Beginning this week central London commuters on the 507 and 521 routes might catch the first two fully electric and emission-free buses in service in the city.

Made by Shenzhen-headquartered BYD, the 12-meter buses were handed over to fleet operators Transport for London and Go-Ahead last week.

The model has already been road tested in Paris, Bremen, Bonn, Madrid, Barcelona, Salzburg, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Brussels and Budapest, according to BYD.