New routemaster hits the streets

The new Boris bus finally hit the streets of London this morning. The new routemaster bus, part of the Mayor’s electoral pledge, has taken two years from drawing board to […]

The new Boris bus finally hit the streets of London this morning. The new routemaster bus, part of the Mayor’s electoral pledge, has taken two years from drawing board to the tarmac and the first one will be in service from February.

Mr Johnson was of course the first passenger as the bus was driven from City Hall to Trafalgar Square and he was obviously delighted with his creation: “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,” he said.

Offically called the New Bus for London, the first of the hybrid double deckers will start ferrying passengers on route 38 running from Victoria to Hackney from February 20th. It has two staircases to deliver speedy boarding, a new seat with the classic fabric design of the old routemasters and of course a return to the open platform at the rear so passengers can hop on and off between stops.

In total eight new buses will be on the Capital’s streets by the summer. The new bus is much cleaner than its old counterpart producing half the CO2 emissions and with twice the fuel economy.

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