Routemaster RIP
We won't miss freezing our bits off
The Routemaster bus has now gone from the streets of London with their replacement on Route 159; Marble Arch to Streatham. There will be a few maintained for tourists on a truncated central section of routes 9 and 15, but other than these very limited designated 'heritage' routes they have been consigned to history. This has been seen as a tragic loss, an end to a part of London's identity and singularity, a sign or the creeping tide of uniformity overwhelming us. But while the Routemaster was both an icon and a very advanced piece of design and engineering for its time, it was also ageing, inaccessible and draughty.
The future's bright - the future's bendy 
The Routemaster prototypes were built between 1955 and 1956, with the first production models coming into service in 1958 and the final vehicles coming off the production line in 1967. The newest vehicles are therefore nearly 40 years old. London is a changing, diverse metropolis demanding a public transport system that acknowledges this. The new generation of double-deckers and the much-maligned 'bendy buses' fill that remit.
An end to wallowing
As a disabled passenger I am glad of the adjustable front entrance height and the designated seats adjacent to the doors. I am thankful that I am in a warm brightly lit interior and not squinting over a newspaper whilst freezing my bits off. The Routemaster is a fine symbol of London's past but we need to meet future transportation needs and not wallow in some dewy-eyed mythical past largely created by people who never use buses. I will return to some of these themes at a later date.
We want to hear what you've got to say..
Leave a message for us here.Messages
| Message: | 6/6 |
| Date and time: | 10/03/2011 at 17:06:10 |
| Sender: | kevin Lucioni |
| The new RM is Boris's big vanity project.The cost of the prototype vehicle is £7m.This is to develop a vehicle which ultimately would have no resale value,as no other british operator operates crew routes.As for accessability,I see perhaps 1 or 2 wheelchair users per week,and hundreds of parents with young children in buggys using new low floor buses,instead of driving cars,and adding to the congestion.As Peter Hendy said in the Standard yesterday,the Routemaster entered service the same year that Morris introduced the Minor.How many Morris Minors do you see being driven these days?We do not need crew operation in London these days.I found a waybill for a driver on route 170 the other day.During their shift,they carried 750 passengers.They took £16 in cash,just 32 paying customers. | |
| Message: | 5/6 |
| Date and time: | 29/11/2010 at 03:38:43 |
| Sender: | alroutemaster |
| Oh yeah, almost forgot, I travel on at least 4 buses every day of my life and I have not seen ONE wheelchair use one this year so far. So that was a waste of money as well, all you do is fall over bleeding pushchairs. | |
| Message: | 4/6 |
| Date and time: | 29/11/2010 at 03:34:49 |
| Sender: | alroutemaster |
| Just travelled to work on a five year old Routemaster replacement. Couldn't see to read my paper, freezing cold even with doors - and couldn't jump off to walk the last 100 yards when stuck in traffic. And you call this progress? | |
| Message: | 3/6 |
| Date and time: | 04/08/2010 at 07:47:51 |
| Sender: | Geoff warner |
| I love the ole Routemaster a 100% classic, if there going to bring it back to be a bus from the past to a bus of the future then the new design doesnt do the routemaster justice. First of all they should have kept the happy face of the bus thats what the routemaster is mostly remembered for. | |
| Message: | 2/6 |
| Date and time: | 11/12/2009 at 04:47:05 |
| Sender: | Bill |
| I have to disagree. As a regular user of bendy buses it really got my goat to see so many people NOT using their Oyster card and the scrum for the middle doors by those who have no intention of paying. Good riddance to bendy buses I say. It must have cost TFL millions in lost revenue... | |
| Message: | 1/6 |
| Date and time: | 29/12/2008 at 13:06:05 |
| Sender: | Biff |
| Quite agree with the comments on Routemasters. There is a bit too much dewy-eyed nostalgia around. Especially from our Mayor. The competion to design a new rear-entrance two man operated bus is mad. It makes about as much sense as a competion to design a new steam locomotive. Apart from anything else, what is the point of having a conductor when literally nearly everyone has an Oystercard or Travelcard. It is far more sensible for everyone in this case to just walk past the driver and show their pass/swipe their card. It is also more sensible and certainly safer to have the doors under the direct control of the driver. On a double-decker this has been possible since 1958 - so I'm afraid that the Routemaster was out of date even as it was being built all those years ago. | |
