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Individual bus routes across London are to get their own Tube-style coloured branding to make it easier to travel round the network.

Signs at bus stops, as well as the vehicles themselves, will be clearly labelled with distinct colours to help passengers navigate local areas.

More than 60 red buses will be given their own splash of colour to mark seven different routes under a trial in Barkingside, East London.

A further Transport for London trial is planned for the summer in Hayes, west London, with the new designs then spreading to other parts of the capital.

The main destinations and interchanges will be listed on the side of the buses so passengers can tell at a glance where they go.

London’s bus network is one of the most extensive in the world, carrying almost 2.4 billion passengers a year – more than all the other bus journeys in England combined.

But there are concerns that the myriad of routes - more than 700 - zig-zagging across different parts of the capital can be confusing for some passengers.

Bus passenger numbers have fallen as a result of slower journeys caused by roadworks and congestion, forcing TfL and the Mayor to take action.

Sadiq Khan said: “By bringing these new distinctive route colours to areas of the network, we’re making it as easy to navigate areas of London by bus as it is by Tube.”

The new bus maps will be streamlined to be clearer and will include local landmarks like parks as well as interchanges with the Tube and overland rail. For the first time they will be on display inside buses, which will be colour coded to match their route.