Boris Johnson unveils redesigned Routemaster bus for London
Seven hop on hop off buses will enter service in February, as critics accuse Johnson of financing ‘vanity project’ with fare rises
Boris Johnson takes a ride on the new bus. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters
Hélène Mulholland
The Guardian
Boris Johnson has shown off his long-promised 21st century version of the iconic Routemaster bus to Londoners and announced that a handful will be in service by late February 2012 – just weeks before he seeks re-election in May.
Johnson made a promise in the run up to the 2008 mayoral election to bring back the hop-on-hop-off bus model, which was withdrawn from regular service on all but a handful of routes in 2005.
Designed by London-based designers Heatherwick Studio and built by Northern Irish company Wrightbus, the hybrid open-platform bus has three doors and two staircases and cost £7.8m to develop.
A second crew member will be on board to prevent fare evasion whenever the hop-on-hop-off platform at the back is open — which is expected to be the majority of daytime hours, according to Transport for London.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/16/boris-johnson-routemaster-bus-london?newsfeed=true
People look at the new style London bus after its launch at Trafalgar Square in London December 16, 2011. The more environmentally friendly bus is based on the popular old Routemaster design and will enter service at the beginning of next year. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
LONDON, ENGLAND -DECEMBER 16: Reporters and television crews surround a new prototype red double decker bus in Trafalgar Square on December 16, 2011 in London, England. The new bus design mimics some of the features of the iconic red London Routemaster bus and is scheduled to come into service in 2012. The original Routemaster was introduced in 1956 and a number of them are still in use on heritage routes in London, following their withdrawal from regular routes in 2005. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Boris Johnson takes a ride on the new bus. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters
Dilemma X 
June 27, 2013 at 5:42 am
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing
to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!