A decade after the first example entered service, MARK LYONS profiles the bus that is indelibly linked with Boris Johnson’s time as mayor of London
The New Routemaster, originally referred to as the New Bus for London is, probably, the most politicised bus of all time. During his 2008 mayoral campaign Boris Johnson promised that, if elected, he would commission a new Routemaster bus for the UK capital. Drawing inspiration fromthe AEC Routemaster, he called for the new bus to be stylish and have an open platform so passengers could hop on and off at will.
Following a public competition, six manufacturers were invited to design and build a new bus taking inspiration from the winning entry. Final submissions were presented by Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus. The latter was successful and Heatherwick Studio was selected to help design the bodywork. A full-size mock-up was unveiled at the LT Museum’s Acton depot in November 2010 after which it was displayed at the museum’s Covent Garden site.
First look
The first prototype was unveiled at Millbook in June 2011, with a formal launch of the type at Wrightbus’ Ballymena plant in November. The following month it appeared for the first time in London and began a …
