The Very Expensive New Routemaster
The New Bus for London: This brand new bus for London was initially announced as the replacement for the bendy bus, an updated Routemaster, an “iconic bus London can be proud of”.
∗ When are we likely to see it?
⇒ A prototype version has already been on a tour of London Boroughs.
⇒ Route 38 between Victoria and Hackney will be the first operational route.
⇒ 8 buses will run on this route beginning with one in February 2012.
∗ How much will the buses cost?
⇒ £11.1 million is the estimated cost of the first 8 prototype vehicles. This compares to a standard double decker bus which costs £190,000.
⇒ For the same money 58 standard double deckers could have been bought and rolled out onto London streets.
∗ What will it look like? The new bus for London has been modelled on the original Routemaster buses built from 1954-1968. It is a double decker bus with two internal staircase and 3 entrances/exits. It has been touted as “a bus the capital can be proud of”.
∗ From TfL’s publicity leaflet: “The new bus for London will operate with a conductor for most of the day. The conductor will not collect fares, check passes or validate Oyster cards. But will supervise the rear platform when they are on board, allowing passengers to hop on or off”.