delay will be felt at the Crystal Palce end of the route later.
These are certainly smart buses, reasonably comfortable, smooth running and, of course, 'green' (even if they're painted red)! They look unusual, but, as long as they do the job, no-one will complain. Go Ahead London has already ordered a further set of ie Trams to furnish its Fastrack network in Gravesend and Dartford (and also Dover at some point).
ABOVE: A look at the roof of IE16, taken from the top of a 208 bus in Masons Hill, south-east of Bromley Town Centre. The white bars just visible at the front, attached to the black supporting arms are presumably the bits that the charging equipment needs to make contact with in order to charge. And the bits in the white casing behind are presumably the actual batteries.
I've not mentioned that delays in getting the charging equipment and electrical supplies ready meant that some of these buses were in store for two years before they entered service. Now that they finally are working the route, it will be interesting to see what the experience of using them on the busy 358 is like.
To date, there hasn't been a full run-out of ie Trams, which suggests that there are still some teething problems to be overcome. Even on Sunday 2 February, when I revisited the route, and when only 10 vehicles are needed instead of the weekday allocation of 17, there were at least two non-ie Trams in service. One of them, an Enviro200, turned up for me, and I didn't fancy another 20 minute wait in the hope of the correct vehicle!
In fact, of my three attempts to catch one of the new buses, only one has been successful - and even then I had to let an Enviro200 go first! So it looks like it will take a while for things to settle down. I'll go back in the summer and see how the route is getting on...
BELOW: The broad route of the 358
