By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-08-14 21:36:00 | Updated at 2026-08-14 22:33:12
1 hour ago
In 1954, as crowds at the Earl's Court Motor Show marvelled at London's new Routemaster bus, few could have predicted the capital’s fleet would one day be dominated by Chinese-made electric vehicles.
But what would have been inconceivable then has become a reality seven decades later – and is now a direct assault on Britain's national security.
Having played their part in both World Wars in transporting soldiers and converting as ambulances, the capital's single and double-deckers have been taken over by a newer adversary in what has been dubbed a "total surrender".
Build Your Dreams, a Shenzhen-based manufacturing firm more commonly known by its acronym, BYD, has become an unmissable presence across the city's transport network.
There were 261 BYD/BYD-Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) models in Transport for London’s (TfL) fleet in 2020, with the figure booming to 1,197 as of March 2025 – a 359 per cent increase, exclusive figures obtained by GB News reveal.
This drive has been powered by TfL's goal of running an entirely zero-emission bus fleet by 2030.
As of March 2025, BYD/BYD-ADL models accounted for 61 per cent of the capital's electric bus fleet.
That share has likely grown since, with TfL celebrating its 3,000th zero-emission bus taking to the city's streets in June.
Described as “an international symbol" of the capital by the London Transport Museum, the Pantone 485 C red buses make around five million journeys across the city each day.
However, the push to make the popular mode of travel "the most accessible, affordable and sustainable", in the words of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, may have come at a cost to safety.
BYD was the world's biggest electric bus exporter in 2024, shipping more than 3,500 abroad, according to Sustainable Bus magazine.
Chinese brands now hold roughly 28 per cent of Europe's electric bus market.
BYD was the world's biggest electric bus exporter in 2024, shipping more than 3,500 abroad
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The drastic shift often leaves commuters in the capital finding themselves on the all-electric BD11 model, which was “specifically designed” for the city.
This market domination has raised alarm bells among security experts, warning the Chinese EV explosion is “a power shift that has not been discussed or addressed".
"‘What happens if we find ourselves at war with our suppliers?’ That was the question the public transport provider in Oslo asked us," Tor Indstøy, Vice-President (Risk Management and Threat Intelligence) at Norway's Telenor Group told the People’s Channel.
Mr Indstøy, along with Arild Tjomsland, a senior adviser at the University of South-Eastern Norway, were tasked by Oslo's public transport operator, Ruter, with uncovering what these connected vehicles are capable of, as well as the cybersecurity risks those capabilities could pose.
The buses tested were Chinese-made Yutong models, of which there are more than 600 across the United Kingdom.
The pair, assisted by their 10-strong team, had already run tests on Mr Indstøy’s NIO Chinese SUV by placing the vehicle deep into a Norwegian mine to test whether the machine could be controlled remotely.
From the depths of the mines, they confirmed the manufacturer could send software updates “over the air, much like your phone”.
The Norwegian researchers concluded owning an EV was a “strange kind of rental agreement in which the manufacturer has full control”.
The Norwegian research team took the buses into mines to test their remote capabilities
TOR INDSTOY
The pair said software updates could theoretically be exploited for malicious ends, thus reducing a vehicle's maximum speed or shutting it down entirely, in what is widely known as a "kill switch".
Mr Indstøy and Mr Tjomsland conducted the same test on Ruter's Chinese electric bus, where they found the same theoretical possibilities applied despite the bus being a far more simple model than the NIO.
Essentially, in the wrong hands, the same capabilities that let a manufacturer maintain a vehicle could be used against its owner.
“If actors somewhere along that chain are not on our side geopolitically, and an international crisis arises, they could use that position as leverage,” Mr Indstøy warned.
“An all-out scenario where a bus is weaponised by an opponent is not very probable – using this kind of technical control as leverage for a political motive is far more realistic," he added.
Britain's News Channel put these findings to TfL, asking specifically whether it or its subcontracted bus operators manage these software updates and whether BYD notifies them before updates are applied.
A spokesman said: "All buses entering service in London must meet our robust technical requirements and we are committed to rigorous testing."
Tor Indstøy, of Norway's Telenor Group, testing Oslo's bus fleet 
TOR INDSTOY
“We continuously review and update these requirements to ensure buses in London meet the highest standards.”
The Scandinavia experts also found the NIO was sending 90 per cent of the car’s data – the majority of it encrypted – to a location in Beijing, confirming, in Mr Indstøy’s words, EVs are “data centres on wheels”.
Chinese law requires companies to provide all the data it collects upon the request of the Government.
The Western world is only waking up to this fact, with the United States attempting to ban TikTok earlier this year and the UK banning network operators from buying 5G equipment from Huawei in 2020.
It is not only vehicles which are sending their data to the Middle Kingdom.
Earlier this month, it emerged cameras fitted to Royal Navy drones were sending “heartbeat communications" – signals indicating a device is online and functioning – to an IP address in China.
The Ministry of Defence said they "found no evidence of MoD data or systems being accessed, compromised or transmitted externally".
Concerns over foreign-linked vehicle systems are not merely theoretical, either.
Last December, hundreds of Porsches across Russia were left undriveable after a failure in their factory-installed satellite security system triggered sudden engine shutdowns, the Moscow Times reported.
BYD-made London buses bound for Britain in Yantai in China's Shandong province
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A representative of Rolf, Russia's largest dealership group, said it was possible the outage had been done deliberately.
Mr Indstøy said it was unlikely the cars had been "sabotaged".
Instead, with sanctions imposed on the Kremlin after its invasion of Ukraine and companies pulling out of the market, "things stop working" as software updates dry up and services become unavailable.
Dame Priti Patel, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said GB News' exposé on BYD was “yet more evidence that Labour are kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)".
She added: “Labour has given the CCP a free pass to undermine all aspects of our safety and security.
“At every stage, Labour’s soft touch to China extends from No10 to Sadiq Khan, under whom vital transport contracts are being handed to China.
“Khan and (Andy) Burnham must explain how they will ensure that reducing emissions does not come with a hidden cost for our national security.
“Labour are not serious and have failed to stand up to Beijing. Only the Conservatives can be trusted to put our national interest first.”
Sir Sadiq Khan has pushed for London's bus fleet to be totally emission-less by 2030
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In June, the Pentagon described BYD as a "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base".
BYD rejects the US’s designation, with the Chinese embassy in Washington calling the blacklisting “discriminatory”, insisting its firms comply within the laws of the nations they operate in.
London's BYD bus fleet is worth an estimated £480million, with each vehicle costing £400,000 brand new.
Chinese-made EVs are essentially locked out of the American market, as they are subject to one of President Donald Trump’s 100 per cent tariffs.
In Whitehall, China has been described as an “epoch-defining and systemic challenge” by the Foreign Office.
The National Cyber Security Centre’s chief executive, Richard Horne, has emphasised while criminal ransomware attacks are a serious issue to almost all British organisations, threats from states such as China and Russia are the “most advanced”.
Despite these concerns, it appears the conversations are happening predominantly in specialist echo chambers.
Mr Tjomsland said: “These discussions are held by engineers, and engineers only.
“There's no regulator and no political science in the room. We are creating a vulnerable society, and the politicians have no clue what is happening.”
Regulation in this space is desperately behind, with Mr Tjomsland describing it as “very immature”.
Mr Indstøy told the People's Channel he had been invited to the UK to speak to a select committee on the issue, concluding from the discussion “the regulatory side is way behind”.
Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice said the move to use BYD buses in London has left Britons “at the mercy of the CCP”.
He told Britain's News Channel: “Net Zero stupidity poses yet another serious risk to our national security.
“Thanks to the Tories and Labour abandoning our domestic motor industry, China is now flooding UK roads with electric buses built by a Chinese company and leaving millions of Brits at the mercy of the CCP.
“This is a total surrender. The Government should move to ban Chinese EVs like these that present a credible national security threat and start investing in our own industries.”
The Government confirmed back in 2025 there are no centralised restrictions on Chinese-made EVs entering Ministry of Defence areas.
Gone forever? The iconic London double-decker is being handed over to China 
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The admission came in response to a parliamentary question from Conservative peer Lord Andrew Robathan, who asked if there were any limits placed on the movement of Chinese EVs on Ministry of Defence sites.
Defence minister Lord Vernon Coaker responded: “The Ministry of Defence takes the security of defence assets very seriously and is working with other Government departments to understand and mitigate any potential threats to national security from vehicles.
“Our policies and procedures take account of the potential threats from all types of vehicle, not just those manufactured in China, and we have issued appropriate internal directions to all drivers and passengers.
“There are no centrally mandated policy restrictions on the movement of Chinese-manufactured vehicles.
“We are aware that individual defence organisations may have stricter requirements relating to electric vehicles on some sites, but we do not provide specific details for security reasons.”
An MoD spokesman said: "The security of defence assets is a top priority for this Government.
“We regularly review security policies for vehicle users and passengers, alongside providing security guidance to all staff and personnel.”
New rules are being brought in requiring carmakers and bus manufacturers to protect their vehicles from cyber threats, while managing software updates safely.
However, the framework raises questions of its own – chiefly over who carries responsibility when a vehicle is built by more than one company, as with BYD buses.
It also appears to have done little to address the concern raised by Nordic analysts: the rules are designed to keep outside hackers out, not to govern the access a manufacturer keeps for itself.
Beyond the security issue, the silent handover of manufacturing the iconic London bus to the Chinese feels at odds with Mr Burnham’s ambition to “reindustrialise Britain”.
After stepping into No10 in July, the Labour leader vowed to put “life’s essentials back under stronger public control” and “reindustrialise Britain using public procurement to back British industry”.
The Scottish bus manufacturer, Alexander Dennis Ltd, partnered with BYD in October 2015, jointly producing the Sino-Scot hybrid model, Enviro400EV.
While this partnership may bring some relief as a London bus model is still being built on British soil, the electronic “brain” and connectivity on which security concerns hinge are Chinese-made.
Crucially, the drivetrain, battery and battery management system are developed by BYD.
More broadly, China’s influence on the UK continues to strengthen, with its super-embassy in London on course to begin construction after a High Court challenge was dismissed last month.
Critics fear the mega-diplomatic building could become a “power centre” for the CCP.
The super-embassy is due to be built on the site of the Royal Mint, where British Sterling was produced from 1809 until 1967.
Asked whether their revelations had changed how they view technology, Mr Indstøy predicted "a bumpy ride" ahead, while Mr Tjomsland admitted it had made even choosing a car harder.
"If I were to buy a car, I'm not sure what it would be these days," he told GB News.
"Probably an old Land Rover."
GB News has reached out to BYD for comment.
