Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will encourage the installation of artificial sound generators on quiet electric and hybrid-electric buses in London to ensure their audibility for the safety of blind and partially-sighted pedestrians.

A new EU regulation dealing with noise from road vehicles was adopted in 2014 and this will require additional sound devices to be fitted to all new types of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles from July 2019. This includes new buses and manufacturers may choose to fit them sooner. There are no plans currently to require the devices to be fitted before July 2019. Whether to encourage their fitment in London is a matter for the Mayor of London.