Following the catastrophic failure of London’s notorious ‘bendy-buses,’ that were possibly the most unpopular addition to the capital since pigeons, Mayor Boris Johnson looks like he is delivering on a long-touted promise to bring back his version of the much-loved Routemaster.
Transport for London (TfL) is resolutely not calling them Routemasters, but rest assured, everyone else will, or ‘hop-on, hop-off,” as today’s (16 December) prototype made its way from City Hall – Johnson’s fiefdom – to the iconic Trafalgar Square, pigeons et al.
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The new bus has been designed, engineered and built by a team of 25 engineers and 40-strong production team at Wrightbus in Northern Ireland with what are referred to as ‘aesthetics’ carried out by the London-based Heatherwick Studio.
Following today’s prototype drive, seven more buses will enter service in February next year plying the route between central London (Victoria) and the borough of Hackney, operated by Arriva.
With a characteristic flourish, Johnson, not noted for his shyness said: “Christmas has arrived early in the form of this revolutionary new bus whose gleaming coat of red paint and sinuous curves will brighten the day of all who see it humming along our great city’s streets.
“It is the latest, greatest masterpiece of British engineering and design, and I am certain it will become a much-loved and iconic vehicle akin to the legendary Routemaster from which it draws so much inspiration.”
During the next few weeks the bus will undergo testing for certification purposes. Arriva staff will be responsible for driving and crewing the eight buses when they enter service next year, with “hundreds” anticipated to eventually be on London’s roads, although no precise figures are yet available.
TfL is marking some bold claims for its new toy as well. A statement from the transport body notes: “In tests at Millbrook Proving Ground, the engineering test vehicle emitted only 640g/km of carbon dioxide and 3.96 g/km of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) – less than half the carbon dioxide emitted by a current diesel bus (1295g/km) and less than half the NOx emitted by a current diesel bus (9.3g/km). In testing, fuel economy was also better than twice that of a standard diesel bus at 11.6mpg”
Design features include three entrances and two staircases to deliver speedy boarding, a new seat and moquette design, use of new materials and an open platform at the rear, in common with the Routemaster.
The rear platform will be open when there is a conductor on board allowing passengers to hop on and off at bus stops – although how often a conductor will be available – and who pays for them – is equally not yet known.
“It has been 50 years since a bus was last designed and commissioned specifically for London,” said Heatherwick Studio’s Thomas Heatherwick.
“This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a team to look again at the opportunities for a new open-platform bus.”
