Working closely with Felicity, the Conservative Council has made substantial strides towards an electric vehicle (EV) future. The number of EV charging points in the borough has doubled in the past two years, with 90 per cent of residents in the borough now living within 100 metres of a charge point. This has made owning an electric vehicle in Kensington easier than ever. But Sadiq Khan-run TfL is lagging behind.
With only a third of our bus routes in Kensington going electric, our reliance on diesel buses poses serious health risks due to harmful emissions.
The facts show that diesel buses are a major contributor to air pollution. They emit large amounts of Nitrous Oxide, harmful particulate matter and pollutants which residents are breathing in every day. This has a damaging impact on our long-term health, and our children in particular.
These Kensington bus routes are NOT electric or hydrogen: 9, 18, 19, 22, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 74, 137, 228, 274, 316, 328, 430, 452, N97, N207
This needs to change, and fast.
Tony Devenish AM and Felicity Buchan MP are calling for accelerating an all-electric bus fleet in Kensington to 2030. That way we can mitigate the adverse impacts of diesel bus emissions on our densely populated streets and residents' well-being.
Sadiq Khan has spent over £300m on excessive staff perks, including £42 million annually on free travel for TFL staff's friends and family while the staffing budget at City Hall has ballooned by 82% to £210m. Together that's enough to fund the purchase of an additional 1000+ electric buses. So we are calling on Sadiq Khan to get his priorities straight and electrify Kensington's buses as soon as possible.
