Two electric buses have hit the streets of London as part of a trial to see if the technology is suitable for shorter routes around the capital.

The 12-metre single deck buses will service Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge stations running on routes 507 and 521 from today.

According to Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto, the zero-emission buses should reduce running costs by about three quarters compared to a diesel bus and can travel up to 250km (155 miles) on a single four or five hour charge - sufficient to operate for a full day without the need to recharge.

Six further electric buses are set to be introduced into the TfL fleet in early 2014, four of which were secured with funding from the Department of Transport's Green Bus Fund with a further two funded from Transport for London's technology demonstration budget.

And more zero emission buses may be forthcoming if London beats off competition from seven other European cities to win a partnership funding bid to trial a range of pure electric and hybrid vehicle technologies and charging techniques.

London has also introduced zero emission hydrogen buses on the RV1 route between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway and is currently trialling 120 buses that run on used cooking oil.

The city intends to deliver Europe's largest hybrid bus fleet by introducing 1,700 by 2016 to cover a fifth of the fleet. Around 600 are already operational including the New Routemasters, which have faced criticism over their multi-million pound price tags but are said to offer significant fuel efficiency and emissions savings.

Matthew Pencharz, senior environment and energy advisor to the Mayor of London, said: "Electric buses could help deliver the cleaner and greener bus fleet we need to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.

"If these prove successful we plan to see more introduced over the next few years to run alongside the hybrid and hydrogen bus technology that is already tackling air pollution and carbon emissions across the capital."