The election of Boris Johnson as the new mayor of London looks unlikely to result in changes to senior personnel at Transport for London. TfL commissioner Peter Hendy and London Underground managing director Tim O'Toole are understood to be staying on.

The pair are likely to welcome the anticipated appointment of Steven Norris, the former Tory transport minister for London, as TfL chairman. This post has been occupied by Ken Livingstone, the previous mayor, for the past eight years. Norris is a familiar face to transport professionals and is seen as a safe pair of hands.

In a show of solidarity, Johnson was twice pictured with Hendy during his first week in office. The first occasion was at City Hall when, shortly after being sworn in as mayor, Johnson had a meeting with Hendy, Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair and Fire Brigade commissioner Ron Dobson. Four days later the mayor was pictured with Hendy on a tube train to launch his ban on alcohol on London's public transport.

Hendy's position appeared in doubt after a email he sent in March to the mayor's chief of staff, Simon Fletcher, was leaked to the Evening Standard. Hendy's email asked Fletcher whether there was "any mileage in refuting Boris's two public transport ideas - [articulated buses] cause death by fire and crushing cyclists and Routemasters are good?" (Transit March 28). Johnson said that it indicated that TfL was caught up in the mayor's politicial machine.

Hendy's job will now be to oversee the implementation of Johnson's transport manifesto, which pledged to get rid of London's 340 artics and replace them with a new "21st century Routemaster", with conductors.

With more than 30 years of experience in the bus business, Hendy will know that this will not be straightforward. Getting rid of artics will create a capacity conundrum for Hendy and David Brown, TfL's managing director of surface transport. The vehicles can carry twice as many people as the Routemasters that they replaced.

Commenting on the decision to use artics in a newspaper interview in 2006, Hendy said: "It's not me thinking, I'm in charge of buses in London, let's introduce these humping great monsters for personal aggrandisement. We're responding to huge increases in demand. The Routemasters got too small."

Perhaps it is not surprising that the new mayor and his transport commissioner chose to kick off their working relationship with the relatively simple task of banning alcohol Tube, bus, Docklands Light Railway, and tram services and stations across the capital. From June 1, drinking from and carrying open containers of alcohol will be banned.

Johnson joined Hendy to unveil information posters advising passengers of the plans, which will be displayed on the TfL network. Hendy said: "We are already working closely with Boris Johnson and his team to improve safety and security on the transport network. I am sure that cutting out boozing on public transport will be welcomed by our passengers and staff."

Johnson said: "I'm determined to improve the safety and security of public transport in London and create a better environment for the millions of Londoners who rely on it. I firmly believe that if we drive out so called minor crime then we will be able to get a firm grip on more serious crime.

He added: "Over the next month Transport for London will make the necessary legal changes and consult with staff."

Discussions will soon begin on how to implement other pledges made by Johnson during his campaign. These include:

* introducing 440 extra Police Community Support Officers and 50 extra British Transport police officers.

* a trial of orbital express coach routes linking key rail stations in south London;

* allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes;

* using London's iBus bus tracking system to create an online, live map of the location of every bus in London;

* consulting residents on whether to keep the western extension of the congestion charge zone;

* seeking the power to fine utility companies that cause delays;

* longer opening hours for the Tube on Fridays and Saturdays;

* and a no-strike deal with the trade unions.

Johnson's transport manifesto also pledged to summon London's train operators to an emergency summit "to demand longer trains, manned stations at night, more frequent services and lower fares".